Process freeze dryer CONRAD®

The CONRAD® freeze drying plant is designed for high-volume continuous processing of products such as coffee and tea, fruit and vegetables, meat and seafood as well as prepared meals. The CONRAD® Freeze Dryer is the heart of most freeze-dried instant coffee factories where is renowned not only for delivering superior products but also for its robust operation. The drying process The CONRAD® process is fully automated and requires only minimal staff for continuous operation. All movement and process parameters are carefully controlled, monitored and logged. The product is prepared, frozen and loaded onto the CONRAD® trays to pass through the Freeze Dryer. Everything is weighed to ensure the correct volume on each tray for perfect freeze drying. The trays are loaded into the dryer through an efficient airlock system to an inlet elevator inside the CONRAD® chamber. When the elevator has a full stack of product trays, the entire stack is pushed into the first drying zone. More stacks follow and in turn pushed through the various subsequent drying zones of the dryer - each adjusted to provide the drying characteristics required. When the trays arrive at the dryer exit elevator they are unloaded, again through an airlock, and the product is emptied from the trays. The vapor from the freeze drying process is collected on in the special condensers. In order to ensure a continuous process, all CONRAD® Freeze Dryers are equipped with a Continuous De-Icing (CDI) System enabling automatic de-icing of the condensers without any loss of operating vacuum.