IF YOU LIKE BLTS! PRODUCE DRYING EQUIPMENT SAVES LINE SPACE

How Produce Drying Equipment Freed 15' of Line Space

Process improvements in one area can often have beneficial side-effect across an entire line.  Read more and see how JetAir's raw produce drying equipment improved the bottom line at a Southern California company in more than one way.

Problem: Equipment Limitations Limited Growth

A large tomato processing facility in Southern California using traditional washing, brushing, and radial blower technology wanted to grow but could not!  Adding throughput would require more space or line speed.  In their case, finding space was impossible and increased line speed overwhelmed their current produce drying equipments's ability.  Too much wetness resulted in additional downstream process problems and quality issues at final packaging. They felt stuck!

Solution: JetAir's Custom Produce Drying Equipment

After reading about JetAir's industry leading efficiency, the plant engineer contacted JetAir about the possibility of using a high-speed centrifugal blower to replace the radial systems in place.  JetAir applications engineers visited the plant and determined that they could integrate high-speed produce drying equipment onto their existing line. They found that by locating the system at the discharge of the washer, they could isolate 90% of the blown-off moisture near the washer, keeping brush rollers dryer and less likely to rewet tomatoes.  Plus, line speeds could be accelerated 20%+ with no excess moisture on the tomatoes and no downstream process problems.  But the bonus they didn't expect was the discovery that they could remove almost 15' of line.  

"Wow, those jets really work... and look how dry the brush are..!"

JetAir designed custom produce drying equipment to enclose the blowers and electronics and protect them in a washdown environment.  The system was designed to fit precisely over the conveyor, supported by existing conveyor side walls.  Ultimately, the new produce drying equipment required minimal installation time and delivered vastly superior drying.

The tomato company also looked at compressed air to dry tomatoes but found the higher pressure and lower flows of compressed air damaged tomatoes and didn't "reach" to the brushes, meaning more tomatoes were rewetted.   Further, the compressed air solution required two rows of 30x fan nozzles ,consuming over 120kW of power compared to JetAir's (2)x High-Speed Centrifugal Blowers, which use just 30kW!  The energy savings were enormous, not to mention the space and noise issues avoided.

JetAir continues to offer leading design solution that incorporate efficiency innovations and experience in working with many growers and processors.  Contact JetAir to specify your requirements.