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Maintaining air quality integrity

28 April 2023

Fabio Marioni examines the air quality challenges facing food processors and explores the benefits of evaporative cooling.

It is well reported that outdoor air pollution is harmful to human health, but we generally pay less attention to the potential health impact of indoor air pollution. Indoor pollutants tend to be because of activities such as cooking, heating or the use of cleaning products or air fresheners. Cooking stations and production machines can generate pollutants that are potentially damaging to the lungs and cardiovascular system of those working in the plant.

High temperatures in factories and warehouses can also affect workers and decrease their productivity. NASA studies show that human productivity falls 3.6% for every degree above 22°C and 4.7% over 30°C. Other studies carried out by the British Industrial Fatigue Board found that there was a lower output in hot/heavy industries in summer than in winter and an increase in accidents when air temperatures rose above 20°C. While there is no legal requirement for environments to be sustained within a temperature threshold, employers recognise that maintaining the temperature at a comfortable level will not only ensure their employees are healthier and happier, but consequently more productive.

A good solution to improve indoor air quality can be found in evaporative cooling solutions. Drawing fresh air from the outside, evaporative coolers can offer advantages, such as cleaner air when compared with refrigerated air conditioning.

Traditional air conditioning units, which remain within a building and rely on doors and windows to be kept closed to ensure they work effectively, recirculate the same stale air over and over. In the case of food production, where pollutants are being created alongside, germs and fumes, traditional air conditioning can exacerbate the indoor air pollution problem further.

Simple principles
Evaporative coolers work on the simple principles of evaporation, where hot outside air is pumped through water-soaked pads. As the air blows through the pads, the water is evaporated and the heat in the air is absorbed, which lowers the air temperature. A fan then pushes the cool air through a ducting system, which cools the air inside the whole building. 

Evaporative coolers only use water and electricity to work, thus resulting in a significant savings in running costs. Doors and windows must be left open (or an extraction system installed) to exhaust indoor air, that collects heat, moisture and impurities.

Outside air often contains dust and pollen – evaporative coolers filter the incoming air, removing most airborne dust and pollen particles. The wet cooling pads trap most of these particles, which are washed down into the sump by the circulating water.

Some specific food production operations can be affected by humidity which can have a detrimental impact on the health of workers and the quality of perishable products. In all these cases, evaporative cooling can offer a solution, For example, Seeley can offer a solution that takes control of the internal humidity levels, setting a certain maximum relative humidity temperature above which the cooler work in ventilation mode, still providing fresh air from the outside, but without adding additional moisture. Controlling humidity can also help control static electricity as well and other humidity-sensitive processes.

Evaporative cooling systems units have been installed in many food productions sites in the UK, including a UK chocolate cookies warehouse, where high temperatures were resulting in melting chocolate chips during storage. With specific control over humidity levels and lower temperatures, the installation of evaporative coolers avoided chocolate to melt and products to be wasted.

Fabio Marioni is Sales Manager at Seeley International.


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