Produce Cooling & Icing

Overview

Fresh vegetables and fruits products require ice and/or chilled ice for preservation of quality.

Ice and /or chilled water are used at all points in the chain of produce processing – ice is added during harvest process to start removal of the field heat from the product, top icing during processing, and ice injection of boxes prior to shipment to the market, or central processing areas, or the end user. Processing requires continuous temperature control to maintain the best quality and extend the shelf life of the product. The use of ice reduces bacteria or enzyme activity in products, slows decay, and yields a higher quality. Ice helps provide a sanitary means for this preservation.

Applications include:

  • Water chilling to reduce the field heat during the harvest process
  • Water chilling to rapidly drop the temperature of processed product (cut and blanched – hydro-cooling
  • Truck icing during transport of product
  • Ice /water mixture for liquid injection systems of boxed product prior to shipment
  • Icing during processing – Post processing icing

The objective is to maintain the temperature during all phases – from the harvest to the final destination in the in the restaurant or consumer’s home.

VOGT can supply the complete ice making, ice storage and distribution systems for produce.

Advantages include:

  • Complete line of products
  • Single source responsibility for the system
  • Proven experience in solving customer problems with reliable solutions

Recommended Produce Icing Solutions
To help or inhibit bacterial growth after harvest, ice and chilled water are used remove heat, clean, and extend the shelf life of the product – deliver a crisp fresh end product to the end-user. Using potable water in the production of the ice and sanitary handling of the ice after production is the best way to help assure ice cleanliness. Ice made in a central ice plant is conveyed either mechanically or pneumatically on to the point of use. The amount of ice needed is dictated by the cooling rate required by the produce harvested. Different varieties require varying cooling times to maintain quality.

Hydrochillers
Chilled water used to clean and remove heat during harvest and processing can be produced in large quantities on Vogt TURBO® hydrochillers to meet the most demanding requirements using all stainless steel constructed HTD and HF series chillers.

VOGT® has a complete line of icemakers, ice storage systems, delivery systems, and chillers to meet each individual customer’s needs.

Ice Makers
Vogt Ice products – Tube Ice ® P series, VT ice makers and Vogt Turbo® Modular (C-Line, MHG) series ice makers help provide a sanitary way to manufacturer the type of ice required for each customer’s needs. All icemakers have been used in USDA inspected plants for over 40 years.

Features
Vogt Turbo ® Modular fragmented ice benefits:

  • Capacities in 26 US tons per day modules.
  • Densest product made – more ice in the same volume. Critical in ship icing.
  • Large amount of surface area for quick cooling of product.
  • Sanitary equipment construction.
  • Variable ice thickness control for desired ice type.
  • Storage and delivery systems to integrate in to any plant process.
  • Variable delivery rates and control options.

Vogt Tube Ice ® P series and VT ice benefits:

  • VT capacities from 3-5 US tons per day in self contained packages-perfect for inland processing
  • P series capacities from 5 to 125 tons per day.
  • Large amount of surface area for quick cooling of product.

Most icemakers are available as low sides only or self-contained with the low side evaporator and high side on a common skid for capacities up to 50 tons for HFC Refrigerant and ammonia. Multiple icemakers can be installed to provide up 1,000 tons or more i ce capacity.

Ice Storage and Delivery Systems

Ice rake systems:

Vogt TURBO ice rake systems are designed for storage of tube, or fragmented ice produced by the VOGT line of icemakers. Capacities up to 87 tons can be obtained.

CB Rakes are available in three rake assembly sizes and 4 different capacities. Completely automatic loading and unloading of the ice through the use of a programmable logic controller to monitor all aspects of the rake system operation ensuring reliable operation. CB rakes range in capacities from 49 to 87 tons of ice.

The CB Rake is completely automatic – unload and load operation require the operator to turn on the “Delivery” switch.

Ice Delivery System to processing and other icing delivery points

Ice can be delivered to the ice storage and other delivery points, (processing, trucks, box injector systems). The icing requirements may vary within the process or require delivery to a number of different icing points inside and outside of processing areas. A single system may deliver ice to the trucks at loading dock, to several different processing areas inside and outside of the plant. Automatic ice delivery can include a combination of methods including:

Galvanized or stainless steel screw conveyors (augers) which can be used to deliver ice from the icemaker to the ice storage bin (rake system) and from the ice rake to the processing area, dock, tuck icing, or processing areas – all automatically. Simple user friendly controls allow adjustments to the ice loading and unloading process to match the customer’s requirements. The speed of the screw conveyor(s) are selected to meet the delivery volume and rate required.

Pneumatic delivery systems consist of a blower, two and three-way diverter valves (for delivery to more than one icing point or multiple processing areas), rotary valve, after-cooler (typically not required with fragmented ice), cyclone to decelerate ice delivery to processing area piping and control systems. Pneumatic systems are typically used for long transport distances or in application where space is limited in the process area. Ice is transported in small piping systems to deliver the ice to one or more icing points in a minimum of space.

Cyclones are used in processing areas to separate the air and ice, and decelerate the ice discharge from the pneumatic delivery system Delivery rates of 15 to 40 tons per hour are typical and easily accomplished with the complete line of delivery system components.

The Turbo CB Rake allows a convenient way of storing and handling large amounts of ice – all automatically. The rake stores the ice and deliver it when it is needed for harvest or in-plant processing needs.

Pneumatic delivery systems
Pneumatic systems are used to load ice on trucks quickly and efficiently to minimize the time sitting dock waiting for ice during busy harvest season. Ice can be effectively blown into all parts of a 53’ trailer or smaller trucks to completely fill the voids and ensure all the produce is in contact with the ice. Delivery can be made to loading docks and processing areas in the plant – all from ice plants located remote to the processing areas using a common delivery system. Automated controls make it efficient and safe.

Pneumatic systems consist of a blower, rotary valve, two and three-way diverter valves (for delivery to more than one location), and control systems for delivering ice to all icing points in the processing line. This equipment will deliver ice at necessary rates to the various locations. This equipment easily interfaces with ice machines and ice rakes to complete the system. Two-and three-way diverter make it possible to deliver ice to many different processing areas with a single delivery system with integrated controls to ensure safe and reliable operation. The custom system is designed to meet the needs for all aspects of the customer’s operation.

Unlike old pneumatic systems VOGT systems utilize large inlet and outlet silencers to reduce the noise to acceptable levels.

Typical applications:

  • Post harvest icing and chilling.
  • Processing and packaging prior to shipment
  • Box icing (ice injection) prior to shipping
  • Pneumatic conveyors for handling ice to processing lines.

Chilled Water System:
Vogt TURBO Chillers

Chilled water can be delivered to the process by one of two methods. Vogt TURBO Chillers – HTD (High Temperature Difference) or HF (High Flow) chillers and Thermal energy storage systems – HP or ATS/FTS.

Chilled water at 33 deg F can be supplied by HTD and HF type Turbo Falling Film chillers to chill the produce before and during processing. The cleanable nature of the chiller and stainless steel construction make it the preferred way to supply sanitary cold water for cleaning during processing.

Large quantities of water are cooled from temperatures as high as 85 to 90 deg F down to 33 deg F in a single pass on HTD chillers. The water enters the chiller at the higher temperature and leaves at the lower temperatures and can be delivered directly to the process or to a storage tank for later use. Vogt TURBO chillers can deliver water to within one (1) degree of the freezing point.

Chiller products can deliver several hundred gallons per minute of chilled water to the process typically with a single chiller. Multiple chillers can handle large processing requirements.

HF (High Flow) series chillers are used in hydro-cooling application requiring very high flow rates and lower temperature differences. The HTD and HF chiller are both fabricated entirely from stainless steel for sanitary operation and ease of cleaning.