Thomas MILHOUA Séverine DOLCI

Study Engineer Sales Manager

milhoua@airqualityprocess.com dolci@airqualityprocess.com
Cell:+33 6 30 94 02 74 Cell:+33 6 08 41 57 71
 ONE SPECIALIZATION :
THE CHEESE DAIRIES !

SPECIALTY
Multi safety air conditioning for over 20 years :
 all cheeses
 all rooms from production till packaging

REFERENCES

over 40 complete plants and 1200 ripening rooms running

worldwide

over 90% activity in cheese dairies

IDENTITY

French company – social capital 1.500.000€

Own study offfice + R&D department + Trial Room
 SUMMARY

1. Hygiene
a. Sources and vectors of contamination
b. Principles of Air Flow Management
c. Requirements for process rooms and ripening rooms
2. Cheese aging cycle: interactions between the air & the cheese
a. Temperature
b. Hygrometry
c. Ventilation
d. Water losses control
e. Air diffusion
f. Fresh air
g. Ammonia

3. Aging room loading

4. Conclusion, open questions

1. HYGIENE
 ANALYSIS OF SOURCES AND
VECTORS OF CONTAMINATION
Sources and vectors Origin A Few Recommendations
of contamination
AIR • Physical and biological pollutants •Air flow management
(vector) • Water in form of thin droplets •Separation of fresh air and recycled air in hot and
•Air inlets not controlled humid rooms
•Elements that retain particles inside air-coolers / •Drying of the atmosphere after washing
air-conditioners •Textile ducts (easily washable) favored
•Favor air coolers/ conditioners entirely cleanable
and easily controllable – USDA approval
EMPLOYEES • Desquamation, eyelash, hair, hands… • Suited clothes protections (hat, jacket)
(source and vector) • Clothes •Boots washing / hand disinfection
FLUIDS Technical fluids location and material •technical area separate from the cheese flow
(source) •pipes , screw… in stainless steel in cheese rooms
and corrridors
PREMISES • Material of surface •Hydrophobic walls, doors and ceilings
(source) • Coating •Tightness of the ceiling
• Conception
OTHER EQUIPMENTS •Cleanability Favour conceptions in accordance with USDA
(source) •Fixing recommandation : limitation of corners, elements of
•Resistance to corrosion and chemicals retention of particles
WORK PROCESS • Flow of employees •Avoid flows of people from dirty areas to clean
(source and vector) • Work organisation areas
• Cleaning / desinfection •Cleaning procedures
•Waste location •Changing room
PRODUCTS • Flow •Separation of naked and packed products
(source and vector) •Packaging, cardboard dust •Location of cardboards apart from naked products
 AIR FLOW MANAGEMENT

Principle: create an air flow from the very sensitive areas

to the less sensitive areas

The air from the « dirty » area must not

6
go back toward the « clean » area
 THE AIR FLOW MANAGEMENT
PRINCIPLE

DIAGNOSTIC or STUDY
To identify possible sources and vectors
of contaminations

CLASSIFICATION OF ZONES
From the row ingredient to the final
packed product

FORWARD FLOW ORGANIZATION

Air transfer from the most sensitive
areas to the less sensitive

MASTER PLAN AND

RECOMMENDATIONS
 PROCESS ROOMS

Cheese production room

Temperature of the room : 20 à 30°C
according to the cheeses
Basins, open tanks, tables covered
with milk or warm curd (about 33°C) :
continuous evaporation

Constraints
This is a room very sensitive to
contaminations
The room is washed after each
production from floor to ceiling
The humidity is very high 8
 PROCESS ROOMS

Fresh air & Recycling unit:

To be avoided in hot and humid atmosphere

• Recycling of damp and corrosive air in the air handling unit

• filters: numerous filter cells, premature clogging, water condensation in
filters, risk of microbial growth in the filters and battery
• coils: dirtying and decreasing of the global performances
• if non stainless steel elements: corrosion that lower the shelf life
• Rigid recovery ducts: hard to clean and to access for control
• Big units, huge fans with high electrical consumption
 PROCESS ROOMS

Separation of fresh air and air recycling:

Perfectly suited to hot and humid atmosphere
Permanent ultra-filtrated air introduction:
•limited to overpressure (small unit),
•compensates for contaminated air extractions,
•contributes to the walls drying,

PROCESS ROOM Vicious air

exhausted at
the source

Individualized air treatment through air-conditioner

inside the room
•allows to reach thermal balance, WASHING
•High drying in cleaning phase for a quick return to production ROOM
•cleanability 100% by CIP
•no humidity recycling into filters
•small fan with low power motor
 PROCESS ROOMS

SEPARATION OF FRESH AND RECYCLED AIR

- Independant, safe and permanent air flow management

- No humid air recyling in AHU  No particle retention in the filters leading to

risks of contamination

- Stop of the Air Handling Unit for a very limited maintenance

- High drying power in washing stages

- Lower running costs (filters and energy) with very low power motors of the
air-conditioners

11
 AGING ROOMS

Conditions depending on the type of cheeses

Possibility to have mono-function or mixed rooms
(drying at heart / ripening / drying on surface)

Requirements
Hygiene
Controled temperature (cooling/heating)
Controled hygrometry (humidifying/dehumidifying)
Homogenous diffusion
Ultra-filtrated fresh air for the oxygenation of the cheeses
and ammonia dilution
12
 2. THE INTERACTIONS
BETWEEN AIR AND CHEESE
IN AGING ROOMS
 CHEESE BEHAVIOR

Cheese is CHEESE:
 Temperature,
a unique exchanger!  Dry matter,
 Activity,

AIR :
 Temperature,
 Relative hygrometry,
 Velocity,
 INTERACTION CHEESE / AIR

It breathes by exchanging
with ambient air:
 Air
 Water
 Oxygen
 Carbon dioxide
 Other gas (such
as ammonia)
 TEMPERATURE

It breathes and sweats

more if it’s hot!

16
 TEMPERATURE

Cheese activity is
decreasing when
it’s cold…

And so are the exchanges

with the air…

17
 RELATIVE HYGROMETRY
AND CONDENSATION

Raise of the temperature = Raise of the air capacity to be loaded with water

Dew point

34°F 100% 50°F 100% 59°F 72% 77°F 39% 95°F 21%
+ liquid water

Cooling = Reduction of the air capacity to be loaded with water

+ Condensation from saturation point (dew point) 18
 HYGROMETRY

The dryer is the air

compared to the cheese,
the more important is
the evaporation effect

Air loaded with

Dry Air
humidity and gas

19
 VENTILATION

Exchanges and drying

are favored by
a strong ventilation

Drying on surface or at heart ?

 VENTILATION

Suited textile ducts allow to control the air speeds required (from static to more ventilated)
Depending on the cheese / room function / supports…

 direct diffusion leads to high speeds on cheeses

1000

3050
600

9650
 PARAMETERS INFLUENCING
WATER LOSSES

A good insulation to limit the impact of outside air

conditions and heterogeneity
at walls/ceiling
Internal Walls: K = 0.25 W/m ²/°C 0.044 Btu/hr.ft².F
External Walls: K = 0.20 W/m ²/°C 0.035 Btu/hr.ft².F
Ceiling: K = 0.17 W/m ²/°C 0.030 Btu/hr.ft².F

The cheese
breathing
increases with
the type of
cheese and
temperature

Heat emission to be limited:

lights max 5W/m² = 1.6 Btu/(h.ft²)
people
Stabilize the ambiance: machines
22
Limit door opening
 AIR CONDITIONING SIZING TO
LIMIT WATER LOSSES

LIMITATION OF HEATING BLOWN AIR at 100% hygrometry

IN THE ROOM with suited air-ducts
Lowest possible power motor of
ventilator

LOW DELTA AIR/WATER

•High exchange surfaces + high PRECISE
efficiency
MEASURE OF
•Smooth hydraulic regulation HYGROMETRY
(loop)  PT 100 probes
 Ventilated captor

OVERSATURATION OF THE AIR

Nozzle of humidification

RECOVERED AIR
23
 AIR DIFFUSION : FLOOR
AIR-CONDITIONER REQUIRED

Ceiling air cooler = Floor air-conditioner

Heterogeneity with inductions textile ducts =
High homogeneity between cheeses on the
upper and lower stacks

Heterogeneous air mixing

1000

3050
600
Area less treated

9650

24
 AIR DIFFUSION : LOCATION
OF THE UNIT

Longer air recovery

with end location

Hurdles to be crossed: 21

Air return

Shorter air recovery

with central location

Hurdles to be crossed:11 Hurdles to be crossed: 10

 INFLUENCE OF GASES

State of surface and cheese growth

influenced by the level of O2, CO2 and
NH3 in the air

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FRESH AIR NH3 DILUTION
3. OTHER PARAMETERS
 PARAMETERS TO CONTROL

* type of support

* quantity and arrangement of cheeses by support

Aerated cheeses Poor distribution of the air

through cheeses
 PARAMETERS TO CONTROL

* mixing cheese batches implies a compromise of air conditions

as the needs of the cheeses are different

older products during ripening

new fabrication
humid products

NEEDS : drying NEEDS : ripening

-important speed -moderate air speed
-T° controlled -T° controlled
-HR % medium -HR % high
 CONCLUSION

• Cheese quality
1 – Hygiene • Sanitary safety

2 – Temperature • Cheese growth

• Firming
3 – Hygrometry • Drying at heart
• Drying on surface
• Sate of surface
4 – Ventilation

5 – Air diffusion • Homogeneity

• O2 Bringing
6 – Fresh air • NH3 Dilution

7 – Ammonia • Cheese growth

• State of surface