Blast vs IQF vs plate
Whole fish / large blocks: plate freezers (fastest heat transfer). Shrimp, individual fillets, berries: IQF tunnels or spiral freezers (product integrity). Boxed/palletised finished goods: air-blast tunnels. Choose by SKU mix and post-freeze form factor.
Refrigerant selection
Above ~300 kW load, NH₃/CO₂ cascade wins on lifecycle cost and F-gas compliance. Below that, propane (R290) chillers or HFO blends are viable. Avoid R404A for new-build (phased out under EU F-gas and equivalent regulations in most export markets).
Export compliance
EU 853/2004 requires temperature traceability from processing to arrival; BRCGS Storage adds calibrated mapping and mock-recall drills; ASC and MSC add sustainability chain-of-custody. Design monitoring for all three from day one.
Energy & yield
Faster blast = less drip loss (yield uplift of 1.5–3.5% by weight). Heat recovery to processing water can offset 15–25% of hot-water demand. Ice-bank thermal storage improves peak-shaving on constrained grids.
Perguntas frequentes
What blast time is realistic for shrimp?
Individual peeled shrimp in a spiral IQF: 12–18 min. Block-frozen 2 kg cartons in an air-blast tunnel: 8–14 hr. Match tunnel size and airflow to actual product form factor, not brochure specs.
Which refrigerant should a new seafood plant use?
For any plant >300 kW cooling load: NH₃/CO₂ cascade. Between 100–300 kW: propane packaged chillers or NH₃ low-charge. Below 100 kW: HFO blends or hydrocarbons. Never R404A for new-build.
Receba cotações gratuitas de fornecedores
Envie um RFQ e receba cotações pré-selecionadas de EPCs de refrigeração verificados.
- Industry
- seafood
- Temperature
- −25 °C storage / −35 °C blast / −40 °C IQF
- Budget
- €3M – €40M
- Timeline
- 12–18 months
- Equipment
- IQF tunnel, blast freezer, cold storage, ammonia plant
Opens the RFQ builder with fields prefilled from this guide — editable before submission.