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Cooling in Food Processing

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Riding the “Cold Chain”

As food products make their way from farm to table, they travel a path that is fraught with danger. As they are processed, packaged, distributed, and sold they are susceptible to spoilage, pathogen growth, and other contamination. Let’s follow food’s journey and find out what systems are in place to make sure it safely reaches our plates.

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Image of food packaged on pallets

The Cold Chain

North Slope Chillers diagram on the parts of the cold chain

The cold chain is a series of refrigeration units that protect food along its journey. This chain is comprised of stationary and mobile cooling units as well as a network of data sensors. 1 broken link in this chain causes destructive product loss, endangers consumers, and results in expensive product recalls.

Stationary Cooling

Blast chilling and blast freezing is a critical early step in food processing. Roller coaster temperatures are very damaging to food products so once food is chilled, it needs to remain that way until it is consumed. Large open space cold rooms provide food with a safe place to wait for transportation. These rooms are often large enough for food products to be packaged, reorganized, and consolidated while remaining chilled. Some cold rooms are large enough for loading machinery, such as fork-lifts, to enter and exit.

Mobile Cooling

The most complicated sections of the cold chain involve cold cargo on the move. Once food products leave the cold room, they need to be quickly loaded into a mobile refrigeration unit. These units include refrigerated trucks, reefers (ships with chilled cargo bays), refrigerated rail cars, cold air cargo planes, or a combination. Mobile chilling units need to be equipped with enough cooling power to make sure food can endure a potentially long journey.

As reliable cold chains are becoming more common, consumers are able to enjoy food products from farther and farther away. It is becoming easier for food to traverse continents, oceans, and hemispheres and still retain freshness. Once chilled food arrives at its destination, it needs to be quickly unloaded back into stationary cooling environments such as walk in fridges and freezers at restaurants, grocery stores, etc.

Managing the Cold Chain

North Slope Chillers diagram of the components the cold chain

Specialized Packaging

Shipping cold cargo can be a tricky endeavor. Cold cargo must be packaged for thermal and light protection. Reflective outer layers can be used to reduce solar temperature increases while food is being moved outside on loading docks and ramps. Specially insulated storage containers compartmentalize foods according to their temperature and humidity needs. Packaging can also have compartments to hold ice, or other chilling liquids until the food reaches a stationary cooling room.

Temperature Sensors

The most reliable cold chains have a network of temperature sensors on stationary units, mobile units, and even on the packaging itself to ensure that food is preserved the entire length of the journey.

Employee Training

Workers all throughout the cold chain need to be well trained in HACCP food handling guidelines. This ensures that workers use the most efficient food handling practices to keep food out of the contamination danger zone.

Timers

State of the art sensors can also keep track of how long packages of food have spent in each of the cold chain stages. This information can be very helpful for companies that are looking to tighten up their chain and keep food fresher for longer.

Data Collection & Analysis

Temperature, timing, and mapping data can be collected and analyzed for weak points. Previous generations needed to have workers out in the field to monitor this data, whereas now all these control points can be monitored digitally. There are many cold chain data analysis apps available that streamline cold cargo processing. It is now simpler than ever to catch food processing problems in real time before costly mistakes arise.

Internet of Things

The IoT is making waves in the food processing industry by allowing machines, sensors, and process cooling systems to all transfer data and communicate with each other without human to human or human to computer interaction. “Skynet” fears aside, this network of tech to tech communication is working hard to keep our food safer.

The Global Cold Chain

Cold Cargo in Developing Countries

The cold chain enables developing countries to more fully participate in global trade as both food producers and food consumers. Uninterrupted cold chains provide greater food variety and freshness that historically was only available to persons of higher socio-economic status. One of the fastest ways to improve the quality of life in developing areas is to provide access to fresher and healthier food options.

A reliable cold chain also creates jobs in the food manufacturing, food processing, food transportation, and food preservation industries. Post harvest losses are very detrimental to local, national, and global economies. High food spoilage rates hurt every industry involved and with a rapidly growing world population, it is even more critical that food safely reaches consumers in a timely manner.

In 2017, the Indian Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal cited a study that revealed startling statistics. She said, in India “hardly 10% of the horticulture produce is processed or reaches cold storages.” India is now conducting a nationwide push to create a national cold food grid to reduce post-harvest losses, create jobs, increase agricultural incomes, and provide their citizens with a greater variety of fresh, healthy food.

Environmental Concerns

Global climate change has a tremendous impact on cold cargo both in developed and developing nations. As worldwide temperatures rise, we need even more reliable cold chains extending around the globe.

Reducing food waste will help us get the most from the agricultural lands we already have, and cut back the need to hastily acquire more. By optimizing our cold chains, we can control agricultural expansion into wildlife habitats. We are currently watching vast areas of the Amazon rain forest become engulfed in flames. This is largely due to intentionally set fires to prepare more farmland to feed increasing populations.

By strengthening the global cold chain, we can greatly reduce the amount of food waste happening every year. And by so doing, we can scale back the need for hasty and destructive agricultural expansion.

Cold Chain Solutions From North Slope Chillers

Our portable industrial fluid chillers can efficiently cool loads of all shapes and sizes. They are compact, easy to install or relocate, and won’t interrupt the layout of your current system.

Contact us to find the right food chilling solution for your needs:

(866) 826-2993 [email protected]

A Quick Guide to Glycol

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Propylene vs Ethylene

Glycol is found virtually anywhere chilling happens. One is used in foods, while the other is toxic. Distinguishing one from the other is critical to ensuring your chilling needs are met.

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glycol

Glycol coolant is one of the most common cooling liquids used in chillers everywhere. It comes in two forms: propylene and ethylene. 

Types of Glycol

Propylene: Propylene glycol is a synthetic liquid substance that absorbs water. Propylene glycol is also used to make polyester compounds, and as a base for deicing solutions. Propylene glycol is used by the chemical, food, and pharmaceutical industries as an antifreeze when leakage might lead to contact with food. 

  • Toxic: No
  • Freezes: -74.2°F

Ethylene: Ethylene glycol, a derivative of ethylene oxide, is used for the manufacture of polyester fiber for clothes, upholstery, carpet, and pillows and the blending of automotive engine antifreeze and coolant. Ethylene glycol is also used to manufacture fiberglass for products such as jet skis, bathtubs, and bowling balls. A major use is in the production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin, a recyclable plastic, such as soda and water bottles. 

  • Toxic: Yes
  • Freezes: 8.78°F

Heat Transfer Fluid

Fluxwrap
Glycol can be used in cooling wraps to help bring down temperatures to desired levels.

Glycol of both types are used in chillers as an antifreeze due to their low freezing points. Its use as a heat transfer fluid is unparalleled, but different industries use one or the other depending on the level of toxicity that they can handle. Food industries use propylene ethanol, as doing so won’t harm consumers, while ethylene glycol is preferred in industries where contamination is not a factor. 

Ethylene glycol’s freezing point is much higher than propylene glycol. When ethylene is mixed with water, however, the freezing point drops considerably.

glycol

Find Your Chiller

North Slope Chillers offers the best in chiller technology, regardless of which type of heat transfer fluid you use. For more information about how North Slope Chillers can meet your cooling needs, call (866) 826-2993 or email [email protected].

Lasers in Manufacturing

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Let There Be Light!

Back in 1960, when Theodore Maiman built and demonstrated the first laser, he famously said “a laser is a solution seeking a problem.” They have lived up to that reputation ever since by filling needs in countless industries, and we have barely begun to tap their potential. Let’s look more closely at the types of lasers available today as well as one of the industries most affected by laser technology…manufacturing.

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Image of precision laser cutting

Laser Terms to Know

First let’s acquaint ourselves with some necessary laser terminology.

Population Inversion: when there are more atoms within a substance that are in an excited or high-energy state than in a low energy state.

Active laser medium: the substance within a laser whose atoms are stimulated to achieve population inversion.

Doping: Intentionally introducing a small amount of impurities (metal ions) into a laser medium. Allows the atoms within the medium to achieve population inversion.

Types of Lasers

Solid State

Solid state lasers use glass or crystal (ruby, sapphire, garnet, fluorite, quartz) as their laser medium. They are doped with additional metal ions that allow the medium to reach population inversion. The most common solid laser medium today is YAG. YAG lasers use a synthetically made yttrium aluminum garnet. The garnet is doped to become the perfect supportive host for the metal ion, neodymium. Each doped crystal or glass media produces a different wavelength of laser beam. Solid state lasers use small amounts of light energy to create more light. These media are optically pumped with energy from a flash tube, arc tube, or laser diode. Solid state lasers are rugged and simple to maintain.

Liquid

Liquid lasers contain a solution of different types of solutes dissolved in a liquid solvent.  The most common type of solute in a liquid laser is an organic dye. The atoms of the dye are the atoms that become stimulated to emit light. Liquid lasers also use flash tubes, arc tubes or laser diodes to pump light energy into the medium.

Gas

Gas lasers use a medium of mixed gases inside a tube. Types of gases used include helium, argon, krypton, xenon, neon, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen, and excimers (mixture of a noble gas and fluorine or chlorine). Gas lasers convert electrical energy into light energy. Instead of using photons, gas lasers pass an electric current through the gases to produce an excited state.

Semiconductor

Semiconductor lasers are small compact lasers that we encounter everyday. They use a small electric pulse to excite the junction between positively and negatively stacked diodes. Semiconductor lasers are found in everyday items such as bar-code scanners, CD players, dental tools and laser pointers.

Selecting the Right Laser

Within each of these laser media, there are many subcategories and that list is growing all the time. Because of this, each of these laser media have a range of power output and wavelengths.

North Slope Chillers infographic on the electromagnetic spectrum

Circuit board manufacturers would likely prefer a laser that operates in the UV range. Other manufacturers that are building engine blocks may need gas or solid state lasers for heavy duty cutting and welding. Manufacturers need to carefully select the right laser medium and power output for their needs.

Manufacturing Uses for Lasers

Lasers are re-defining the way we manufacture all the way from design, to production, assembly, and even shipping. They provide manufacturers with precision and efficiency across a vast range of tasks.

North Slope Chiller infographic on the uses of lasers in manufacturing

Cutting

Lasers can smoothly cut a huge variety of materials without exerting any mechanical force on the materials being cut. Because no mechanical force is being applied to the material, manufacturers can cut closer together and greatly reduce scrap waste. Touch free laser cutting can easily cut around fine contours and create irregular shapes so industrial designers do not have to compromise their designs in order to make things easier to cut out. Lasers cut so precisely and intricately that they are even being used to create lace. Sheet metal is the most commonly laser cut material, however lasers are also used to cut wood, fabric, leather, foam, acrylic, and more.

Marking/Engraving/Etching

Laser marking involves using a low powered beam to permanently discolor the surface material. This is most commonly used to mark materials with serial numbers, codes, brands, and logos. 

Laser engraving cuts away a small portion of the material so that the human eye can see shapes or text on the surface of the material.

Laser etching involves the same process as engraving, but produces even shallower cuts. Etching is most commonly used for small products such as jewelry.

Welding

Lasers are used to fuse together pieces of metal or thermoplastics. Laser welding produces high quality, narrow, and deep welds. Laser welders can also produce less spatter, resulting in cleaner welds.

Drilling

Laser drilling involves pulsing a laser to produce percussion drilled holes. Lasers can pulse and produce holes hundredths of an inch in diameter, or can continue to pulse around larger circumferences to drill larger holes. This process is used on materials as thick and robust as engine blocks as well as tiny circuit boards. Apple uses laser drilling to allow light to shine through metal. Minuscule holes are drilled in specific places in the cases of their tech products that allow light to pass through, but are invisible to the naked eye.

Melting/Soldering

Lasers can be used to melt metallic powders together. These melted materials can then be formed into an endless number of shapes and forms. This process is most commonly used in additive manufacturing and 3D printing. Lasers can also be used in soldering to melt filler metals in bonding items together.

Heat Treating

Lasers can change the micro-structure of certain metals and alloys with specific intervals of laser heating and then cooling. This heat treating makes metals more resistant to abrasions, breakage, and metal fatigue in high performance pieces like engine components.

Micromachining

Because of a laser’s fine precision, they can perform many of the above tasks (drilling, melting, soldering, cutting, marking) on a minuscule scale. Lasers are also used to make machine readable marks on metals, silicon, polymers, and circuit boards.

Surface Cleaning

Lasers can be used to remove unwanted paint and contaminants from certain surfaces (usually metal, ceramic or plastic). Laser stripping is a cleaner and more efficient method than using harsh chemicals and elbow grease.

Quality Control

When mass-producing items that require precise dimensions, lasers can be used to measure and 3-D map difficult angles, curves, and shapes. These lasers can be calibrated to ensure that each product coming off the assembly line is exact and uniform.

Packaging

Lasers are used to scribe, perforate, and mark packaging to make it easier for consumers to open products. Because lasers are capable of fine contouring, manufacturers can create tailor fit packaging for their products.

Lasers and Automation

More and more, these laser tasks can be performed by automation. Robotic arms can be easily outfitted with the appropriate laser for the job and quickly execute pre-programmed functions over and over again. Automated lasers have had the biggest impact on the car manufacturing industry. Car manufacturers are taking full advantage of the precision, cleanliness, and versatility of automated lasers by using them on everything from the chassis, to cutting air bag material, and creating laser cut smart keys.

Protecting An Investment

Laser equipment represents a significant investment for any manufacturer. When lasers systems are well cared for, they maintain more precise wavelengths, even power output, and stronger beam quality.

Proper cooling is one of the most important components in increasing the lifetime of a laser system. Reducing laser thermal stress protects both your equipment and the materials being manufactured.

Laser Chilling Solutions from North Slope Chillers

North Slope Chillers industrial laser chillers optimize laser operations and keep systems running efficiently.  Chat with a chilling expert to find the best chiller or chilling accessory for your needs at (866) 826-2993 or by email at [email protected].

How Are Lasers Made?

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Don’t Look Into the Light!

However, we can look into how lasers came to be, how they work, and how lasers are made.

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Laser History

As with any major scientific invention, there were many stages of theory and production involved in the creation of the first laser system.

It All Started With A Theory

In 1905, Albert Einstein theorized that energy only exists in packets, a packet of energy being called a quantum. Later in 1917, he expanded on that theory and claimed it was possible to stimulate an atom and get it to release a quantum of light energy. It wasn’t until 4 decades later that a practical demonstration of Einstein’s “Quantum Theory of Light” was actually possible.

From Maser to Laser

In the late 1950’s, Charles Townes and Arthur Schawlow created a Maser (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) that produces amplified microwaves and radio waves. At the same time Gordon Gould, a graduate student of Charles Townes, sketched a light emitting version of the maser and coined the term “laser” that we use today.

At a Manhattan news conference in 1960, Theodore Maiman became the first person to build and demonstrate a working visible light laser. Maiman had great faith in the future potential of lasers and said “a laser is a solution seeking a problem.” 

He could not have been more correct. Since that day in New York, lasers have sparked the public’s imagination in countless ways. Industries across the world today rely heavily on laser technology for manufacturing, imaging, communications, medical treatment, transportation, weaponry, restoration, entertainment…the list goes on and on. The fingerprints of lasers are all around us every day.

Lasers Today

As laser applications become more varied and more in demand, the laser industry is rapidly growing every year to keep up. Laser Focus World Magazine has a careful eye on the future of the laser industry and reported on the top laser manufacturers going into 2018 that all exceeded $1 billion dollars in sales: Coherent (Santa Clara, CA), IPG Photonics (Oxford, MA), Han’s Laser (Shenzhen, China), and Trumpf (Farmington, CT).

Investing In the Future

Companies that rely upon laser manufactured parts are heavily investing in laser companies to boost their production to meet demand. Apple alone has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into a Texas based laser manufacturer, Finisar. This move was designed to make sure Finisar could keep up with Apple’s demand for laser technology today and well into the future.

What’s In A Name?

So how exactly do these in demand laser products work? L.A.S.E.R. stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Let’s break that down into parts to get a clearer picture.

North Slope Chillers diagram on how lasers work

Radiation

Rest assured that lasers do not emit the same nuclear radiation that occurs when atoms break down. Lasers emit electromagnetic radiation the same as all light and radio waves.

Stimulated Emission

Surrounding an atom’s nucleus are rings of energy like the rungs of a ladder. In its stable state, an atom’s electrons will live at the lowest energy level available. If those electrons become excited (or pumped full of energy) they can leap to a higher level. This is known as a “quantum leap”. After absorbing this energy, those electrons will leap back to their original level and a particle of light, or photon, appears. Thus scientists can stimulate atoms to get them to emit radiation and light.

Light Amplification

If a photon is fired through a large group of excited atoms, a chain reaction of leaping electrons is created, resulting in an emission of photons. Thus the light becomes amplified because one particle of light created a cascade of subsequent light bursts.

How Are Lasers Made?

There are a wide variety of lasers in production today, but all lasers require a couple of the same components.

1. A group of atoms (either solid, liquid, gas, or semiconductor) with electrons that can be stimulated to absorb energy.

2. Something to stimulate these electrons.

A Closer Look

Let’s take a look at a typical solid state red crystal laser. These lasers use a flash tube to excite the electrons within a solid ruby crystal.

North Slope Chillers diagram showing the parts of a solid state laser
  1. First, a high-voltage electric flash lamp flashes on and off. 
  2. Every time it flashes, photon energy is pumped into the ruby crystal.
  3. Atoms within the crystal absorb this photon energy and their electrons perform a quantum leap and jump to a higher energy level.
  4. Within milliseconds, the electrons leap back to their original energy level and spontaneously emit a photon of light.
  5. These photons bounce up and down inside the crystal at the speed of light, exciting other electrons, which then continue to produce more and more photons.
  6. The original flash of light has become exponentially amplified.
  7. A mirror at 1 end of the tube keeps the photons continuously bouncing back and forth inside the crystal.
  8. At the other end of the tube, a partial mirror reflects some photons back into the tube and allows others to escape to form the concentrated laser beam.

Where There Is Light…There Is Heat

As light becomes amplified with the laser, the heat radiating out from the laser is amplified as well.  Laser equipment generates extremely high levels of heat, and that thermal stress can have catastrophic consequences for the laser equipment itself and the materials on which the laser is being used.

Laser Cooling Solutions From North Slope Chillers

Excessive heat can compromise a laser’s beam quality, wavelength stability, and accuracy. Reducing a laser’s operating temperature can protect materials, equipment, reduce maintenance, and increase the lifetime of the laser system. North Slope Chillers industrial laser chillers optimize laser operations and keep systems running efficiently.

Chat with a chilling expert to find the best laser chiller or chilling accessory for your needs at (866) 826-2993 or by email at [email protected].

Blast Chillers

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Built To Blast

When a refrigerator is opened, warm ambient from the room enters and the temperature inside the refrigerator increases. Once this happens, the fridge’s compressor activates to re-cool the air inside. Domestic fridges are designed to withstand being opened from time to time and still protect the contents inside. However, certain industries require chilling solutions with a lot more power. Let’s take a look at the power behind blast chillers.

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What Are Blast Chillers?

Blast chillers are high powered refrigeration or freezing units that chill faster than traditional cooling methods. Rapid chilling brings foods, beverages, and other temperature sensitive substances through the pathogen growth zone as quickly as possible. Blast chillers vary greatly in size and set up. Some are built to allow large wheeled racks to be rolled inside, other smaller models can be stored under counter tops for easier access.

What Are Blast Chillers Used For?

Food Preparation

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) follows Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) to prevent biological, physical, or chemical contamination. These hazard control points address not only proper temperatures but the time frames required for chilling foods and beverages. Any company that processes, stores, transports, or sells food and beverages is legally required to follow these guidelines.

In the restaurant industry, kitchen staff often need to prepare food ahead of time to get ready for meal rushes. Certain food items can be pre-cooked, blast chilled, easily reheated, and still maintain their taste, texture, and freshness. Blast chillers are effective enough that chefs can move food straight from their heat source to the chiller.

Prepackaged food products sold in grocery stores are often blast chilled before being shipped. Foods that are rapidly cooled, maintain their color and cellular structure so they look and taste like they were just prepared for the first time.

Laboratory Research

Maintaining cell structural integrity is also very important in laboratory research. Lab researchers use blast chilling to preserve specimens and chemical reactions. Blast chilling is an important step in protecting sample viability during storage and transportation. Slow cooling produces large and destructive ice crystals that can damage cell membranes and compromise research.

How Do Blast Chillers Work?

As mentioned above, every time a chilling container is opened, the internal temperature rises. Chillers inside busy commercial kitchens and laboratories are in constant use, and need powerful compressors to quickly replace chilled air and preserve hygienic conditions.

In addition, blast chillers also require higher velocity fans to maintain a continuous circulation of icy cold air. Some blast chillers are even equipped with rounded internal corners to assist with cold air circulation. The combination of more powerful compressors and fans prevent contamination from developing.

When temperature sensitive materials need to be frozen, blast freezers provide the same hygienic rapid cooling, but at sub-freezing temperatures. Gradual freezing creates large macro ice crystals that can rupture cell membranes and cause irreparable damage. Blast freezing creates less destructive micro ice crystals that preserve the the quality of the substance being frozen.

North Slope Chillers diagram on the temperatures ranges of contamination growth and ice crystal growth

Cooling Solutions From North Slope Chillers

Proper temperature control is crucial in the food service and research industries. North Slope Chillers specializes in products designed to preserve hygienic conditions. Contact North Slope Chillers today to find the right temperature control solution for your needs:

(866) 826-2993 [email protected]