Author: DrakeChillers

Categories
Brewery

Brewery Chiller System Design and Operation Tips from Our Pros

close-up of condensation, head of freshly poured beer in a glass

When designing a brewery chiller system capable of helping you produce batch after batch of noteworthy brews, it takes a strategic approach to ensure it will meet the unique needs of your operation. An intelligent chiller system design will also ensure your unit operates effectively and reliably to keep your brewing processes cool. Whether you need industrial-grade chilling for wort cooling, brite tank temperature control, fermentation, crash cooling, product storage, or another brewing process, it’s essential to design your system so that it works for you.

In this article, we’ll share our top brewery chiller system design and operation tips to keep your fans coming back pour after pour, starting with hints for integrating a chiller into your brewery.

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Categories
Dairy

How Do Industrial Dairy Chillers Work?

The silhouette of a farmer and cow on a dairy farm. Milk cans in the foreground.

Industrial dairy chillers are essential for efficient milk processing as well as lowering your processing costs. Their primary roles are to remove heat during the pasteurization process and maintain milk at a cold precise temperature required to preserve quality, ensure food safety, and increase shelf life. If you’re considering an industrial-grade dairy chiller for your farm operation, you may be interested in understanding how a chiller operates before investing your hard-earned cash.

In this post, we’ll break down everything you need to know about how a glycol-water industrial dairy chiller works to enhance production – and profits to your bottom line.

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Categories
Dairy

10 Energy-Conserving Dairy Chiller Options That Save Money

Modern dairy farm with energy-efficient and -conservation solar panels and wind turbines
Installing solar panels and wind turbines isn’t the only way to conserve energy.

Are you looking for ways to reduce your dairy’s operational costs? Here’s a money-saving solution: an energy-efficient dairy chiller. Inefficient dairy chillers drain energy and operating expenses, reducing your farm’s profitability. Choosing a system designed to conserve resources can go a long way in helping to reduce waste and grow your bottom line.

In this article, we’re profiling ten energy-efficient dairy chiller options that can help you save operating costs for more money in your wallet. But first, let’s discuss the correlation between energy efficiency and profitability.

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Categories
Food processing

6 Reasons to Switch from Ice Chilling to an Industrial-Grade Food Processing Chiller

ice crystals with blue tint

Wet and dry ice chilling are standard methods for cooling equipment that keeps consumable goods safely chilled. However, they come with cost, performance, safety, and usability drawbacks that compel companies to seek better alternatives.

Wet ice chiller drawbacks include:

  • Extra handling
  • Added labor for wastewater disposal
  • Could cause additional maintenance issues
  • Water purity testing costs
  • Chemical handling costs (proper pH levels)
  • Filtration costs (well/city water)
  • Cross-contamination potential
  • Potential of bacteria growth
  • FDA requirements/certifications required
  • Issue of producing too much or not enough

 Dry ice chiller drawbacks include:

  • Extra handling and labor
  • High investment costs
  • Additional maintenance issues
  • Direct contact freezing burns reduce food quality
  • Below -100 degrees requires more PPE
  • Danger of asphyxiation if area not well ventilated 
  • FDA requirements/certifications required
  • Issue of producing too much or not enough

Whether you are using wet or dry ice chilling, switching to an industrial-grade food processing chiller can help you:

  1. Save money
  2. Improve chiller performance
  3. Gain more precise temperature control
  4. Lengthen compressor lifespan
  5. Promote food and operator safety
  6. Enjoy hassle-free usage

Continue reading to learn more about these six compelling reasons to swap wet and dry ice chilling for an industrial-grade air- or water-cooled food processing chiller for your food processing needs.

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Categories
Dairy

7 Signs Your Dairy Operation Needs an Industrial-Grade Chiller

3 cows grazing on a dairy farm

Is your dairy operation using an off-the-shelf comfort chiller to cool milk? If so, you could be missing out on the many cost and performance benefits of an industrial-grade system designed specifically to meet your rigorous demands.

In this post, we’ll highlight the following seven classic signs that your standard chiller could use an industrial cooling upgrade:

  1. Your chiller can’t keep up with your dairy production
  2. It’s challenging to achieve precise temperatures
  3. Milk doesn’t stay cool
  4. You can only operate your chiller during certain months
  5. You experience significant refrigerant loss
  6. Energy operating costs are high
  7. Chiller maintenance is burdensome

Keep reading to learn more about these seven signs that your operation could benefit from an industrial-grade dairy chiller.

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Categories
Food processing

3 Advantages of Low-Temperature Chillers for Frozen Food Processing Applications

Middle-aged black man shopping in supermarket frozen foods section

With more people choosing to eat at home during the pandemic, the demand for frozen food skyrocketed. Enhanced availability and food quality also contributed to the increased trend that experts believe is here to stay, leading many suppliers to upgrade and expand their cold storage solutions. If you’re considering upgrading an off-the-shelf chiller to a specialized low-temperature system for your frozen food processing applications, this article is for you. We’ll uncover the top three advantages of making the switch.

Low-temperature chillers are more advantageous than off-the-shelf alternatives because they offer:

  1. Rapid pull-down capabilities
  2. Oil management capabilities
  3. Efficient evaporators for low-temperature fluid

Continue reading for more information on how you can benefit from each of these low-temperature chilling options for frozen food applications.

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Categories
Food processing

How to Choose the Best Food Processing Chiller

Closeup of employee holding clipboard in refrigerated food processing area

The best food processing chiller is different for every facility – there’s no universal solution. So, which system is best for you? Generally, the answer depends on several factors, such as your application and preferences. However, there are several other considerations that we’ll walk you through in this post.

To make your decision process smooth, we’ve profiled the following three food processing chillers, highlighting the type of coolant, key features, benefits, and the best applications for each one.

  1. 42˚F+ Potable Water Chiller
  2. 35-41˚F Ingredient Water Glycol Chillers
  3. Glycol Chillers

Let’s explore these options further to help determine which food processing chiller might be the best solution for you.

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Categories
Drake History

Happy 50th Birthday, Drake!

Drake Chillers 50th anniversary logo with gold emblem and red/white/blue ribbon

We’re proud to announce that Drake Refrigeration, Inc. is turning 50 this year. To celebrate this momentous anniversary, we’re strolling down memory lane to help you get to know us better. You’ll discover everything you need to know about how we’ve reached this proud milestone – and enjoy a few interesting stories about our history along the way.

Let’s dive in by introducing the person who made Drake possible: Ronald (Ron) S. Drake.

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Categories
Brewery

6 Factors to Consider in Your Brewery Chiller Selection

Gloved brewery employee pouring beer into pint glass from chilled tank

If you’re looking for a brewery chiller, there are several factors to consider, each one critical for choosing the best option for your budget, operation, and goals. You may have caught a few of them in our previous blog post on what to look for in a chiller. That article outlined the importance of features, such as industrial-grade performance, consistent temperature control, year-round operation, capacity modulation, customizable controls, and energy efficiency options.

If you’re looking to explore more about brewery chiller selection beyond these essentials, this post is for you. In it, we’ll explore six additional considerations to factor into your chiller selection decision, including:

  1. Chiller size
  2. Expansion plans
  3. Redundancy
  4. Temperature sensitivity
  5. Unit location
  6. Building requirements

Keep reading to dive deeper into what you need to know about brewery chiller selection.

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Categories
Industrial Chillers

What are Industrial Chillers?

external and internal views of a chiller

An industrial chiller uses process cooling to divert heat away from industrial equipment, helping to keep processes cool and machines operating efficiently. Depending on your budget, environmental conditions, preferences, and other factors, they use either ambient air or water to remove heat from your industrial processes. Chillers are essential components for many industries, including brewing, dairy, food processing, medical, cannabis, and other industrial applications.

In this post, we’re taking a deep dive into the world of chillers to reveal more about what they are and how they work.

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