Plastic container opening area for optimum hydrocooling

摘要

The water distribution inside plastic collapsible containers used for handling fruits and vegetables was investigated for non-unifoim water supply using three types of produce. This study allowed the determination of the optimum percentage opening atthe base of containers for efficient hydrocooling process in the event of non-uniform water supply over the containers. The results show that better water distribution is obtained when the container base opening is 5.2% as compared to 7 and 12%. In general, the 12% container base opening provided the least uniform water distribution through the produce filled container. It is recommended to use a container base opening that covers approximately 5.2% of the bottom surface. This will allow a more uniformwater distribution and insures the fastest cooling rate by obtaining higher minimum flow rate in each section of the container.