Tunnel Forced-Air Coolers For Fresh Fruits & Vegetables

12/2/2014
TunnelForcedAirCoolersforFreshFruits&Vegetables
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TableofContents
1. Introduction
2. WhyCoolasSoonasPossibleAfterHarvest?
3. HowisForcedAirCoolingAccomplished?
4. 7/8CoolingTimes
5. WhatProductscanbeForcedAirCooled?
6. WhatareForcedAirCoolerComponents?
7. 10StepstoDesigningaForcedAirCooler
8. CaseStudy
9. OtherConsiderations
10. References
Introduction
ThisFactsheetdescribeshowtodesign,build,andmanageacommercialsizetunnelforcedaircoolerfortwo
tosixpalletsoffreshfruitsandvegetablesatonetime.Forcedaircoolersarecommonlyusedinmajorfresh
fruitandvegetablegrowingareas.Figure1andFigure2showalargeforcedaircoolerbeingusedtocool
stonefruitinaCaliforniapackingshed.Somecropsneedtobecooledmorequicklyafterharvestthanothers,
sothedesignisimportanttoensurethattheairflowperunitweightofproductissuitedtothecropneeds.The
principlesdescribedinthisFactsheetcanbeusedtohelpdesignsmallerorlargersystemsasrequired.Figure
3showsaschematicofaforcedaircooler.
Figure1.Tunnelforcedaircoolerfortwolayersofpalletsofstonefruitatonetimeinacaliforniapacking
shed.Thetunnelisundertheblacktarpbetweentworowsofpallets.
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/facts/98031.htm#what
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Figure2.Atunnelisformedbypalletsofproduceplacedinpairsagainstaductwithafaninsideit.Atarpis
pulledoverthetunneltoforceairtotravelthroughthecontainersides,downthetunnelandtothefan.
WhyCoolasSoonasPossibleAfterHarvest?
Allfreshhorticulturalcropsarelivingorganisms,evenafterharvest,andtheymustremainaliveandhealthy
untiltheyareeitherprocessedorconsumed(Fraser,1991).Theenergyneededtocarryonlivingcomesfrom
thefoodreservesintheproductitself.Theprocessbywhichthesereservesareconvertedintoenergyiscalled
respiration.Heatenergyisreleasedduringrespiration,buttheratevariesdependingonthetypeandvariety
ofproduct,thelevelofmaturity,theamountofinjuries,andtheproducttemperature.
Producetemperaturehasthegreatestinfluenceonrespiratoryactivity.Rapid,uniformcoolingassoonas
possibleafterharvesttoremovethefieldheat,iscriticalinloweringtherespirationrate.Thisreducestherate
ofdeterioration,andhelpsprovidealongershelflife.Aruleofthumbisthataonehourdelayincooling
reducesaproductsshelflifebyoneday.Thisisnottrueforallcrops,butistrueespeciallyforveryhighly
perishablecropsduringhotweather.
Loweringthetemperaturealsoreducestherateofethyleneproduction,moistureloss,spreadofmicro
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organisms,anddeteriorationfrominjuries.
HowisForcedAirCoolingAccomplished?
Forcedaircoolingisjustonemethodofquicklyremovingfieldheatfromfreshlypickedproduce.Mostfresh
fruitsandvegetablescanbeforcedaircooled.Highcapacityfansareusedtopullrefrigeratedairthroughthe
produce.Rapidanduniformcoolingresults,fromtheforcedconvectivecontactofthehighspeed,refrigerated
airwiththewarmproduce.Thisisdifferentfromroomcooling,whereproduceissimplyplacedinacold
storageroomandcoolsslowlyandnonuniformly,mainlythroughconductionandthenaturalconvective
contactwithrefrigeratedair.
Pullingair,ratherthanblowingitthrough,ispreferablesinceitiseasiertominimizeairshortcircuitingandit
resultsinmoreuniformcooling.Shortcircuitingoccursifrefrigeratedairflowsdirectlytothefaninsteadof
goingthroughtheproducemass.Airwillnotflowasuniformlyifitispushedasitwillifitispulledthroughthe
produce.Withpropercontainerdesignandorientation,producecanberapidlyanduniformlycooledin
baskets,boxes,bins,orbags.Forcedaircoolingsimplydoesabetterjobwiththerefrigeratedairinthecold
storage.
Althoughmorecostly,itisbettertoprovideadedicatedforcedaircoolingroom,thenmovetheproducetoa
longertermstorage.Mostcoldstoragesusedforforcedaircoolingwillriseintemperatureaftereachfresh
batchofwarmerproduceisadded.Ifthistemperatureriseisgreatbecauseofanundersizedrefrigeration
system,coldproducealreadyintheroomwouldsweatandincreaseintemperature.Bothsituationsare
unacceptable.Agoodcompromiseistoformaforcedaircoolingareabypartitioningpartofthestorageusing
atarpsuspendedfromtheceiling.Thishelpsreducetemperaturefluctuations,butshouldbeconsideredasa
temporarymeasure.
7/8CoolingTimes
Allfruitsandvegetablescoolquicklyatfirst,thenmoreslowlyovertime.Factorsthataffecttherateofforced
aircoolinginclude:
densityofproduceinthecontainer(thelessdensetheproducepile,thefasteriscooling)
containertype,orientation,andventingcharacteristics(ifairpassesuniformlyandevenlybythe
produce,coolingisfaster)
volumetosurfaceareaofproducethelowertheratio,thefasteriscooling(cherriescoolquickerthan
melons)
traveldistanceofthecoolingair(theshorterthedistance,thefasteristhecoolingoftheoverallpile)
airflowcapacity(thehighertheairflow,thefasteriscooling).
Therelativehumidityofthecoolingairhaslittleaffectonmoistureloss,ifitisabove85%andthecooling
periodisunder1to2hours.
Regardlessofthetemperatureofthecoolingairorthestartingtemperatureoftheproduce,theshapeofthe
coolingcurveremainsthesame,providingalltheotherfactorslistedabovearekeptconstant.Onlytherateof
coolingchanges.
The7/8coolingtimeisastandardindustrytermthatdescribesthetimetoremoveseveneighths(87.5%)of
thetemperaturedifferencebetweenthestartingproducetemperatureandthetemperatureofthecooling
medium(refrigeratedair,inthecaseofforcedaircooling).Itisaconvenientmethodofindicatingwhen
producehascomeascloseaspracticaltothetemperatureofthecoolingmedium.Forcedaircoolingshould
startassoonaspracticalafterharvest,preferablywithinonehour.Don'tletproduceaccumulatebefore
puttingitontheforcedaircooler,otherwiseitwilllosequalityandshelflife.The7/8coolingtimeismeasured
fromthetimetheproduceisfirstplacedontheforcedaircooler.SeeFigure4.
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Figure4.Typicaltimetemperaturerelationshipforproducebeingcooled.
Forexample,ifa32Cpeachcooledusing0Cairreaches4Cin9hours,the7/8coolingtimeis9hours.
Thatis,a28Ctemperaturedropoutof32Cdifferencebetweentheproduceandair.The7/8coolingtimeis,
theoretically,threetimesaslongasthe1/2coolingtime.So,thesamepeachthattook9hourstocoolto4C
above,wouldtakeonly3hourstoreach16C,thetemperatureatthe1/2coolingtime,ifeverythingelse
remainedthesame.Inpractice,the7/8coolingtimeisusuallydifferentthanthreetimesthe1/2coolingtime
becauseconditionsrarelyremainexactlythesameovertheforcedaircoolingperiod.
Sometimesonecanestimatewhenaproductwillbe7/8coolbyknowingothercoolingtimes.Table1lists
someotherrelationships.
Table1.Relationshipsto7/8coolingtimes
Ifyouknowthiscooling
thenmultiplybyaboutthefollowingtoestimatethe7/8
time...
coolingtime
1/4cooltime
7.5
3/8cooltime
4.5
1/2cooltime
3.0
3/4cooltime
1.5
Forsomecrops,itmightnotbenecessarytooperatetheforcedaircoolerattemperaturesaslowasthe
optimumholdingtemperaturefortheproduce.Forinstance,someproducemightbeforcedaircooledto5C,
thenslowlyroomcooledinanadjacentholdingroom.Thiscompromisecouldeliminatetheneedtohavea
refrigerationdefrostingsystemintheforcedaircoolingroom.
WhatProductsCanbeForcedAirCooled?
Mostproducecanbeforcedaircooled,butthe7/8coolingtimeshouldbeshorterforsomeproducethathave
specialneeds:
havehighrespirationratesatharvest
losemoistureeasily(berries/leafvegetables)
arequitematuresuchastreeripenedpeaches
areshippedtodistantmarkets.
Table2listsproducerequiringquickcoolingandsuggested7/8coolingtimesandairflows.
Table2.Relativeperishabilityoffreshfruitsandvegetablesandrecommended7/8coolingtimesand
airflows
Relative
Crop
7/8Cool bAirflow
Perishabilityof
Time(hr) L/s/kg
Crops
(CFM/lb)
VeryHigh
Asparagus,abroccoli,aleaflettuce,aspinach,asweet
0.751.5
62(62)
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corn,mushrooms
High
Blueberries,raspberries,strawberries,sweetcherries, 12.5
cauliflower,snapbeans,headlettuce
41.25(4
1.25)
Moderate
Apples(early),cabbage(early),cantaloupes,acelery, 26
peaches,plums,peppers,summersquash
1.50.5(1.5
0.5)
Sprinklingwaterontheproduce,ormistingthecoolingairbeforeitenterstheproducecontainerscouldbe
beneficial.
b
Higherairflowsareshownfirsttocorrespondwithfaster7/8cooltimes.
CropsWithVeryHighPerishability
Thesecropsallhaveveryhighrespirationratesatharvesttemperatures,andlosemoisturerapidlyafter
harvest.Theymustberapidlycooledassoonaspracticalafterharvest,ortheywillhavelittleornoshelflife.
Someofthesecropsaremoretraditionallyhydrocooled,iced,orvacuumcooled.However,allofthemcanbe
forcedaircooled,providingcoolingisdonequicklywithhighairflowratesandhighrelativehumidityairto
reducethedangerofdryingthemout.Itisrecommendedthatairflowratesofatleast2to6L/s/kgofproduce
(2to6CFM/lb)beused,attemptingtohave7/8coolingtimesofnomorethan4590minutes.These
productsmustbemonitoredforsignsofdryingout.Sprinklingwateronthembeforeforcedaircooling(except
mushrooms)mightbehelpful.Donotruntheforcedaircooleranylongerthannecessary.
CropsWithHighPerishability
Thesecropshavehighrespirationratesatharvesttemperatures,and/orlosemoisturerapidly,butitisnotas
criticaltocooltheseproductsasrapidlyastheoneslistedpreviously.Experiencehasshowngrowersthat
theseproductsshouldbeforcedaircooledasquicklyaspracticalafterharvest.Watchforsignsofthe
productsdryingout.Airflowratesofatleast1to3L/s/kgofproduct(1to3CFM/lb)shouldbeused,with7/8
coolingtimesofnomorethan1to3hours.
Snapbeansshouldonlybecooledtoabout4Cto7C(40Fto45F),dependingonthecultivar.Otherwise,
theyaresusceptibletochillinginjury.Avoidforcedaircoolingthemwithrefrigeratedairbelow4C.Trytocool
snapbeansinlessthan3hoursifpossible.Snapbeansareoftenwashedafterharvest,soasidebenefitof
forcedaircoolingisthedryingeffectoftheairflow.
CropsWithModeratePerishability
Althoughthesecropsarelessperishablethanthosealreadylisted,itisstillrecommendedthatthesecropsbe
rapidlycooledassoonaspracticalafterharvest.Theirshelflifewillbeimproved.Airflowratesofatleast0.5
to1.5L/s/kgofproduce(0.5to1.5CFM/lb)and7/8coolingtimesofnomorethan3to6hoursare
suggested.
Cantaloupesandsummersquasharesensitivetochillinginjury,soavoidforcedaircoolingthemwithvery
coldrefrigeratedair.Cantaloupesshouldbecooledtoabout2Cto5C(34Fto41F),whilesummersquash
shouldbecooledtoabout7Cto10C(45Fto50F).
WhatareForcedAirCoolerComponents?
Therearefourcomponentstoaforcedaircooler:
fanandductsystem
foam/tarp/plastictopreventshortcircuiting
refrigerationsystem
monitoringequipment.
FanandDuctSystem
Thefanpowerstheforcedaircoolingsystem.Itsairflowismeasuredinlitresofairpersecond,L/s,(cubic
feetofairperminuteorCFM)basedonitstype(axialorcentrifugal)itsdesign(bladetypeandorientation)
thedifficultyinpullingtheairthroughtheproduce(staticpressure)themotorsize(horsepowerorWatts)
andtherevolutionsperminute(RPM)ofthefanblades.
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Fansshouldbeselectedbasedontheairflowtheyproduceatagivenstaticpressurebetweentheinletand
outletofthefan.Formostforcedaircoolingsystems,staticpressuresrangefromabout15mmto25mm
(0.61.0inches)ofwatergauge.Bothcentrifugal(squirrelcageorfurnacetype)andaxialflow(propeller)
fanscanbeusedforforcedaircooling.ManyforcedaircoolersinCanadausecentrifugalfansbecauseofthe
availabilityofusedequipment,andbecausetheyarequietertoworkaround.SeeFigure5.
Figure5.Centrifugal,squirrelcage,orfurnacetypefanoftenusedforforcedaircooling.
Manygrowersfindusedcentrifugalfansfortheirforcedaircoolers,butitisdifficulttoestablishtheairflow
ratesforthem.However,forplanningpurposesonly,useTable3tohelpestimatethecapacityofthesefans.
Table3.ApproximateairflowrangesinL/s(CFM)ofcentrifugalfans(standardRPMdriverangeone
wayentry)
MotorsizekW(hp) Approximateairflow,L/s(CFM)attheindicatedstaticpressure
12mm(0.5in.)
25mm(1in.)
0.37
(.5)
11251225
(24002600)
0.75
(1)
17002450
(36005200)
12751500
(27003200)
1.1
(1.5)
20253075
(43006525)
16502275
(35004800)
1.5
(2)
21753550
(46007525)
19252825
(41006000)
2.25
(3)
25004250
(53009000)
23003575
(49007600)
3.75
(5)
32505200
(690011000)
30754750
(650010000)
Predictingthestaticpressureaforcedaircoolingfanmustoperateagainstisdifficult.Itisaffectedbythe
airflow,amountofairentryareaoncontainersides,ventalignment,distancetheairmusttravelthroughthe
produce,densityoftheproduceinthecontainers,andanyductingrestrictionsfortheair.Formostsystems,
fansshouldbeselectedbasedonamaximumstaticpressureof25mm(1in.)watergauge.
Therearemanyfantypesandmodels.SmallercentrifugalfansneedlargermotorsrunningathigherRPM,to
obtainthesameairflowaslargercentrifugalfans.Ingeneral,largerfanswithsmallermotorsaremore
efficient.Choosethemtokeepoperatingcosts,noise,wear,andheatloadsontherefrigerationsystemtoa
minimum.Thisallowsflexibilitytoinstallalargermotorinfuturetoprovidehigherairflowratesifneeded.
Anyairsupplyareas(outsideofpallets)orairreturn(tunnel)areasshouldbedesignedtokeepairspeeds
underabout5m/s(1000ft/min).Thismeansprovidingatleast1m2ofcrosssectionforevery5000L/sof
airflow(1ft2/1000CFM).Smalleropeningswillrestrictairflows,makethefanworkharder,causeairtoshort
circuitnearthefan,andcauseunevencooling.
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Todeterminetheminimumairsupplyareasizesandcrosssectionaldimensionsofthetunnel,supposea
forcedaircoolingsystemisdesignedtocool2250kg(4950lbs)ofproduceonsixpallets,withanairflowof
4500L/s,or2L/sperkg(9530CFMor1.9CFM/lb).SeeFigure3.Thepalletsare1.2m(4ft)wideand1.5m
high(5ft).Theequationforairflowis:
Q=AxVor,A=QV
where,Q,istheairflowrate,L/s(CFM)
A,isthecrosssectionalarea
perpendiculartotheairflow,m2(ft2)
V,isairvelocity,m/s(ft/min)
Theairflowis4500L/s(or4.5m3/s),soallcrosssectionalareasshouldbeaminimumof:
A=4.5m3/s5m/s=0.9m2
(A=9530CFM1000ft/min=9.5ft2)
So,ifthepalletsare1.5mhigh(5ft),thetunnelshouldbeatleast:
W=0.9m21.5m=0.6mwide
(W=9.5ft25ft=1.9ftwide)
Forpracticalreasons,thetunnelshouldnotbelessthan0.6m(2ft)inwidth.
Thecoldairsupplygapbetweentheoutsideofthepalletsandawallorpalletsonanotheradjacentforcedair
cooler,mustalsobewideenoughtoallowcoldairtoentereasily.Forpracticalreasons,thisgapshouldbeat
least0.3m(1ft),ormoresothatsomeonecanwalkdownthegaptocheckthingsout.Unlessairflowsare
extremelyhigh,thiswidthisplentywideenoughtoallowairtoflowfreelyintothepalletsides.
Formostapplicationsminimumdimensionsshouldbe:
tunnels0.61.2mwide(24ft)
gapstowalls0.30.6mwide(12ft)
gapstoadjacentunits0.61m(23ft)
Thedimensionsoftheplywoodfanhousingductshouldbe2.4m(8ft)wideand2.4m(8ft)highto
accommodatevariouspalletsizesandheights.Itshouldalsobe1.2m(4ft)deepfromfronttoback,tohelp
createmoreuniformairflow,andtohelpstabilizetheduct,consideringtheweightofthefanonthebackside
oftheduct.Theopeningintothefrontsideoftheductforthereturnairtothefanshouldbecentred,be1.2
m(4ft)wide,andbeashighaspossibleonthefanhousingduct.SeeFigure3.
MostforcedaircoolersusedinCanadaoperatewithairflowsintherangeof0.56L/s/kgofproductbeing
cooled(0.56CFM/lbs).Higherairflowratesmayreducethecoolingtime,butdoublingtheairflowratedoes
notcutthetimeinhalf.Itisveryimportanttounderstandthathigherairflowsdonotnecessarilymeanthe
productwillalwayscoolquicker,sinceadequaterefrigerationandpreventionofshortcircuitingareusually
morecritical.Also,itmaybeimpracticaltooperatewithveryhighairflows,sincethefansmightneedtobe
extremelylarge.Therearereportsofsituationswhereveryhighairflowshavecausedsuchhighstatic
pressuresthattarpshavebeenpulledintothetunnel.Regardlessofhowsmalltheairflows,anyamountof
refrigeratedairproperlypulledthroughtheproducewilldramaticallyreducecoolingtimescomparedtosimple
roomcooling.
Foam/Tarp/PlasticToPreventShortCircuiting
Oneofthemostimportant,butmostoftenoverlookedrequirementsofagoodforcedaircooleristhemethod
usedtopreventshortcircuitingofthecoolingair.Airalwaystakesthepathofleastresistance,soevensmall
cracksmustbeplugged.Itdoesnttakemuchofaholetoreduceairflowsthroughthemassofproduce.A
welldesigned,tightsystemmayhaveatleast10%ofitsairshortcircuiting(Thompson,1996).Poorly
designedandoperatedsystemscouldhavemostoftheirairshortcircuiting.
Therearemanylocationsforairtoshortcircuit(seeFigure6):
forkliftopenings
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shippingcontainersthatdonotfittightlyonthesidesortop,ortothepalletdimensions
wherepalletsfitagainsttheforcedaircooler
betweenthetopcontainersonapalletandaloosefittingtarp.
Figure6.Plugginguplocationswhereaircanshortcircuitiscriticalwithatunnelforcedaircooler.
Todemonstratetheproblemofshortcircuiting,considerthepreviousexampleinFigure6.Coolingaircan
enterthetunnelonlyviatheoutsidefaceofthecontainers,anareaof:
1.5mx1.2mx3pallets/sidex2sides=10.8m2
(5ftx4ftx3x2=120ft2)
Thetunnelarearequiredwaspreviouslycalculatedtobeabout1.0m2(10.5ft2).Thus,ashortcircuitleakage
areaofonly10%wouldsupplyallthenecessaryreturnairarea.Littleairwouldpassthroughtheproduce,
whichalreadyhasahigherresistancetoairflow.Thesixpalletforkliftopeningsalonehaveacombined
openingofabout0.12m2(1.5ft2)Thisiswhyitisimportanttosealoffanyandallleakagepaths.
Heavyplasticorcanvastarpsmustbepulledovertheproducecontainerstohelpforcethecoolingairtotravel
uniformlyinonedirectionthroughtheproduce.Heavyfoamstripsordoorsealersareofteninstalledonthe
frontofthefanhousingductagainstwhichthefirstpairofpalletsarepressed,creatinganeffectiveairseal.
SeeFigure3.Theimportanceofcheckingforairleaksafterconstructioncannotbestressedenough.
Forpalletsystems,theidealshippingcontainerstoforcedaircoolareonesthatstacktightlyonallsidesand
fillouttheentirefootprintofthepallet.Figure7comparesastraightwalledcontainerthatfitsonallsixsides,
topandbottomlikeLEGOTMblockswiththosethathavetaperedwallsanddontfittightlyonthetopsand
bottom.Fortaperedwalledcontainers,airshortcircuitsthroughthetaperedareasratherthanthroughthe
produce,evenifthetaperangleisveryslight(Vigneault&Goyette,1995).Forstraightwalledcontainersthat
fittightlyonthesidesandtop,airmusttravelthroughtheproduce,resultinginquicker,moreuniformcooling.
SeeFigure8.Morespecifically,theidealcontainerstoforcedaircoolhaveventsthatare:
25%oftheareaperpendiculartotheairflowdirection(Vigneault&Goyette,1995)
evenlydistributed
linedupalongthecoolingpath
longslotsratherthanroundholestopreventpluggingwithproduce
unrestrictedbyliners,trays,packmaterials.
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Figure7.Containersshouldfittightlyonallsides,beventedtoprovideuniformairflow,andfitthepallet
footprint,usually1.2mx1.0m(48in.x40in.)
A$50staticpressuregauge,ormanometer(Figure9)assistsindetermininghowmuchshortcircuitingis
occurring.Thelowpressuretubeshouldbeinstalledinsidethetunnelbetweenthepalletsasfaraspossible
fromthefan(Boyette,1994).SeeFigure3.Thehighpressuretubeshouldbeinstalledinthenormalairflowof
thecoldstorageroom.Formostapplications,thedifferenceshouldmeasureabout12mm(0.5in.)static
pressureofwatercolumn.Thismeasurestheloadthatthefanmustworkagainsttopulltheairthrough.By
pluggingshortcircuitingholes,thestaticpressurewillrise,indicatingthatthefanisworkinghardertopullthe
airthroughtheproduceandensuringthatcoolingairistravellingthroughthecontainersandnotaround
them.
Commonmethodsofpreventingshortcircuitingare:foamordoorsealsbetweenthepalletsandtheforcedair
coolingunitcorrugatedcardboardorplasticstripsbetweenpalletsandontheendsofthemoronforklift
openingsthataresuckedintoplacebytheairpressureorcushionedfloorbumpersthatpalletsbuttup
againsttopreventshortcircuitingthroughtheforkliftopenings.
RefrigerationSystem
Thereisanoldsayingthatyoucanneverhavetoomuchrefrigerationinacoldstorage.Thiscertainlyapplies
toforcedaircoolingsystems.Becausecoolingcommencesimmediatelyafterproduceisplacedontheunit,
andtheslopeofthecoolingcurveissosteepinitially(Figure4),theamountofrefrigerationrequiredatthe
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beginningofcoolingisenormous.Itisoftenmuchmorethanmostgrowerscanafford,orneed.Theformula
fortherefrigerationinkilowatts,kW,(Btu/hr)neededatanytimeisadaptedfromtheformulaforthe
momentarycoolingrate(Mitchelletal,1972):
kWneeded(Btu/hr)=2.1x(AB)xCxDE
A=Temperatureofproduce,C(F)
B=Temperatureofcoolingair,C(F)
C=Weightofproducebeingcooled,kg(lbs)
D=Specificheatofproduce,usuallyabout3.77kJ/kg/C(0.9Btu/lb/F)
E=7/8coolingtime(hr)
Inthepreviousexample,whatcoolingcapacityisrequiredtocool2275kg(5,000lbs)ofstrawberriesfrom
28C(82F)to3.5C(38F)in2hours,using0C(32F)coolingair(7/8coolingtimeof2hours)?
Usingtheformulaabove,themomentaryrefrigerationatthebeginningofcooling(worstcasescenario)would
be:
2.1x(28C0C)x2275kgx3.77kJ/kg/C2hr=252,150kJ/hr,or70kJ/sor70kW
2.1x(82F32F)x5000lbsx0.9Btu/lb./F2hr=236,250Btu/hr
Thisisalmost20tonsofrefrigeration!Thereare3.5kW(12,000Btu/hr)inatonofrefrigeration,atermused
byindustry.Mostgrowerscannotaffordtodesignfortheworstcase.However,iftheylearntoacceptthatthe
temperatureoftheroomwillriseslightlyinitiallywhenproduceisplacedontheforcedaircooler,butthatit
willgraduallyrecover,theycandesignwithlowerrefrigerationlevels.Withgoodmanagement,thesuggested
ruleofthumbistodesignforabout2/3ofthemomentarymaximumrefrigerationrateatthebeginningof
cooling:
70kWx2/3=47kW
(236,250Btu/hrx2/3=157,500Btu/hr)
Thisisabout13tonsofrefrigerationoverandabovetheamountrequiredforheatloadsproducedelsewhere
inthestoragesuchasthroughdoors,wallsandceiling.Theproduceheatloadwouldlikelyrepresentatleast
80%ofthetotalheatloadinthestorage.
Unlessthesystemisdesignedforit,donotductthewarmedairfromtheforcedaircoolingfandirectlytothe
evaporatorcoils,orthecoldairfromtheevaporatorcoilsdirectlytothepalletsbeingforcedaircooled.In
mostcases,theevaporatorcoilsandfanswerenotdesignedforthisapplication.Whenusingaforcedair
coolingsysteminaroomusedforholdingproducethatisalreadycooled,directtheexhaustairfromthe
forcedaircoolingfanawayfromanyproduce,andtowardstheevaporatorcoils.
Therelativehumidityofthecoolingairintheforcedaircoolingroomshouldbegreaterthan85%tohelp
preventwiltingoftheproduce.Thismeanslargeevaporatorcoilcoolingsurfaces,andsmalltemperaturedrops
acrossthecoolingcoils.Ifacoldstorageroomiskeptat0C(32F),andtheevaporatorcoolingcoilsaresized
toosmall,theaircomingoffthecoilswillbeseveraldegreesbelowfreezing.Thisdriesouttheairandkeeps
therelativehumidityintheroomtoolowforfreshfruitsandvegetables.Theproducecouldbedamaged
throughchillingifthisairisnotallowedtowarmupslightlyintheroomfirst,beforebeingdrawnthroughthe
producebytheforcedaircooler.
Itisimportanttokeepthecoolingairascloseaspossibletothesetpointtemperature,especiallyneartheend
oftheforcedaircoolingperiod.Iftheairrisesafewdegrees,theproductcouldstopcoolingandevenrisein
temperature.Thispointsouttheneedtohaveseparateforcedaircoolingrooms,withplentyofrefrigeration
capacity.
SomerefrigerationsystemssuchastheFilacellSystem,arespecificallydesignedwithforcedaircoolingin
mind.Ithashighcapacityfansthatcanhandlehighstaticpressures,whileprovidingveryhighhumidity.
Consultarefrigerationcontractorontheoptionsavailable.
MonitoringEquipment
Monitoringequipmentcanhelpmanagetheforcedaircooler.Someoftheimportantpiecesofmanagement
informationarethe:
startingtemperatureoftheproduce
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desiredendingtemperatureoftheproduce
maximumtimethatproducecanbeforcedaircooled.
Alloftheseissuesaremorecriticalforfirsttimeusersofaforcedaircooler.
Theinternaltemperatureshouldbetakenonafewpiecesofproduceonthepalletbeforeplacementonthe
forcedaircooler.Thismeansprobingthecentreoftheproducewithgoodtemperaturemeasuringequipment
thatgivesaninstantaneousdigitalreadout.SeeFigure10.Theproducetemperaturemaynotbethesameas
thesurroundingairtemperature.Largeproducesuchascantaloupeorcabbagewilltakelongertowarmup(or
cooldown)thansmallerproducesuchasplums,evenifthesurroundingairtemperatureisrising(orfalling)
rapidly.Forexample,theoutsideairtemperatureatmidmorningmaybehigherthanthetemperatureofthe
peachesstillonthetreebecausetheymaystillbecoolfromthenightbefore,orbecauseofleafshading.
Conversely,strawberriesmaybehotterthantheairtemperatureifthesunisbeatingdownontheirdark
colouring.Also,produceonthetopofabin,basket,orboxmaybewarmerthanproduceburiedunderneath
becauseofdirectsunlight,orheatconductingfromahot,darkcontainer.
Mostoperatorsknowatwhattemperaturetheywanttheirproducestored.Unfortunately,whenthingsget
busyatharvest,producesometimescannotstayontheforcedaircooleraslongasnecessary.However,by
knowingthestartingtemperatureoftheproduce,operatorscanmakebetterjudgementsaboutwhat
temperaturetheproducewillbeafteraperiodoftimeontheforcedaircooler.
Figure10.Ahandheld,portable,digitalreadout,temperatureprobeisanessentialmanagementtoolin
determiningthestartingandendingtemperaturesoftheproduce.
Itisdifficultandtimeconsumingtomonitorthetemperatureoftheproduceasitiscooling.However,oneway
ofestimatingtheactualtemperatureoftheproduceatanytimeistomonitorthetemperatureoftheexhaust
airfromtheforcedaircoolingfan,thencompareittothetemperatureofthecoolingairintheroomasit
entersthepallet.Theexhaustair,willbeaboutmidwaybetweenthecoolingairenteringthepalletandthe
producetemperatureatthattime.
Ifthecoolingairintheroomenteringthepalletisat2C,andtheexhaustairfromtheforcedaircoolingfan
isat10C,theproducewouldbeatabout18C,since10Cismidwaybetween2Cand18C.Producethat
feelsthecoldairfirstwillcoolmorequicklythanproducethatisdownstream,becausedownstreamproduce
feelswarmerair.Ifthereisalotofshortcircuitingofair,thismethodofmonitoringisnotreliable,sincemore
coldairwouldmakeitswaytothefan,loweringtheexhaustairtemperature,andgivingtheoperatorafalse
senseofthecoolingprogress.
Athermostatcanbeplacedintheexhaustairfromtheforcedaircoolingfantoeithershutitoffwhenthe
airflowreachesacertaintemperature,orslowitdownifitisavariablespeedfan.Thiscanhelpprevent
runningtheequipmentlongerthanneeded,savesonelectricalpower,andpreventsneedlessaddingofheat
frommotorsinthecoldstorage.Atimertoturnoffthefanafteraperiodoftimecouldbeinstalled,if
appropriate.
10StepstoDesigningaForcedAirCooler
1. Determineaveragedaysproduction,kg(lbs)
2. Determineheavydaysproduction,kg(lbs)
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3. Determineavailablecoolingtime(hours/day)
4. Establishnumberofbatches(batches/day)
5. Calculatesizeofbatch,kg/batch(lbs/batch)
6. Pickanairflowrate,L/s/kg(CFM/lbs)
7. Calculatefanairflowrate,L/s(CFM)
8. Calculatepeakrefrigeration,kW(Btu/hr)
9. Use2/3refrigerationrule,kW(Btu/hr)
10. Determinetunnelwidthandgaptowall,m(ft)
CaseStudy
Agrowerhas4ha(10ac)ofstrawberries,andpicks3000masters/ha(1200masters/ac)at6kg/master
(13.2lbs/master)overa25dayharvestseason.Palletshold64masters,are1.5mhigh(5ft),andweigh384
kg(845lbs).Pickingisfrom6:00a.m.12:00noon,withberriesatanaverageof25C(77F).Thecold
storageisat0C(32F).Determinethesizeoffan,extrarefrigerationneededandthewidthofthetunneland
gaps.
1. Determineaveragedaysproduction,kg(lbs)
4hax3000masters/hax6kg/master25d=2880kg/d
10acx1200masters/acx13.2lbs/mast25d=6340lbs/d
2. Determineheavydaysproduction,kg(lbs)
Thedailyharvestcouldprobablyrangeallthewayupto10000kgpicked(22000lbs).Itisunrealisticto
designforthebusiestdayoftheseason,butoneruleofthumbistodesignforatypicalheavyday,whichis
oftentwicetheaverageday.So:
2880kg/ave.dayx2=5760kg/typicalheavyday
(6340lbs/ave.dayx2=12680lbs/typicalheavyday)
3. Determineavailablecoolingtime(hours/day)
Pickingisfrom6:00a.m.12:00noon,or6hours.Theearliestberriestogoontheforcedaircoolerwould
beatabout7a.m.,withberriesarrivingatthecoldstoragecontinuallyafterthatuntil12:00noon.Forcedair
coolingcanproceedaslongasnecessaryafter12:00noon,soestimatetheavailablecoolingtimeas6hours,
from7:00a.m.to1:00p.m.Thelastberriespickedaregenerallythehottestberriespicked,sotheycanstay
ontheforcedaircoolerlonger,ifnecessary.
4. Establishnumberofbatches(batches/day)
FromTable2,itisreasonabletowanta7/8coolingtimeof1.5hoursforstrawberries,so:
6hrsavailable/day1.5hr/batch=4batches/day
5. Calculatesizeofbatch,kg/batch(lbs/batch)
5760kg/day4batches/day=1440kg/batch
(12680lbs/day4batches/day=3170lbs/batch)
Thiswouldbe240masters/batch,or4pallets.
6. Pickanairflowrate,L/s/kg(CFM/lbs)
FromTable2,a7/8coolingtimeof1.5hourscorrespondsapproximatelytoanairflowrateof2.0L/s/kgof
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produce(2CFM/lbs).Thehighertheairflow,thequickerthecoolingtime,andthelowertheairflow,theslower
thecoolingtime.Predictingthe7/8coolingtimeisdifficult,sinceitdependsonsomanyvariables.
7. Calculatefanairflowrate,L/s(CFM)
2.0L/s/kgx1440kg/batch=2880L/s(2.88m3/s)
(2.0CFM/lbsx3170lbs/batch=6340CFM)
Table3suggestsacentrifugalfanwitha2.25kWmotor(3h.p.)wouldsuffice.Otherwise,askafansupplier
forafanthatwilldeliveratleast2880L/satastaticpressureof25mm(6340CFMat1inchstaticpressure).
8. Calculatepeakrefrigeration,kW(Btu/hr)
2.1x(25C0C)x1440kgx3.77kJ/kg/C1.5hr
=190000kJ/hror53kJ/sor53kWor15tons
2.1x(77F32F)x3170lbsx0.9Btu/lb/F1.5hr
=179750Btu/hror15tonsrefrigeration
Thisisforcoolingtheberries,nottheroomitself!
9. Use2/3refrigerationrule,Watts(Btu/hr)
15tonsofrefrigerationisalotforaforcedaircoolerwith4palletsofberriesatonetime.So:
53kW(theory)x2/3=35kW(practical)10tons
179750Btu/hrx2/3=119,800Btu/hr10tons
10. Determinetunnelwidthandgaptowall,m(ft)
2.88m3/s5m/smax.airspeed=0.58m2min.area
6340CFM1000ft/minmax.=6.34ft2min.area
Withpallets1.5mhigh(5ft),thetunnelwidthmustbeaminimumof0.58m21.5m=0.4m,however,a
practicalminimumis0.6m(2ft).Thegaptowallwouldalsobetheminimum0.3m(1ft)toallowan
operatortosqueezedownthegap.
OtherConsiderations
thetarpoverthetunnelshouldextendasclosetothetopouteredgeofthepalletsaspossible,andall
thewaytothefloorattheendofthepalletrowtopreventshortcircuitingofair
stiffenerswovenintothetarpareneededtopreventitfrombeingsuckedintothetunnel
checkforairleakageusingcellophanethatwillsuckintouncoveredholes
thefanshouldbecentredintheductsoastodrawairasevenlyaspossiblefromthetunnel
largebatchesharvestedearlyinthedayrepresentasimilarheatloadtosmallbatchesharvestedlater
thesameday
emptycontainersandharvestedproductshouldbecoveredwithtentsorawningsinthefieldto
minimizeheatgain
asthedayheatsup,reducethetimethatproductsitsinthefieldbeforebeingcooled
References
Commercialcoolingoffruitsandvegetables.Mitchell,F.G.,R.Guillou,R.A.Parsons.Manual43.Universityof
California.P.33.1972.
Contenantsrutilisablespourlamanutentiondesfruitsetlgumesfrais:Effetdelaformeducontenant,la
largeuretlepourcentagedouvertureslorsduprrefroidissementlairforc.Vigneault,C.,B.Goyette.
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RapportConfidentiel.CentredeRechercheetdeDveloppementenHorticulture.AgricultureetAgro
AlimentaireCanada.St.JeansurRichelieu.13pp.1995.
Forcedaircooling,maintainingthequalityofNorthCarolinafreshproduce.Boyette,M.D.,L.G.Wilson,E.A.
Estes.NorthCarolinaCooperativeExtensionService.July.1994.
Formoreinformation:
Forcedaircooling.Thompson,J.F.Perishablehandlingnewsletter.IssueNo.88.November.pp211.1996.
TollFree:18774241300
Email:ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca
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