Stock, a ProMach product brand and leader in retort processing and sterilization systems for the food and pharmaceutical industries, recently introduced its ImmersaFlow, a unique sterilization technology, specifically designed for tightly packed container geometries with sensitive heating profiles. Stock’s ImmersaFlow focuses on improving the efficiency of heating and cooling media in a retort sterilization application. This methodology is designed to offer a more efficient approach compared to traditional methods by creating closed-loop immersion circulation within the internal area of the baskets.
“When we came together to design a new, machine we needed to perfect the process sequence and create an energy-efficient sterilizer,” says Rick Eleew, VP of Business Development for Stock. “This was the foundation of the ImmersaFlow design.”
Benefits of the ImmersaFlow include:
- Enables precise control of water flow, with the uniquely designed hydro silo. The system operates on a closed-loop column of process water, directing this water through a plenum and into closed wall baskets, creating an effective immersion process within the basket.
- Use of solid side-wall baskets, which focus the flow of water and allows for direct heat transfer. The process water is first heated to a set point, then a pump activates, circulating the water through the load. This method avoids the need to fill either side of the machine, instead directing the water through the load for more efficient heat transfer.
- The system can reduce come-up times (CUT) to a range of 4 to 6 minutes in some cases, with a minimal temperature variance across the load. This efficiency in heating is also reflected in the cooling phase, where the system uses a plate and frame heat exchanger to directly port cooling water into the load center, enabling faster and more consistent cooling compared to conventional methods.
- By minimizing the use of water outside the basket and reducing the overall heat requirement, ImmersaFlow also contributes to resource conservation, an increasingly important factor in industrial processes.
- ImmersaFlow focuses on efficiency and precision in temperature control. This technology offers potential benefits in terms of reduced process times and energy conservation, making it a noteworthy development in the field of packaging and processing technologies.
- Faster cycle times promote energy efficiency, higher quality products and additional cycles per day allowing for a reduced retort footprint.
To learn more about how ImmersaFlow works, watch the video in the link from ProFood World below, which provides further insights into this new technology from the Pack Expo show floor.
