Platform for the food and beverage industry
In the food industry, hygiene and food safety have the highest priority. A well-designed air and climate system with attention to air hierarchy plays an important role in this. LUTEC, specialized in advanced air technology solutions for a clean and healthy working environment, elaborates on this in this article.
A well-designed air and climate system offers many benefits. It ensures the removal of excess heat, the reuse of energy and the provision of the right temperature while effectively removing released fumes and/or substances in and around the production process. In short: an optimal indoor climate leads to better hygiene, but also to a safer, cleaner and more pleasant working environment. This results in a higher quality end product and optimum performance of both people and machines.
Air hierarchy is one of the most important factors for a clean and healthy working environment. In the food industry, the production flow is from dirty to clean. Therefore, air currents should generally move in exactly the opposite direction. When you need to process an unprocessed product by heating and/or cooling it, it is necessary to minimize the chance of contamination from unwanted microorganisms in the air during the production process. Beyond the usual procedures such as clean surfaces, clean work clothes and clean hands, clean conditioned air and proper air hierarchy are essential. With proper air hierarchy, the air flow in the production area is kept at overpressure. That way, there is no chance of contamination from contaminated air.
LUTEC specializes in customized air technology solutions. The company does this on the basis of a thorough analysis of the situation so that the air treatment system can provide the desired climate as effectively as possible, taking into account the elimination of unwanted vapors and/or substances in the air if necessary. During the analysis, the optimal required temperature and humidity and a pleasant working climate are also taken into account. Where possible, the company applies sustainable solutions and advises on possible subsidies.
A great example of a completed project can be found at Udea, a wholesale food and sustainable non-food company. For the commissioning of the commercial kitchen, Udea called on LUTEC to realize the right indoor climate. An overpressure was realized in the production area to the rest of the building. In this way, air contamination - by dust, for example - from the logistics to the kitchen area was prevented. LUTEC also designed an air handling unit suitable for the food industry. This was equipped with, among other things, a heat exchanger for cold and heat recovery. All integrated fans, both supply and exhaust, can be controlled individually and remotely by Udea, while data on operation is meticulously collected. Thanks to the insights into the process flows obtained in this way, major benefits can be achieved: efficiency, ease of use and cost savings while a clean and healthy working environment is guaranteed.
