Cooling tunnels are another way of freezing or sustaining industrial products for quite long or managing the products for packaging and delivery. It ensures controlled temperature reduction in both batch and continuous process systems. Cooling tunnels may simulate and align with air convection ovens according to their operating channels but possess no heating capacity. They are only used for cooling products. Cooling tunnels use blowers to force ambient air or outside air into the tunnel while drawing away heated air from the opposite end. Passing air over the parts results in significantly faster cooling times and more even cooling. This way, you can sustain your products during the manufacturing or processing phase for efficient packaging and distribution.
Cooling tunnels come up with two types. One is a continuous cooling tunnel and the other is a discontinuous cooling tunnel. Continuous cooling tunnels are designed for applications in which all products require the same cool-down period. There will be no specific areas for temperature difference and all products are treated at the same temperatures.
In comparison to this, the discontinuous cooling tunnels are designed for applications in which products need to exit from the tunnel as soon as the desired end temperature is attained. This way, efficient cooling is done in haste, and products will be sustained for packaging and delivery throughout the entire process of processing or manufacturing of food products.
Prices and costs
Talking about the prices and costs associated with purchasing the cooling tunnels, the discontinuous cooling tunnels are more expensive than continuous tunnels but they require less energy to runs and make cooling process running because of their greater efficiency. This way, you can save your maintaining and running costs. Another benefit is their ability to handle pallets with different heights and reduce product-handling times during the cooling phase. Optional accessories for cooling tunnels include vibrating, lifting, or detachable tables for product transportation to or from cooling tunnels, extra space for product handling, granulate distribution systems for specific types of products, synchronization with other processing equipment as well. This ability makes it a better and efficient partner for your processing line.
Discussing more the features, some cooling tunnels are portable, wash-down capable, or feature a modular design. While some others use a programmable logic controller (PLC) and feature a digital control panel, making it easier to operate and control temperatures during the cooling phase. Red and green light-emitting diodes (LED) indicates whether the cooling equipment is on or off and whether parameters such as temperature need to be adjusted. This way, you can monitor your operating channels and have access to every step of processing.
Some basic and famous cooling tunnels include Cosmetic product cooling tunnel, Compact cooling tunnels, Chocolate cooling tunnels of different types, Pasta cooling tunnels, and a long-range from different manufacturers specifying different features and characteristics. Opt-out according to your needs, required temperature ranges, operating areas, and running costs according to your budget.
