Room Cooling

Room cooling is most widely used in the fruit industry when post-harvest respiration is slow enough that quality loss is very small. Growers of apples and melons often employ room cooling. Good fan design and location to provide optimum circulation of air is essential to room cooling.

Portable Units

Forced-air cooling units can be designed to fit within a standard 40-foot (ca. 12 m) sea container. Although auxiliary refrigeration is required, these units can be towed to remote sites and operated with no set-up needed. Other portable units can be used as centralized sources of cold air refrigeration and movement.

Forced-air Cooling Equipment Features:

●　Available in capacities of 2 to 20 pallet (1.5 MT to 15 MT)
●　All aluminum or optional stainless steel cabinet, discharge hood and defrost pans equipped
　　with efficient drainage connections.
●　Maximum span on evaporator coil to maximize heat transfer, reduce cycle time
●　Operations simplified for maximum consistency and efficiency with adjustable cycle timers,
　　Green refrigeration components or ammonia refrigeration systems available
●　Optional reverse-pitch fans provide rapid temperature pull-down with reduced noise levels.
●　Humidification and semi-automatic tarp handling equipment available

Considerations in the Selections of Forced-air or Pressure Cooling

Advantages:
●　Inexpensive options are available for small farms
●　Cooling can take place in containers packed and ready for distribution
●　Especially good with products that have low respiration rate
●　Systems can handle large volumes and large containers

Disadvantages
●　Moisture and weight loss can be problems
●　For sensitive products, humidification systems are required
●　Not suitable for many products, especially where respiration rate is high

Containers and Stacking Considerations for Forced-air Cooling

Many types and sizes of fresh produce containers can be used successfully with forced-air cooling. Popular types include fiberboard cartons; and unlined plastic containers, including large bins. The containers should stack together tightly so that the air must flow through the openings in walls of the container and thence the produce. The openings must be designed with size and arrangement to ensure that the produce in inside does not block the air flow. The ratio of orifices to container surface should be at least 5%. Placement must consider air flow and the effect on container strength.

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