Food Processing

The largest particle dimension, its shape, how much of the stream it makes up by volume, and whether it is fibrous or firm. Fibers tend to wrap at the port while firm pieces bridge across the channel, and each needs a different margin. Say too whether the pieces must come through intact, because that changes the velocity we can allow.

Oils carry less heat per degree and turn thick as they cool, so flow can slip toward laminar and the coefficient drops at the cold end. The gasket compound also has to resist fats and oils without swelling. Send the oil type and its full temperature range rather than a single design point.

Hot water, held as cool as the duty allows, rather than steam. Steam condenses at a fixed temperature and puts the hottest possible wall against the product, while a hot water set lets you trim the medium down and add plates instead. Tell us the product's scorch point if you know it and the heat-up range.

Peak product throughput, its field temperature and the temperature it has to reach, plus the heat the water picks up from the room and the conveyor. Size on the heaviest harvest day, not the average week. Give us product type, tons per hour at peak and the target core temperature, and the bank is laid out to hold the water cold.

More than any water duty, and what your pump can deliver decides it. Viscous product loses pressure quickly in narrow channels, and if the allowance is to tight the selection spreads across many parallel plates where velocity collapses and burn-on follows. Send the pump curve or allowable drop with viscosity at the coolest point in the circuit.