Single contact aluminum freezer plates and the equipment based on this innovative product, manufactured by Gunthela Enterprise Limited, has captured a fair worldwide market.
Such freezer racks, holdkeeping plates and freezer cabinets, ranging from low temperature storage/freezer chests to large horizontal freezer racks in enclosures of more than 15 cubic meter, have satisfied the toughest demands in performance and quality on fishing vessels and ashore.
This aluminum extrusion has many advantages over the commonly known galvanized plates:
* Its heat exchange capacity is at least 50% higher.
* Multiples of 8 inches in width and length of up to 20 feet in small increments give almost unlimited possibilities for freezer rack sizing and ceiling coverage in fish holds and plants.
* Fastening to ceiling or walls is simplified in comparison, since it can be bolted anywhere through the plates into available hard points.
* Outstanding durability; there are installations on fishing vessels and fish plants which have served for more than 10 years.
Furthermore there are considerable advantages changing from a common blast freezer system to plate freezing:
* Product Quality is greatly enhanced through quick freezing with direct plate contact.
* Less Product Dehydration compared to blast freezing. Alone the difference in lost weight will quickly offset the cost of a new system.
* Increased Capacity of the fish hold with the elimination of the blower coils. With holdkeeping plates, installed close to the ceiling, one does not have to allow a large space for air movement and can now store the frozen product within 6 inches of the ceiling.
Gunthela Enterprise works closely together with refrigeration contractors, from the small, locally established contractor to one of the world's largest, York Refrigeration, who assure proper installation and follow-up service.
There are several new developments:
* A most compact freezer built into new standard shipping containers. Such containers are easily transported or moved from one location to another and are ideal solutions for fishing vessels, where they can be installed on deck or in between deck.
These fully self-contained units are money saving alternatives to conventional installations, which require costly in-field labour.
*Another larger 40-foot container, again fully self-contained has a capacity of up to 70 metric tons per day, which compares with a maximum of 12 tons for conventional blast freezers, built into 40-foot containers.
These units are ready to operate when connected to power and a supply of condenser cooling water, either fresh or seawater.
