What’s it like to develop innovative technology? You could say that it’s a blast.

Research engineers at the Tippmann Group say they developed a proven blast freezing system that reduces both energy and labor costs. Tippmann, the Fort Wayne, Ind., parent to Interstate Warehousing and Tippmann Construction, has introduced the Quick Freeze Racking Zone (QFR Zone), an in-rack, easy-access storage alternative to traditional, sealed blast freezing rooms.

“We – and others – have tried to freeze using rack applications in the freezer room and never got the true blast freezing performance,” admits Steve Tippmann, executive vice president. “Then we came up with this method of [forced] airflow between the pallet spacers. It’s all about the airflow … and that’s what makes QFR successful where other attempts have not worked. The airflow between pallet spacers – a process in which we force consistent airflow – is what makes this unique and effective.”

Tippmann says he revisited the blast freezing process in August 2008 when the company wanted to (1) modernize blast freezing and better utilize a directed move warehouse management system, (2) cut energy costs, and (3) reduce labor hours needed to handle blast freezer pallet loads.

Tippmann engineers developed and installed a test version of QFR at Hatfield Quality Meats in Hatfield, Pa.  Once officials were satisfied with test results, Tippmann built a QFR Zone for Hatfield’s new distribution facility, where it has been used since September 2009.

“They’ve told us the performance is fantastic and it already has exceeded our guarantee of performance,” says Tippmann. “And when I took a different customer there to see it, [their executives] were all smiles.”

Positioned anywhere in a main freezer storage room, the QFR Zone includes an air plenum (controlled air shaft) with single-deep rack storage on both sides. The patent-pending Tippmann process then uses pallet guides, dock-type seals and adjustable wall curtains to custom fit and connect one exposed side of a pallet to the plenum chamber.

Sitting atop that plenum chamber is a specialized plenum fan, which can create suction pressure adequate enough to pull 150 feet of air per minute passing through the pallet spacers, Tippmann says. That’s compared to an estimated 5 feet of airflow per minute in traditional settings – where most air deflects off and around the pallet load.

With superior airflow, Tippmann says warehouse operators can freeze faster (cutting time by as much as two-thirds) and raise refrigerant temperatures to reduce energy consumption in the engine room. The industry premise: every degree below 0˚F increases energy consumption by 2 percent. So a blast freezer running at -40˚F consumes about 40 percent more power than a –20˚F system.

“We are working with a customer blast freezing 30 truckloads a day of product – with a power rate slightly higher than average, just under 10 cents per kilowatt hour,” Tippmann says. “Just the utility savings [in using QFR] for those 30 loads a day is close to three-quarters of $1 million in savings a year.”

Those same savings can reach as much as $1.5 million per year accounting for labor.

“We’ve studied our own labor to turn an 80-pallet blast freezer,” Tippmann notes. “To unload and reload a room is about eight hours of labor. . . . And you’re talking about a couple of employees turning five or six blast cells every three days or so.”

Compared to batch process – where traditional blast freezer rooms are loaded, closed and then unloaded – Tippmann says the QFR model simply involves continuous replenishment as needed. Moreover, product sensors tell the QFR system when pallets have reached optimum freezing.
 
In turn, QFR can (1) shut down certain fans over that product zone to reduce energy and (2) communicate with the warehouse management system when pallets are ready for retrieval and replacement. Not surprisingly, Tippmann says QFR also lends itself well to automated storage and retrieval system applications.

He concludes, “At the end of the day, blast freezing is not glamorous . . . It doesn’t make the product better and most of these products are bulk commodities. So cost is very important. QFR is all about utility and labor savings.

“If you were going to build a warehouse that has blast freezing capabilities, the old style (involving traditional blast rooms) would cost you more to install.  It would take more space in the warehouse. It wouldn’t freeze as fast. And it would take more energy.” – Tippmann Group

(260) 490-3000 / tippmanngroup.com