A Plate Heat Exchanger (PHE) combined with an air-cooled glycol chiller is a proven solution for food safety–critical cooling at Critical Control Points (CCP). This configuration ensures rapid, hygienic, and reliable heat removal while maintaining strict temperature control required by HACCP and food safety standards.
System Concept
Air-Cooled Glycol Chiller: Generates chilled glycol as a secondary coolant, avoiding direct contact between refrigerant and food or process fluids.
Plate Heat Exchanger (PHE): Transfers heat efficiently between the process fluid and glycol loop, ensuring fast cooling and precise temperature control.
Key Advantages for CCP Applications
Food Safety Compliance: Indirect cooling minimizes contamination risk and supports HACCP requirements.
Fast Temperature Pull-Down: High heat transfer efficiency of PHE enables rapid cooling through critical temperature zones.
Accurate Control: Stable glycol temperatures ensure repeatable and verifiable CCP control.
Easy Cleaning: PHE design supports CIP/SIP processes and hygienic operation.
Operational Reliability: Air-cooled chillers eliminate cooling towers and reduce maintenance complexity.
Typical CCP Applications
Product cooling after cooking or pasteurization
Beverage and liquid food cooling
Sauce, dairy, and ready-to-eat (RTE) food processing
Process water cooling for food contact equipment
Conclusion
The combination of a plate heat exchanger and an air-cooled glycol chiller provides a compact, efficient, and food-safe cooling solution for CCP applications. It delivers reliable temperature control, supports regulatory compliance, and reduces operational risk in food processing environments.
