Choosing the Right Industrial Freezer for Your Facility
Blast freezing vs. tunnel freezing – which is right for your facility? Understanding the key differences between these popular commercial and industrial freezing solutions can help you chose the right refrigeration system for your food processing operation.
When to choose a tunnel freezer for food processing:
Choose a tunnel freezer if you need:
- Continuous, large production capabilities
- High hourly freezing capacity
- Uniform freezing quality
- Reduced manual handling
- Integration with a full processing line
When to choose a blast freezer for food production:
Choose a blast freezer if you need:
- Small to medium production volume
- Flexible batch freezing
- Ability to freeze different products
- Easy manual operation and loading
- Budget and space-friendly freezing solution
Blast Freezing vs. Tunnel Freezing — Which Is Right for Your Facility?
Blast freezers and tunnel freezers both provide rapid cooling but are constructed and operate differently, impacting production capacity, freezing quality, labor and operational costs, and efficiency. What’s the difference between these two technologies? Our commercial and industrial refrigeration experts break down the key differences in this food-processing freezer system comparison.
Tunnel Freezers
Is a tunnel freezer best for your facility? Consider these drawbacks and benefits of tunnel cooling and freezing systems:
How tunnel freezers work
Products move in a single layer through a long, insulated freezing tunnel via a conveyor belt. Cold air (-35 to -49°F) circulates at high speeds, providing rapid, even cooling. Freezing time is determined by product thickness and controlled by altering temperature, airflow, and belt speed.
How tunnel freezers impact product quality
Tunnel freezers provide more uniform freezing, delivering a more even product shape, texture, and appearance.
Tunnel freezer costs
Tunnel freezing systems cost more to install but offer savings over time, requiring less energy and labor when operating at maximum capacity. However, they require more frequent care and repairs than blast freezers due to mechanical complexity.
Ideal tunnel freezer applications
We recommend tunnel freezers for large-scale, high-volume manufacturing operations. They enable fully automated production, including seamless integration with downstream processing/packaging equipment.
What products are best suited for tunnel freezing?
- Individually quick-frozen foods (IQF)
- Seafood, meat, and poultry
- Vegetables and French fries
- Frozen meals and snacks
- Baked goods and dumplings
Blast Freezers
Are you considering adding a blast freezer or upgrading to blast freezing technology? Consider these pros and cons:
How blast freezers work
Products are manually loaded in batches onto trays, racks, or pallets and positioned in a freezing chamber or room. Cold air (-22 to -58°F) circulates at high velocity, providing rapid freezing. Time is adjusted based on product size, loading density, and target temperature to achieve desired freezing results.
How blast freezers impact product quality
Freezing results depend on how products are loaded. Dense stacking or overloading can affect airflow, leading to uneven freezing.
Blast freezer costs
Blast freezers cost less up front and require less maintenance due to a smaller, simpler design, but require hands-on loading/unloading. They provide energy-efficient operation for small batches but operate at a higher cost per pound compared to tunnel freezers in high-volume applications.
Ideal blast freezer applications
We generally recommend blast freezers for bakeries, restaurants, catering businesses, commercial kitchens, and food factories looking for flexibility in processing small- to medium-sized batches of food in varying types, sizes, and packaging formats.
What products are best suited for blast freezing?
- Bakery products
- Pre-made/ready-cooked foods
- Prepped produce
- Sauces and soups
- Marinated proteins (red meat, chicken, seafood)
- Dairy, including ice cream and curd products
CW Refrigeration Provides Custom Industrial Freezer Solutions
Blast freezing vs. tunnel freezing – which is right for your facility? Design the ideal commercial or industrial freezing system for your product and location with help from our knowledgeable engineers. Contact CW Refrigeration at 509-248-4600 to discuss your Washington State, Idaho, or Oregon business’s food manufacturing refrigeration needs today.