Colmac Coil, Colville, Wash., and president Bruce Nelson received a new patent for its plate freezer innovations.

Traditional direct contact plate freezer designs produce common reoccurring deficiencies, which result in potential health hazards. To counteract the non-uniform distribution of liquid refrigerant in traditional plate freezers, increased levels of refrigerant are used. This creates a health hazard if the refrigerant leaks.

Colmac Coil’s innovative design resolves these deficiencies and helps ensure a safe environment for workers near the freezers. By using a wicking structure and internal passageways, the uniformity of the refrigerant flow can be greatly increased, thus reducing health hazards should a leak occur. A bimetallic coupling used at the connection of the conduit to the freezing plates eliminates the risk of refrigerant leaks over multiple freezing cycles.