Cooling Tunnel Air Drying to Prevent Suction Icing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling devices face operational disruptions due to ice formation in the suction device caused by moist outside air penetrating and condensing at low temperatures, leading to impaired suction performance and safety risks, necessitating frequent shutdowns and maintenance breaks.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating air drying devices at the product inlet and/or outlet of the cooling tunnel, utilizing dehumidifiers such as adsorption or condensation dehumidifiers to ensure pre-dried air enters the cooling zone, reducing moisture ingress and minimizing de-icing requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cooling device operates continuously with the suction device removing coolant, then the coolant can be safely discharged or recovered, but moist outside air penetrates and condenses in the suction device causing ice formation that impairs suction performance
Solution Approach 1:
The heating device is activated before ice formation becomes problematic, maintaining temperatures above freezing in the suction device throughout continuous operation. This preliminary heating action prevents moisture condensation and ice accumulation, ensuring the suction device remains functional without shutdowns for de-icing.
Solution Approach 2:
The temperature parameter in the suction device is actively changed and maintained above the freezing point through continuous or periodic heating. This parameter change prevents the phase transition of moisture from liquid to solid, eliminating ice formation while preserving the suction device's cooling function.
2Reliability
If the cooling device is shut down for de-icing, then ice formation is removed and suction performance is restored, but production loss occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The heating device enables continuous operation of the cooling system by preventing ice formation throughout the suction device. Instead of periodic shutdowns for de-icing, the system maintains uninterrupted cooling and suction functions, ensuring continuous productivity without production loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating device performs preliminary prevention of ice formation before it disrupts operation. By maintaining temperatures above freezing continuously or periodically, the system avoids the need for shutdowns, ensuring uninterrupted production flow.
3Productivity
If a heater is equipped to the suction facility to prevent ice formation, then continuous operation is maintained, but the cooling device becomes more complicated and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The suction device incorporates its own heating capability, allowing it to self-regulate and prevent ice formation independently. This self-service approach eliminates the need for complex auxiliary de-icing systems or external intervention, maintaining simplicity while ensuring continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
A simple heating element changes the temperature parameter in the suction device to prevent ice formation. This straightforward parameter control achieves continuous operation without requiring complex system modifications or multiple auxiliary components.
4Reliability
If auxiliary suction systems are added to handle failures, then reliability is improved, but the device becomes more complicated and expensive to manufacture and operate
Solution Approach 1:
The heating device provides beforehand protection against ice formation that could cause suction system failure. By preventing the harmful condition before it occurs, the system eliminates the need for auxiliary backup systems, maintaining reliability through prevention rather than redundancy.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating device converts the potential harm of ice formation into a benefit by actively preventing it. This transforms the suction device from a vulnerable component requiring backups into a self-protecting system, improving reliability without adding complexity.
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
This solution significantly reduces the frequency of shutdowns for de-icing, allowing for continuous operation without major operational breaks, while also enabling a simpler and less expensive cooling device design by minimizing the need for extensive heating or auxiliary suction systems.
Implementation Method 1
The device for air drying is preferably equipped with an adsorption dehumidifier for drying the air in the drying chamber. Adsorption dehumidifiers are particularly suitable at temperatures below 10°C and enable particularly effective dehumidification to values below 30% relative humidity.
Implementation Method 2
A liquid gas, for example liquid nitrogen or liquid carbon dioxide, is often used as a coolant, which evaporates in the area of the cooling zone and thereby extracts heat from the products.
Implementation Method 3
a condensation dehumidifier is used in a further embodiment of the invention, the cooling unit of which is operatively connected to the suction device for the coolant. The condensation dehumidifier therefore works with the used cooling gas from the suction device as a refrigerant
Implementation Method 4
This air, together with the coolant, enters the suction device, where the moisture contained in the air condenses due to the low temperatures prevailing there and settles on the lines in the form of ice.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
In known devices for cooling products, the products to be cooled are transported by means of a conveyor belt through a cooling zone arranged inside a cooling tunnel, in which a coolant is applied to them. The heated coolant is then removed to a suction system. The disadvantage of the known devices is that the ingress of moist outside air leads to the extraction system icing up, which is why the device has to be shut down and defrosted from time to time. In order to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages, according to the invention, air drying devices are installed upstream of the product inlet and/or the product outlet. A device for air drying preferably comprises a drying chamber assigned to the product inlet and/or the product outlet of the cooling tunnel, the air content of which is continuously dried using an adsorber dehumidifier. This means that only pre-dried air enters the cooling tunnel and the icing of the extraction system is delayed or completely avoided.