Salami Drying

[jasonsinclair888]

We have a salami drying room of 1000 sqft that is currently temp controlled with regular evaporative refrigeration and humidity controlled with a desiccant wheel. We would like to find an HVAC company that could design and install a ducting system to accomplish the following requirements:

1. Filter the air in the room 20 times/hr through a HEPA filter to remove mold spores.
2. Bring filtered air into the room to create positive pressure in the room to eliminate contaminated air from entering when the door is opened.
3. Circulate and distribute the air around the room. Diffuser?

Should we be contacting just any HVAC company or an engineer first to design the system?

 

[Xera]

Clarification: You already have the HVAC equipment and it is being used currently and you want to add ductwork to improve the situation? FDA compliance?

Are you getting the 20 x turnover in air now?
Are you bring in "outside" air now?

 

[MechEngNCPE]

Engineer. This will require a new unit, and you have to design for appropriate static pressure of the fan, especially due to HEPAs, A/C rates must be calculated, OA will increase the capacity required, etc. etc. etc.

 

[mtngreen]

I agree with MechEngNPE. Having a qualified engineer with experience in food/meat processing HVAC systems will bring a lot to the table.

 

[jasonsinclair888]

Thanks everybody for your replies!

Can anyone recommend an engineer with such experience? We are in BC, Canada, but could possibly work with someone at a distance. We are having a hard time finding someone.

 

[Compositepro]

Have you considered vacuum driers? They would be far faster so you would have less work in process and, I would think, less conducive to mold and bacteria.

 

[cdxx139]

What are the salami temperature and humidity requirement range?

knowledge is power

 

[tys90]

From what I know, you have to dry salami at a varying rate, usually at very low rates. I don't think vacuum driers would be appropriate. Being able to adjust the rate of dehumidification would be important.

Who you work with really depends on how much guidance you need. It sounds like you have the room designed already and you know your process, you just need equipment sized to handle the process. I think a reputable HVAC engineering firm should be able to handle it. If you need more guidance, such as design of the room you probably need to find a specialized consultant and an engineer.

 

[Drazen]

tys is right, i saw all fans being with speed control in such room.

i did not design it, but was managing installation and startup of different kind meat-product processing rooms.

it is only to be imagined that idea with hepa filters is your or your team's expertise? as far as i know, it is incredibly hard to get rid of mold, and it is more issue of chemistry than air handling.

similar applies to air distribution, needing variable flow, you cannot achieve anything close to ideal distribution (VAV boxes are out of question).

uniformity of distribution will also largely depend on mobile shelves position, so grills with two-direction movable blades is best you would need.

equipment is being delivered by specialized process industry company as hvac design is very tightly aligned with technologist's requirements, general hvac data will not help.