4 replies to this topic

[Kkhazzoun]

Hello everyone! Does anyone have any suggestions to help with the collection and diversion of water dripping in a cold storage distribution center from iced down pallets of product? Any assistance or suggestions would be appreciated.

[Charles.C]

Hello everyone! Does anyone have any suggestions to help with the collection and diversion of water dripping in a cold storage distribution center from iced down pallets of product? Any assistance or suggestions would be appreciated.

Dear Kkhazzoun,

Welcome to the forum!

Not much info. provided.

Few possibilities - avoid using ice, rearrange stacking, provide drainage.

Rgds / Charles.C

[Kkhazzoun]

[We are a perishable Distribution Center - boxes in - boxes out :)
We receive in truck loads of iced down broccoli (and a few other produce items) which we Slot in a warehouse racking system awaiting orders from retail locations. We have limited space to use, so we must use multi levels (3 rack locations high) of iced down product which leads to the issue of brocolli ice melt dripping on broccoli pallets below. Drip pans are not an option due to insurance requirements for fire safety and the fact that there must be the ability to have sprinkler systems flow freely from one level of racking to the other in case of a fire in-house. We thought about using tarps - like the ones you would use for a roof leak with the diverter hose flowing down to drain in floor - since that would burn/melt in case of fire but are worried about cleaning schedules and the labor involved in placing and removing and possible issues of hose becoming clogged. Maybe I'm just overthinking (as i usually do). We also thought about using pallet covers for the product, but on a test run - it proved to be quite labor intensive - and the fact that the product can't "breath" while fully wrapped in plastic. Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. We can't be the only Distribution Center in a pickle with this! Thanks in advance!

[Charles.C]

Dear Kkhazzoun,

Thks for the details.

I don't myself hv any direct ptactical experience in vegetables or broccoli and i'm not quite clear about yr actual process (probably obvious to routine users ). To be honest i was a little bit surprised regarding the use of ice rather than chilled transport (too slow perhaps).

i presume this product (as most leafy vegetables) is very temperature quality sensitive so that the icing is used from the field(?) to storage/distribution (unchilled?). I presume the product is not in direct contact with the ice so - Is the product packed in primary bulk plastic bags (eg 20kg) which are then packed in open top individual perforated crates containing ice or you just have a large pile of plastic bags with ice on, or what ? (I noticed yr racking comment so must be some shape controlled system presumably)

There are, i think, some fairly detailed documents relating to practical handling of pre/post harvest vegetables in one of the threads here (relating to haccp analyses) but i haven't checked them yet since i didn't quite understand the situation. I'm sure you are correct that this process cannot be too much of rocket science!.

Rgds / Charles.C

[chcaban]

This is a problem for many (iced, fish, ice-packed poultry, fresh sensitive vegetables such as watercress).
It requires attention when the product is stored vertically on racks or shelves. Dripping from one level to another cannot be tolerated.
Although the product and ice/water may be perfectly clean, that is not the case with packaging materials and pallets in particular.
If the product is in shipping cases that are not inherently leak proof and they are on pallets in a cold stroage room, we typically design our racks to include a "drip pan" under each pallet position. This pan is supported by the rack structure and is to be made of a non-corroding material (FRP, stainless steel, etc.). It would be sloped from front to back so that the drippage can fall to the floor directly or better still in tubing. We normally design the cooler floor with drains in the right places to intercept this drippage and to keep it from spreading throughout the cooler. Extra height is needed in each pallet position so that the loading and unloading of pallets does not damage the drip pan. The pan will have to be cleaned periodically as it is surely going to get dirty. If you are using push-back racks, flow racks, or such other advanced racking systems, there is a need for careful thought in designing the drip pans. Drip pans can be an integral part of push back IF YOU are buying new racks. If you must retrofit existing racks, look to see if you can add some height to the racking as it may be necessary to add something like 100mm to the opening for each pallet position. Any good sheet metal fabricator who is local can come to your plant and propose a design. If you do this I would be happy to review and comment on the design sketches.

Best Regards, Charlie Caban
BSChemEng, MS Materials Eng
Member IFT Food Processing Div
50 years experience in food process design and food safety implementation

Edited by Simon, 09 August 2011 - 03:25 PM.
Email Address Removed to Protect from Spam. At 10 posts profile signature editing allowed.