OptimICE® PreCooler Temperature Measurements

Temperature measurements were performed in a fish factory in Hellissandur where OptimICE® pre-cooling equipment is installed. OptimICE® liquid slurry ice machines are used on board the ships.

The catch was landed in Siglufjörður and driven to Hellissandur (435 km) on a 7 hour drive. The ambient temperature in the fish factory was about 20°C during processing. The temperature is always at 0°C during the manufacturing process and obtains maximum quality. 

1: Temperature of catch on arrival in Hellissandur: -0.7°C

Temperature of fish measured upon arrival at the fish factory

The 4 days old catch is measured in the tub. The temperature in the tub was measured -0,7°C and all measurements taken in a total of 78 fish tubs were from -0,5°C to -0,7°C.

2: Temperature of catch after pre-cooling in a buffer tank: -0.7°C

Temperature measurement at the first Buffer tank before fileting of the fish

The Buffer tank stores the fish before fileting, where tubs of approx. 300 kg of fish are dumped into. The tank is filled with OptimICE® pre-cooled fresh water with a temperature of -0,7°C.

3: -0,7°C before fileting, -0,2°C after fileting

Temperature before and after fileting

The temperature of the raw material before fileting is -0,7°C. After fileting, the temperature has risen up to - 0,2°C. Thus, the increase in the fileting process is 0,5°C. The raw material is carried on a conveyor belt approx. 5m before it goes into a Buffer tub, where it is cooled in OptimICE® pre-cooled water before trimming.

4: -0,2°C before trimming, +0,4°C after trimming

Temperature before and after trimming

The temperature of the raw material is -0,2°C after OptimICE® pre-cooling and before it is being trimmed. The temperature after trimming is 0,4°C. The next step is to cool down the raw material once again.

5: +0,4°C after trimming, +0,1°C after cooling and before packaging

Temperature of the raw material after cooling and before packaging

The temperature decreased from + 0,4°C down to + 0,1°C after cooling at the end of the trimming process and before packaging.

The picture shows the temperature of the raw material after the whole process.

A temperature of -0,7°C was measured in the beginning of the process and at the end, when the product leaves the fish factory, a temperature of + 0,1°C was measured, It would be possible to decrease the temperature of the raw material down to 0,0°C to -0,1°C before packaging, by lowering the temperature in the processing room. When these measurements were made, the temperature in the processing room was around 20°C.