Design of an Innovative Plant for Fast Freezing of Potato Dumplings

The design of an innovative plant for fast freezing of potato dumplings at temperatures much lower than traditional freezing plants is presented in this study. The designed plant is constituted by two separate loops: the first loop, where the cooling energy is obtained at low temperature, is based on a reversed Brayton cycle while the second loop, where the dumplings are frozen, is a forced-air freezer room. Optimal plant parameters, such as temperature and velocity of the freezing medium (air), to obtain the required fast freezing time of dumplings are evaluated. Depending on the requested freezing time and on the mass per hour of dumplings to be processed, the suitable plant solution can be identified and finely designed. The proposed solution overcomes limits of traditional freezing plants, such as ones operated by vapour compression cycles, which cannot reach such low temperatures without exceeding in complexity and number of stages. For this reason, the plant is proved to be a viable, cost-effective alternative to traditional freezing plants used in food industries.