Use Ambient Air Cooling

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods

April 2006

Not too long ago, ConAgra Foods’ frozen foods plant in Troy, Ohio, found itself in a rather challenging position. The 217,000-sq.-ft. facility — which produces frozen items such as school lunch pizzas and dough-enrobed products under “The Max” and Kid Cuisine brands, as well as items for private-label retail customers — needed more nitrogen for its expanding pre-cooling and freezing operations. Moreover, nitrogen and related costs were on the rise.

By employing new equipment that used an air impingement process — whereby filtered ambient air is used to pre-cool product — the plant was able to cut its nitrogen usage by 1.2 million cu. ft. per year. Moreover, the facility now saves $280,000 annually as a result of its employees’ creative approach to conservation.

The process netted the Troy plant one of ConAgra’s 2005 Environmental Awards — under the category of “Building on Best Practices.”

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