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Energy Savings in Food Processing Dehumidification
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Date
1994
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu)
Texas A&M University (http://www.tamu.edu)
Texas A&M University (http://www.tamu.edu)
Abstract
Food processors have the unique
responsibility of maintaining environmental,
process and sanitation standards for government
and consumers. Usually the food plant
is a large facility with many sources of
contamination, all of which must be controlled.
Condensation is a significant source
of problems and on critical surfaces is not
tolerated by the USDA. This challenges the
Engineer to provide an energy efficient system
to prevent condensation in our hot and humid
climate. The problem is intensified because
the building is frequently operating below the
ambient dew point. Dally sanitation wash-downs
are a further contributor to condensation,
and failure to control condensation may
result in product contamination and rejection,
plant shutdown, loss of labor and, in extreme
cases, litigation.
Past solutions have included excess
ammonia refrigeration tonnage, high
ventilation rates prescribed by the USDA -
often inadequate for this climate - or chemical
dehumidification, which is energy intensive
and often mechanically unreliable.
For a decade, the authors have utilized
sensible exchangers to enhance latent transfer
for moisture removal in supermarkets,
breweries, and HVAC applications. The correct
application of these techniques results in
improved moisture removal and significant
energy savings. Presented here will be the
results of a dehumidification test in a low
temperature food processing application.