TROCKNNER Food Dryers FAQ

Is TROCKNNER Food Dehydration Unit Right For Your Business?

TROCKNNER food drying and dehydrating units are perfect for companies with batch production. Our units are ideal for companies that need to monitor and take care of each batch of their product. TROCKNNER units feature energy efficiency, excellent workmanship and outstanding control, allowing even the most challenging operations to maintain production without sacrificing quality.

Energy efficiency in food drying

In the range of dehydration equipment available, ranging from large-scale industrial equipment to small residential forced-air dryers, heat pump dehydration has proven to be a cost-effective way of drying many different types of food products. Saving up to 60% of energy consumption compared to conventional systems.

Why is it necessary to dry food?

Food drying, a preservation method in which food is dried (dehydrated), has been widely used in the human food industry for many years. Drying inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeast and mold by removing water. Traditionally, water is removed by evaporation (for example, air drying, sun drying, or wind drying). Dehydration has gained a strong market for a wide variety of foods and snacks with companies looking to optimize the capabilities of this technology with energy cost savings through the use of heat pump dehydration.

How is food dehydration done with a heat pump?

Heat pump dehydration works differently than conventional (forced air) drying methods. Both systems heat the air to the desired drying temperature (set point), then move, usually through a ventilation system, the hot air over the product to absorb the moisture released by the product. However, instead of exhausting this hot, humid air as a conventional dryer would, a heat pump dehydration system extracts the humid air over the cold coil of a refrigeration system. There the moisture in the air condenses and drains away. As the air cools to condense moisture, heat energy is captured in the refrigeration cycle. This same air is then drawn over the hot coil of the heat pump system, where the captured heat is used to reheat the air to the desired temperature, which is then circulated back over the moist product. This cycle is repeated continuously until the product has reached the desired moisture content. The result is a closed system that dries consistently, regardless of the temperature and humidity in the space outside the drying chamber (from which the conventional system draws air).

By condensing water from the air and reusing the energy, instead of venting the air to the outside, this closed system constantly recycles the energy used to dry the product and achieves significant energy savings, up to 60% compared to conventional systems, while achieving a very consistent drying cycle.

Is energy use reduced?

The energy used with a heat pump dehydration system is only that required to operate the refrigeration compressor, blower, and circulation fans and bring the chamber to temperature at the start of the process. This reduced energy use translates directly into significantly lower operating costs. In addition, heat pump dehydration systems allow the relative humidity (RH) of the air in the drying chamber to be set and controlled, and because the air is recycled, it is less susceptible to fluctuations or contaminants from the external environment and performs more efficiently. more consistent in the long run.

Which model is right for you?

Our professional sales representatives will recommend a model based on your needs. We want to make sure you have the system that works best for you, now and for years to come.