Information about power hot defrost on the plates

[Sandro Baptista]

Hi guys please help me on the following:

For an horizontal plate freezers which gives about 300 kW (I don’t know what model it is since it is the Client will buy it) what heating power will be necessary to hot defrost the plates. I don’t have any information about the dimension and the number of the plates. Just need a rough number: 50 kW…100 kW…200 kW…

I have the idea that for this kind of plate freezer (horizontal type) the necessary power hot gas defrost is much less than the frozen capacity. Can you help me on it?

[AMP]

Hi Sandro,

In a plate freezer (independantly of the type, vertical or horizontal), the fastest you perform the defrost, the better. You are right than in horizontal plate freezers is less critical than in verticals, but the fastest, the better.

To know how much hot gas you need, I would suggest doing a double check:

1.- The required heating capcity to defrost 1 mm of product in all the exchange surface in just a few minutes (3 or 4 min). The reality is that you will not defrost that product, but you need to heat it and this will help you calculating the capacity (on the safe side).

2.- The hot gas flow must be enough to be distributed homogeneusly in all the plates of the freezer. For that, a velocity of the hot gas around 1 - 2 m/s in each plate inlet should be enough.

In conclusion, you need to know about the design of the plate freezer.

Just for curiosity, if you can, share with us the design of the freezer because 300 kW in one single horizontal plate freezer must be a monstrousity :)

[Sandro Baptista]

Yes the plate freezers will be monstruosity. I didn't see it again. It's still on the paper project.


About the info you give me the main problem is the unknow dimensions so far of the plate freezers so I haven't any data physical data of the dimension and number of the plates...that's why I would need to have a rough estimate...which I know it could be dangerous :)