FANS ELIMINATE CONDENSATION AT
FOOD PRODUCTION PLANT
... fans work so well since they work on the principle of moving
large amounts of air at slow speeds ...

For years at the McCain Foods production plant in Carberry, MB, they always had two problem areas. Both had to do with condensation. The plant produces frozen French fries, mainly for the McDonald's chain, and has both hot and cold environments inside. The facility was originally an aircraft hanger during World War II and was later transformed into a frozen foods factory. Within the factory is an approximately 12,000 square foot freezer area with 12-foot ceilings that acts as a bag-off area where the product is packaged. Due to the differences in air temperatures inside and outside the freezer, Chief Engineer at the facility, Geoffrey Aitchison, had a big ice accumulation problem on his hands.

"We have different air pressures in the factory, and in the process area you have very moist air that is at higher pressure than the air in the freezer. What happens is that moist air comes down through the freezing tunnels and out the conveyor holes in the wall and infiltrates the freezer," explains Aitchison.

The problem with having ice on the ceiling was one the Canadian Inspection Agency was more than willing to point out to them through the years. It is unsafe to have particulate matter that could possibly drop into open containers of fries in the freezer, contaminating the food. Every few days during shutdowns, workers would have to scrape the ceilings to keep the ice below 1 to 2 inches thick. They tried using small high-velocity fans to keep the air circulating and reduce the ice, but they only affected a minimal area.

That's when Aitchison saw an advertisement for Big Ass Fans® and was rescued from his problem. By installing a 24-foot Powerfoil™ fan, the ice disappeared.

"After two weeks the ceiling was completely clear and it has been ever since," Aitchison said. "We reversed the fan so it's pulling air up. The air is circulating plus we're warming the ceiling to the same temperature as the air, so the frost isn't going to stay there."

Aitchison's Big Ass Fans work so well because they work on the principle of moving large amounts of air at slow speeds. Due to the foil shape of each blade, and their winglets, one 24-foot Powerfoil is efficient enough to move 337,000 cubic feet of air per minute (cfm) over areas as large as 20,000 square feet. That's enough to replace 16 box or column fans. Since each fan is equipped with a variable frequency drive, the fan's speed is adjustable depending on the environment the fan is needed in. In Aitchison's case, he was able to order a reversed fan to pull air from below to target his problem area, creating consistent air and ceiling temperatures.

The second Big Ass fan was installed in McCain Foods' process area of the plant. Above a tank where a lot of steam was released, condensation was forming on the ceiling and constantly growing mould: an unhealthy condition for any environment.

"After running up there for two weeks, it's the driest panel in the factory now. There is no mould growing," says Aitchison.

In this area Aitchison chose another 24-foot Powerfoil fan, but this time didn't reverse it. Just like in the freezer, the tremendous air circulation abilities of the fan kept the ceiling and air temperature consistent. Therefore, the condensation and mould is not able to collect on the ceiling.

Besides using the fans to solve the condensation problems in the plant, he also utilized their energy-efficiency.

"We put the second fan in the process area for energy conservation. We wanted to kept the air warm at the top circulating so we wouldn't have to run the air makeup units as hard," Aitchison said.

When Big Ass Fans are used to supplement heating and cooling equipment, facilities can expect to see savings of 25% or more on energy bills. The fans are a cost-effective and exceptional solution to air circulation problems in large spaces; something Aitchison can attest to.

"Our Big Ass Fans are a tremendous solution to the problem we had concerning energy conservation and satisfying the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Requirements," concludes Aitchison.

Big Ass Fans

The ORCA Sonar Series Interface Level Transmitter provides a wide range of sonar transducer frequencies to yield comprehensive and continuous interface level measurement. Featuring industrial scum-cleaning mechanisms that require virtually no maintenance, the transducers are continually cleaned, allowing for efficient and accurate measurements. Offering a CDMA modem for remote technical and diagnostic support, the sonar hardware generates dual analog independent outputs to simultaneously track separate interfaces so that efforts may be streamlined and maximum efficiency is achieved. Suitable for applications in a variety of industries, such as sewage and wastewater treatment, water treatment, mining and processing, the ORCA Series is engineered to be MODBUS, Profibus and HART Comms compatible.

Hawk Measurement America

Stafford Plastic Clamp-Type Shaft Collars are machined from Teflon®, nylon, and other thermoplastics to provide designers with an exact material match to other system components. Developed for food processing equipment, these clamp-type shaft collars are offered in one- and two-piece styles and are supplied with stainless steel clamping screws. Available in 1/4" to 4" I.D. sizes, the collars are well suited for many applications requiring chemical resistance, and/or frequent wash-downs such as mixers for pharmaceutical processing and semiconductor basket carriers and handling devices.

PStafford Manufacturing Corporation

ITW Devcon offers a broad range of Permtex® and Devcon® products that are safe for use in food-processing facilities. These include threadlockers, thread sealants, gasketing compounds, RTV sealants and epoxy compounds for repairing metal equipment and forming a protective barrier against abrasion and corrosion. These products cover the basic maintenance requirements by food processing facilities to keep their equipment up and running smoothly while preventing downtime.

ITW Devcon

Smoothbore PFA hose is designed for use in the chemical, pharmaceutical, biotech and food processing industries. PAGE-flex SBF™ PFA hose assemblies utilize a smoothbore PFA tube and a bonded wire braid -- silicone -- textile braided composite, giving the product excellent bend radius, kink and vacuum resistance. Hoses can be supplied with a conductive liner to reduce static charge build-up. Additionally, this proprietary tube technology can be reinforced with any application specific braid for working pressure and abrasion resistance.

Parker/Page International Hose

Hardy Instruments announces the availability of analog output communications for its HI 3030 Series of multi-scale weight controllers. The -2AN option provides two independent outputs with a choice of Gross, Net, Rate-of-Change or mapped Total weight as both current (0-20 or 4020mA) or voltage (0-5 or 0-10 VDC). The HI303 can hold up to two cards providing a total of four independent analog outputs.

Hardy Instruments

CoolPoint™ vortex shedding flowmeters are designed for consistent flows of cooling water, water/glycol coolant and low-viscosity fluids in automated and robotic machinery. Applications include most process industries. The flowmeters are offered in pipe sizes ranging from 1/4 inch to 4 inches, providing 4-20 mA transmitter flow rates ranging from .1.5 liters per minute to 2271 LPM. The 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch sizes are offered in 316 stainless steel construction for low-viscosity fluids and water with chemicals added. The stainless steel versions can be equipped with Kalrez® perfluoroelastomer seals for added reliability in harsh environments. The flowmeters have no moving parts to stick or coat, eliminating potential for jamming.

Universal Flow Monitors, Inc.

The TAD Series compact, self-verifying temperature sensors are designed for sanitary process control applications. The sensors provide continuous drift monitoring which eliminates regular calibration checks. The innovative sensing technology is found in the TAD's stainless steel sensing tip that contains two RTD sensing elements with opposite characteristics (positive temperature coefficient vs negative temperature coefficient) to detect drift. The sensor provides a standard 4..20 mA analog signal of temperature and a switching output to indicate when a drift occurs. The drift warning and alarm levels are adjustable using the sensor's configuration software. After the setpoints are established, the TAD continuously monitors temperature drift.

ifm efector inc.

The 830 and 835 Series two- and three-way motorized control valves (MCV) with integrated linear actuators feature precision control for critical applications such as temperature and steam control, and systems that require electrical supply voltage. Available in bronze or stainless steel, the valves are manufactured with standard thread connections of 1/2 to 2 inches. The valves are available for on-off and modulating requirements. Their self-calibration capabilities and resistance to vibration help maintain consistent output performance. The compact design of the 830/835 Series maintains zero leak capability and an ANSI Class VI shutoff.

Parker Fluid Control Division

Moyno has created a new food products processor that combines solids reduction and transfer pumping into one efficient unit. The Chopper Hopper™ is a unique and aggressive solids reduction pumping system that reduces whole produce into an easy to handle puree or mash. It provides fast, simple and effective handling of waste by-products. Up to three stages of solids reduction are available for coarse, medium and fine particle size. Features include: multiple cutter designs -- additional cutters located in the extension tube for further solids reduction, angled cutters for tearing/grabbing action and optional feed into colloid mill for homogenizing.

Moyno, Inc.

Orbitform's Watchdawg™ process monitoring and control allows visual status and adjustment of riveting, forming, staking, pressing and welding. The Watchdawg controls can be designed to control all applications that require consistency and uniformity. The system precisely monitors user-defined processes including all aspects of tool and work piece. The custom interface provides comprehensive feedback with data easily integrating into automated systems. Multiple programs can be stored to allow for quick changeover from application to application. The monitoring/ control system delivers dependable feedback for manufacturing and assembly processes. It's an application specific controls philosophy that can help reduce rejects, maximize efficiency, and gain real-time process insight for critical manufacturing workflow decisions.

Orbitform

The stainless steel version of the BradConnectivity Ultra-Lock Connection System is specifically designed and engineered to meet the stringent sanitary requirements of food, beverage and pharmaceutical manufacturers. This unique, threadless connection system is used to quickly and securely connect sensors and control devices used in plant floor automation systems, such as conveyors and robotic bottling and processing lines., The M12-compatible Ultra-Lock System is comprised of a series of integrated distribution boxes and cordsets which enables a fast, easy installation without turning the coupler. Control system assemblers simply push down to connect and pull up to disconnect, which reduces assembly time and minimizes assembler fatigue.

Woodhead Industries, Inc.

For plants that include several potentially isolated conductive parts, the Earth-Rite Multipoint monitoring system provides protection against dangerous static electricity buildup in any and all of the various components. Typical applications include powder handling, filling/discharging equipment, fluid bed dryers, pipelines, conveyors and ducting, among many others, especially where one or more parts of the assembly must be disconnected periodically. The Multipoint system may be used to provide individual status indications or it can be linked to a "lock-out" control system, preventing operation of the equipment till proper grounding has been obtained.

Newson Gale Inc.

The MC420 Liquid-Level sensor has simplified the process of implementing a liquid-level sensor for applications such as water treatment, petrochemical and chemical processing. The MC420 is available in a limited variety of pre-determined lengths, is packaged with its own float, and is shipped with its own magnet to allow easy two-step calibration. Easy two-step calibration is accomplished, without removing the electronic housing, using the MTS-supplied magnet. Standard calibration can also be completed using the HART® interface. Applications include: general process control, batching tanks, inorganic chemicals, fuels and solvents, industrial chemicals, detergents and soaps, lubricating oils and interface measurement.

MTS Systems Corporation

Canadian Industrial Equipment News April 2007

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