Hygienic cooling channel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling channels for food and pharmaceutical products face challenges in maintaining a germ-free environment due to contamination risks from the cooling unit and fan, leading to difficulties in ensuring sustained, almost germ-free cooling.
Innovation Solution
A cooling channel design with a separate housing region for the cooling unit and fan, sealed off from the cooling zone, featuring a filter unit to feed only filtered air to the cooling unit, and a droplet-separator to prevent condensation water contamination, along with UV irradiation to enhance sterilization, ensuring that only cleaned air reaches the cooling zone.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the cooling unit and fan are arranged in the cooling zone to provide direct cooling, then cooling efficiency is improved, but contamination and germ formation occur leading to loss of hygienic quality
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is divided into two separate spatial zones: a first region housing the cooling unit and fan, and a second region (cooling zone) where goods are cooled. This segmentation prevents direct contact between potentially contaminating components and the hygienic cooling environment, resolving the contradiction between cooling efficiency and contamination prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling unit and fan are extracted from the cooling zone and placed in a separate first region. This extraction removes the source of contamination (cooling unit and fan) from the hygienic cooling environment, allowing the cooling zone to maintain germ-free conditions while still receiving cooled air through controlled fluid connection.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the cooling zone is sealed to prevent contamination, then hygienic quality is improved, but access for maintenance and cleaning becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into separate accessible regions (first region with cooling unit) and sealed regions (cooling zone). This allows the cooling zone to remain sealed for hygienic protection while the first region remains accessible for maintenance, resolving the contradiction between contamination prevention and maintenance accessibility.
3Loss of energy
If condensation water is allowed to drain freely, then energy efficiency is improved, but contamination of the cooling zone occurs
Solution Approach 1:
A droplet separator is introduced as an intermediary component in the fluid connection between the first region and cooling zone. It allows cooled air to pass through while intercepting and preventing condensation water from entering the cooling zone, thus maintaining energy efficiency without contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
Condensation water is extracted from the air stream before it can enter the cooling zone. The droplet separator removes liquid condensate from the cooled air flow, allowing the air to continue providing cooling while preventing water contamination in the hygienic zone.
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 design effectively prevents the ingress of contaminants and germs into the cooling zone, maintaining a germ-free environment for the products by physically encapsulating susceptible components and using filtered, sterilized air, thereby minimizing the risk of contamination and facilitating easy cleaning and disposal of condensation water.
Implementation Method 1
a filter unit for filtering air; wherein the filter unit is arranged in front of the cooling unit with respect to the air flow in order to feed only filtered air to said cooling unit
Implementation Method 2
a cooling unit for cooling the cooling zone; and at least one fan, which interacts thermodynamically with the cooling unit and which is designed to convey cooled air from the cooling unit to the cooling zone
Implementation Method 3
at least one fan, which interacts thermodynamically with the cooling unit and which is designed to convey cooled air from the cooling unit to the cooling zone
Implementation Method 4
UV irradiation to enhance sterilization
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling channel is provided for cooling goods to be chilled, in particular food or pharmaceutical products. The cooling channel includes a cooling tower having an inlet end and an outlet end; a driven conveyor belt on which the goods to be chilled are arranged such that they can be conveyed through the cooling tower from the inlet end to the outlet end; a housing surrounding the conveyor belt and forming a cooling zone in the region of the conveyor belt; a filter unit for filtering air; a cooling unit for cooling the cooling zone; and at least one fan that interacts thermodynamically with the cooling unit and that conveys cooled air from the cooling unit to the cooling zone.