Microclimate blast cooling chambers for berries

The customer: 
LLC "Vkus Stavropolia" is one of the first highly innovative greenhouse plants in Russia for year-round cultivation of strawberries, on an industrial scale.

Objective

Creation of a complex for intensive cooling, sorting, storage and shipment of berries. Productivity of the complex is 2 500 kg of products per hour.

Solution.

In order that the berry harvest does not lose it’s nutritional and taste properties, the berry products are subjected to intensive cooling under the influence of high temperatures.

The technology of blast cooling of berries works by increasing the flow of cold air, which is forced through the stack with the product. This is achieved by installing additional suction fans in the cooling chambers in a specially organized additional wall.

The cooling cycle lasts 40 minutes.

The temperature in the intensive cooling chamber should be kept at 0 - +1 degrees.

Project Features

Especially for this project, a material twisting system was created to quickly lift and adjust the length of the tarp covering the berries in the intensive cooling chamber. Lifting is performed manually and is controlled by three parameters:

1. Air outlet;

2. Air in volume;

3. Air in product.

Distinguishing features

Operational stages:

• Project development
• Purchase of equipment and materials
• Delivery
• Installation
• Start-up and adjustment operations

Design engineers and the construction department were in charge of the project, as well as company specialists in the area of ventilation and cooling equipment. 

• berries