At Gordo Sales, Inc., we’re proud to assist numerous industries with our industrial process heating equipment. We have a huge range of heaters and temperature controls, from laboratory heaters to component heaters, immersion heaters, cartridge heaters, and many more.
One of the top industries that draws benefits from process heating equipment? The food and beverage industry is in constant need of heating solutions for both cooking and storage. We’ll go over a couple of the most common industrial heating processes used in the food production process plus the factors that should play a role in which elements are chosen, and we’ll look at some of the different pieces of commercial food equipment that contain process heating elements.
The primary form of process heating used in the food industry is flange heating, one of many options we carry at Gordo Sales, Inc. Flange heaters are those designed for use in various tanks or pressurized vessels, heating both gasses and liquids as needed, and they’re commonly used in many food heating applications for keeping an accurate temperature throughout food production. They’re also a big help for sterilizing liquids, which limits the risk of contamination that’s always a big stress point for restaurant operators.
In addition, screw plug heaters are often used in the food and beverage industry. This involves an electric heater that can heat various liquids in small spaces, helping them maintain temperature even under corrosive conditions. The main quality both these products provide is uniform temperature at all times, even when transferring heat in and out of sealed containers.
There are several ways the above process heating types can be used within food industries. Here are a few of the most prominent:
There are a few heater types that will be available to you in this industry, and which you choose will depend on several important factors you should consider. This is the case even for other industries and applications, but especially in the food production process where choosing the precise type of heater can make the difference between contamination and a clean product. Here are some factors to think about:
While certain food-related businesses involve relationships directly with the manufacturer, most do not – within restaurants and all other similar establishments, most of the business is being conducted away from the manufacturer. For this reason, many such businesses are using high-quality dishwashers to stick to both safety and cleanliness standards.
Any good commercial dishwasher utilizes at least one element of process heating. Immersion heaters are often used to control the heat of the water, and dishwashers come with numerous different temperature controls depending on the model and use needs.
Another common need across numerous food businesses is freezing products, which helps store and preserve food. Without this process, many of the largest food companies simply could not scale properly.
However, businesses that prioritize food quality have to deal with lowering the freshness of frozen products. This process can be counteracted by good defrost heaters, however – items that help revitalize the freshness of food products as they defrost food. These are custom-built industrial process heaters that have a self-regulating cable and a polymer element. They’re used for freezer door gaskets, drain line freeze protection, and various food defrost applications.
Commonly used for pasteurizing milk or juice beverages, thick film heaters are small and compact. They maintain heat levels during pasteurization, with a fast thermal response and quick heat transfer that’s required. They’re also both durable and simple to maintain.
Water is the bedrock of the food industry, primarily in terms of several important storage and temperature areas. Custom controller immersion heaters are used to control food quality and safety by judging the temperature of a water heater, allowing it to activate or deactivate the heater based on the temperature needs. These process heating devices are used for everything from cleaning and sterilizing to actual production in many cases.
For more on the common areas where process heating equipment is used within the food and beverage industry, or to learn about any of our industrial heating systems, speak to the pros at Gordo Sales, Inc. today.
