Blast Cell Airflow Channels to Prevent Short-Cycle Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Blast freezing technologies face inefficiencies in air circulation, leading to high energy consumption and turbulence, which can result in uneven cooling and increased costs, particularly when dealing with large volumes of perishable goods.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a blast cell system with suction channels and air flow guides, such as turning vanes and ramps, to create independent fluid pathways and streamline air flow, preventing short cycling and reducing turbulence, thereby enhancing cooling efficiency and scalability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional air blast freezing is used for large volumes of goods, then cooling capacity is sufficient, but energy consumption increases and turbulence causes uneven cooling
Solution Approach 1:
The air circulation system is segmented into multiple independent pathways using suction channels at different locations (front, center, rear) of the blast cell. Each channel draws air from specific zones, creating distributed airflow patterns that improve cooling uniformity across large volumes of goods while reducing the energy required for air movement compared to a single high-velocity system
2Speed
If high velocity air flow is used for rapid freezing, then cooling speed increases, but turbulence increases causing uneven cooling distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from single-direction high-velocity airflow to multi-dimensional airflow patterns by implementing suction channels at front, center, and rear locations. This creates three-dimensional air circulation that maintains cooling speed while distributing thermal energy more uniformly throughout the blast cell, eliminating turbulence-related hot spots
3Device complexity
If simple air circulation paths are used, then device complexity is low, but short cycling occurs reducing cooling efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The air circulation system is designed with multiple suction channels and strategically placed evaporators to eliminate dead zones and ensure continuous airflow through the entire blast cell. This prevents short cycling by maintaining constant thermal exchange throughout the space, improving cooling efficiency without requiring complex control systems or additional mechanical components
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides uniform and efficient cooling, reducing energy consumption and costs while maintaining high-speed cooling performance, with the ability to adapt to various applications without requiring additional electric devices or complex operations.
Implementation Method 1
The fan is operable to pull the air from a rearward region of the bay space and discharge the air toward an opposite forward region of the bay space
Implementation Method 2
The suction channels can be designed to provide independent fluid pathways that are in fluid communication with different levels in a bay space of a blast cell, such that air flow that has passed through the respective levels is partitioned and pulled through the independent channels to a fan that operates to draw air from the bay space in the blast cell
Implementation Method 3
The turning vanes are configured to be curved so that the air passing through the turning vanes are streamlined
Implementation Method 4
The ramp can be installed when the blast cell is closed with a door. The ramp can be removed to allow entry of pallets when the blast cell is at least partially open with the door at least partially removed
Implementation Method 5
Convective air blast freezing is a process by which freezing of items like foodstuffs is facilitated by flowing very cold air over the items via mechanical force
Data Source
AI summary
A blast cell system is provided with simple and scalable designs that prevent short cycling of air flow through any pallets in blast cells. The blast cell includes a plurality of suction channels that provide independent fluid pathways for directing the air drawn from different rows in the blast cell into the fan.