New refrigeration technology cools drinks in just 45 seconds

RapidcoolA new refrigeration technique is changing the way drinks are cooled, with potential savings through reduced energy consumption.

 

The new V-Tex technology was developed through the ‘Rapidcool’ project consortium, led by Enviro-cool and new product development contractor Pera Technology. The patented technology uses a unique spin cycle to achieve optimum cooling. As a result, it can cool a standard 350 ml can of drink in just 45 seconds.

 

Steps have already been taken to cool multiple cans simultaneously, so the cooling time is expected to plummet even further to around 10 seconds. The innovation will mean that rather than storing cans for extended periods in energy hungry refrigeration units, consumers will be able to cool drinks at the point of purchase.

 

Paul Tattersall, Project Manager at Pera Technology, says, “Across Europe an estimated 85TWh of electricity is used; comparable to around 25 million households. Although incremental advancements in typical refrigeration technology are being made, these are unable to offset increasing use and pose a significant risk to the EC’s overall commitment to reduce energy use by 20% to 2020.  This is not the case with our solution. Enviro-Cool is now taking this technology forward, the product family is already growing, on top of the commercial unit a smaller compact unit is also in the pipeline which is ideal for domestic use.”

 

The main challenge faced by the team was to optimise cooling efficiency to meet consumer demand for extremely fast cooling without ‘slushing’. This occurs when the outer layers of liquid freeze before the inner liquid is cooled. The V-Tex technology rotates the drink under optimised conditions to create a ‘Rankine vortex’ and obtain cooling speeds better than other approaches whilst avoiding the effects of slushing and fizzing when the drink is opened. The cooling chamber can be easily integrated into existing vending machines or open-cabinets, in addition to working as a stand-alone cooling unit.

 

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Food and Drink Technology