Turnkey Installation of Shrimp Processing Line

Opportunity: An entrepreneurial group with opportunities in the shrimp processing market challenged CSE with high production volume, minimal floor space and turnkey installation responsibilities.

Challenges: The customer’s primary processing opportunity was in the specialized packaging of imported shrimp. A processing line of this type
consists of:

  • Thaw tank (to slack out block frozen shrimp)
  • Tote Dumper
  • Feed tank and inclined conveyor
  • Cryogenic freezer
  • Ice glazing system
  • Packaging system

CSE was contracted to supply the tote dumper, feed tank and inclined conveyor, cryogenic freezer and glazing system.

A review of the site revealed that the equipment would need to be modified to co-exist with existing systems.

Solutions: The CSE hydraulic tote dumper was modified to clear over existing refrigeration equipment. The feed tank and inclined conveyor interfered with normal work traffic flow, so the length and pitch of the inclined conveyor was redesigned to clear a door and forklift path.

The customer had very little space for a cryogenic freezing system. Based on their target production requirements of 3,500 lbs an hour, from 40°F to -10°F, one of CSE’s most inventive freezers was recommended and liquid nitrogen was chosen as the cryogen. The QTF-HP freezer is capable of freezing in excess of 3,500 lbs an hour in a 14 ft X 6 ft footprint. Due to the small cubic volume of the room and the large make-up air requirements of a standard exhaust system, CSE designed and installed a custom designed forced air system using outside air to prevent icing and blockage of the nitrogen exhaust system. This system not only saved the customer the capital expense of a major make-up air system, but resulted in a significant ongoing energy savings.

Running out of floor space, the standard CSE water glazing system was re-designed to accept right angle feed, and the conveyor exiting from the glazer modified to feed the packaging equipment.