Eutectic plates were developed to maintain various temperatures for the cold chain processes. The sealed panels of eutectic gels are frozen to ensure effective insulation throughout transportation.
As with most products in the cold chain, maintaining accurate temperature levels is essential to ensure the goods arrive in the best condition. Freezer Plates are added to consignments of products stored in insulated containers or transported in trucks. In some cases, they can increase transportation times by up to 24hrs and are highly recommended by CE / DIN and European directives.
How to Freeze Eutectic Plates?
Unfortunately, many businesses use outdated and costly methods for freezing their eutectic plates. So it's essential to have a fast and efficient method for freezing these solutions.
Phase Change Materials (PCMs), such as Eutectic Plates, provide considerable cost savings when used in the cold chain by delivering increased longevity, but to ensure that they are effective, you must implement appropriate freezing methods.
Here at CRS, we recommend our customers to operate with Blast Freezers that are already equipped with 1 or 2 powerful refrigeration units to provide the cooling capacity required to remove the heat from the plates as fast as possible.
Blast Freezers
Blast Freezers are a fantastic investment for businesses needing to quickly cool or freeze large quantities of edible products. These commercial chillers offer numerous advantages to various cold-chain businesses, such as the catering and restaurant industries, as they aim to provide the best quality products to the end customer.
CRS offers a range of Blast Freezers varying in capacity and performance. Blast Freezers have very high-capacity cooling units as they can rapidly get down to temperatures that can be maintained for long periods, ensuring the preservation of your products.
Cloud-Based Temperature Monitoring
Reliable temperature control solutions are crucial for numerous industries, especially when needing to support the cold chain. Wireless temperature monitoring and alarm systems will help avoid damage and temperature variations during transportation.
CRS are proud to work alongside Rmoni, the cloud-based temperature monitoring system which provides reassurance due to alarms.
Main features include:
- Full alarm capabilities with HACCP-compliant and auditable reporting.
- A time-saving and cost-efficient alternative to manual measurements.
- Ready-to-use reports for both internal audits and regulatory authorities.
- Cost-Efficient, Easy-to-Use Remote Temperature Monitoring.
Load Calculation
Load Calculation Software generates calculations that allow to determine the correct sized cooling unit(s) for Blast Freezers, ensuring the fastest possible cooling times and the highest efficiency level. Here at CRS, we highly recommend our Load Calculation Software as this will provide you with the correct number of Eutectic Plates stored.
It’s also important to note that further improvements can be achieved through best practices in storing and maintaining your Eutectic Plates. We have compiled a handy guide for your reference here.
How to effectively freeze Eutectic Plates?
- Separate Eutectic Plates in the freezer to allow the cold air to circulate between them, increasing the freezing time.
- Ensure the loading door is closed to avoid the ingress of warm air, which can slow down the cooling process.
- Ensure your Blast Freezer is ready for the next load of eutectic plates by removing the frozen ones to a holding freezer.
- Review the freezing times to ensure consistency for other cycles throughout the day.
- Regularly defrost and thaw out the Blast Freezer to guarantee proper air circulation again.
How not to freeze eutectic plates?
So, where are so many of our clients going wrong? Let’s take a look at some of the things you should avoid when freezing Eutectic Plates or other Phase Change Materials (PCMs). We are not saying that these methods do not work, just that they lack the merit of an efficient solution comprising a Blast Freezer with sufficient temperature monitoring.
Using Freezer Coldrooms (Holding Freezers)
Avoid thermal abuse on the products already in the freezer by Blast Freezing gel packs in a separate freezer room; you should not allow warm plates to be loaded into a freezer that contains frozen food products.
Refrigerated Trucks
Refrigerated trucks are a common solution for many businesses; however, it takes longer to reach the correct temperatures for gel packs. Not only are refrigerated trucks inferior to blast freezers in terms of performance, but they have also proven more expensive to run. We have also seen that in some instances, our Blast Freezer solutions are cheaper on a hire basis.
Now that you know how to freeze Eutectic Plates, have we convinced you to improve your processes? If so, contact one of our cold storage team members, who are happy to discuss high-quality solutions for your business.
