Hydrocooler
The hydrocooler designed by O.R.T.I.Z. & Co. Srl, functions by hydrocooling the product by placing it in constant contact with refrigerated water. This allows a very quick cooling of fruits and vegetables such as cherries, apricots, plums, peaches, kiwis, asparagus, cauliflowers, fennels, celery, cucumbers and so on.
The Hydrocooler range with or without movement, works by cooling products stored in crates (single or double), bins or pallets. While the moving process involves the use of a conveyer belt or wagons, the static one involves a system of single or double curtains, with automatic controls according to the cycle.
The system works with a dense series of little columns of cold water, which at a temperature of +0.5 °C / +1 °C, flood the product from above directly inside the crates, pallets or bins, allowing a thermal jump of the product from +30 °C to about +3 °C / +5 °C at the end of the process.
Overall permanence time is correlated to the type of product and the type of machine that are used. The machine consists of the following parts: a cooling tunnel, an insulated storage tank and a heat exchanger for exchanging freon/water or glycol/water, a water system with lifting pumps and a basin for sorting refrigerated water, a self-cleaning filter for process water, the control and regulation of the movement of the cycle and UV lamps (ultraviolet) for the elimination of bacteria.
Main components characteristics:
The tunnel: the tunnel has a parallelepiped shape, with a structure created using stainless steel inox tubes and is closed by plexiglas and/or inox stainless steel paneling.
Storage tank: the storage tank located below the tunnel is part of the structure and is connected to a filtration and recirculation system for the water.
Movement: the movement (if any) of the product takes place via conveyor belt, made of a highly resistant plastic material, that runs above the storage tank on suspensions (with teflon insertions).
Plumbing system: is essentially composed by a pipe system, valves and a pumping unit used for lifting water from the tank to the basin.
Primary Pumps and Filtration System: the water contained in the tank is continuously recirculated through the primary pump and a self-cleaning and high-efficiency filtration system that prevents clogging due to residue.
Controls and Regulations: the machine is equipped with a highly efficient automatic system which controls the speed of the conveyor belt (where present) or the entire cycle according to the specific characteristics of the product, the room
temperature and parameters which influence the final temperature of the product.
Heat exchanger: the water contained in the tank is refrigerated by a plate heat exchanger (compact type) which exchanges energy from the engine room (glicoetilenica or refrigerant mixture for direct expansion) with the tank water.
