Plate Freezers
Plate Freezers
Milmeq has been a pioneer in large-scale plate freezing technology since the 1990s, producing the world's largest horizontal plate freezers. These freezers are applicable in various industries including meat, poultry, dairy, seafood, and fresh produce.
Plate freezers are ideal for freezing products like red meat, pork, poultry, and liquid cream, especially where high volume throughput and uniform carton sizes are required. The technology involves refrigerant-filled plates that make direct contact with the product, ensuring rapid and energy-efficient freezing.
- Fast freezing: Reduces the typical 48-hour air blast freezing cycle to 24 hours, improving refrigeration index and reducing inventory time.
- Energy efficiency: Offers 25-30% electrical energy savings compared to blast freezing.
- Improved product output: Ensures uniformly flat surfaces for better presentation and space efficiency, leading to a 15% freight saving in 20-foot containers.
- Automated operation: Features hands-free operation with integrated materials handling for automated loading and unloading.
- Reliability: Low maintenance requirements.
Comparative data shows significant energy savings with plate freezers, using 6,592 kWh over a 24-hour cycle compared to 17,345 kWh for air blast freezers. This results in a 24-30% energy saving depending on production days.
- Fletcher International Exports: Three plate freezers in Dubbo, NSW, Australia, each freezing 2,300 cartons of lamb in 24 hours.
- Linley Valley Pork: Two plate freezers in Wooroloo, WA, Australia, freezing at least 952 cartons of pork in 24 hours, with the ability to handle different carton sizes.
- Teys Australia: Four plate freezers in Beenleigh, QLD, Australia, freezing a total of 7,200 cartons of beef in 24 hours.
Plate freezers are custom-designed to meet specific processing requirements, with options for future upgrades. They are available in automatic, semi-automatic, or manual configurations and can use refrigerants like ammonia and carbon dioxide. Capacity ranges from 500 to 3,000 cartons or 10 to 80 tonnes of product. Smaller vertical and horizontal plate freezers are also available in collaboration with DSI Plate Freezers of Denmark.
Catalog excerpts
FRESH PRODUCE CHILLING & FREEZING Plate Freezers Milmeq pioneered the introduction of large scale plate freezing technology to the meat industry in the 1990s, and today we produce the world’s largest horizontal plate freezers. MILMEQ® Plate Freezers feature refrigerant-filled plates which make direct contact with product to provide a rapid, energy efficient freeze. More than 180 plate freezers have been installed in Australia to date, and we now have the capability to export these to all markets. Plate freezers are suitable for freezing a range of products, including red meat, pork, poultry and liquid cream, where there is: öö High volume throughput öö Uniformity of carton size Advantages delivered by Milmeq plate freezers include: öö Fast freezing – the typical 48 hour freezing cycle of air blast freezers is reduced to 24 hours in plate freezers – improving the refrigeration index, and reducing stock inventory and time to market öö Energy efficient – typically 25-30% electrical energy saving over blast freezing öö Product output with uniformly flat surfaces to improve product presentation and deliver space efficiencies in palletising, container loading and distribution – delivering a freight saving of 15% in 20 foot containers öö Hands-free operation with integrated materials handling system providing automated loading and unloading öö Reliable and low maintenance ENERGY EFFICIENCY Figure 1: Freezing energy comparison between air blast freezing and plate freezing Figure 2: Cooling rate comparison between a plate freezer and air blast tunnel Electrical energy used over freeze cycle Electrical energy per 1000 cartons frozen kWh per tonne frozen (7 day production) Energy saving: 24% kWh per tonne frozen (5 day production) Energy saving: 30% Freezing Energy Comparison Tunnel Plate Tunnel Plate Refrigeration Index (RI): 1.02 0.22 Process Hygien
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Each plate freezer installation is custom designed to meet the client's processing requirements. Consideration is given at the design stage to allow flexibility for future additions, extensions and upgrades as product throughput requirements grow. Plate freezers are available in automatic, semi-automatic or manual configurations. They can be supplied with range of refrigerants including ammonia (NH3) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Capacity options typically range from 500 to 3,000 standard meat cartons, or 10 to 80 tonnes of product. In conjunction with DSI Plate Freezers of Denmark we are also able...
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