The Pros and Cons of Flake Ice for Fish Cooling

Anyone in the industry of transporting fish knows that you have to keep it cool. Otherwise you run the risk of selling bad products to your customers. Spoilage begins as soon as the fish dies, so it is important to take great care to keep the fish as fresh and cool as possible. Once they start going bad, spoilage cannot be undone.

When you are considering how best to keep fish cool, you have a few options to consider. There are several different types of ice that you can use—block ice, slush ice or flake ice—or even chilled seawater. However, this article is going to focus on helping you understand exactly what flake ice is, and then focus on the pros and cons of flake ice. Be sure to check out our series on the pros and cons of other types of ice.

What Is Flake Ice?

Flake ice, also sometimes referred to as scale ice, is large, flat, thin pieces of ice. It’s normally formed in a drum. It is made by contact freezing a film of water on the inner or outer surface of the drum. The ice is sub-cooled, so that it becomes extremely brittle. Once the ice is cracked it falls due to gravity into the ice store.

Flake ice has to be stored in freezers below freezing in order to keep it fresh and usable for the transportation of fish. Flake ice is commonly used to chill fish and other food products; however it is also used in an array of other industries that require effective cooling systems, such as the concrete industry for example. When transporting fish it can be stored at above freezing for moderate lengths of time without too many problems.

The Advantages of Flake Ice

Just as with other types of ice, there are some advantages to using flake ice to transport fish. Understanding these pros will help you ascertain if flake ice is the ice you need to help you keep your fish cool and fresh.

  • Easy to Use – Compared to crushed ice, flake ice is easy to use because it does not require you to crush it.
  • Efficiently Fits Around Fish – Flake ice can also be packed well around the fish, which makes it a very efficient cooling agent.
  • Moisture Retention – As the flake ice melts, it moistens the fish which helps them not lose weight. The initial melting also forms a thin skin which helps slow down the melting of the remaining ice.
  • Safety – Ice that is made from clean sources does not introduce bacteria or additives that other methods of refrigeration might introduce.
  • Convenience – Flake ice is easily manufactured, stored, and transported.
  • No Extra Equipment – Unlike with crushed ice, you do not need any extra equipment to use flake ice. This in turn helps save valuable space on-board ships.
  • More Surface Area – Flake ice has more surface area than many other types of ice. This allows it to cool faster than other ice.

Flake ice can be quite advantageous in the transportation of fish. It may be just the ice that your business needs.

The Disadvantages of Flake Ice

While there are many pros to using flake ice to cool fish, there are a few cons that must be discussed as well. SEMCO/SEMCOLD LLC wants to make sure that you have all of the information necessary to make the best decision for your business.

  • More Surface Area – While the surface area is a plus due to its increased cooling potential, it is also a disadvantage because that means it is more likely to melt.
  • Space Efficiency – Flake ice tends to take up more room than crushed or slush ice, and considerably more room pound-for-pound than solid block ice.
  • Requires Large Capacity – Because it takes up more room, a larger capacity is needed to do the same amount of cooling.
  • Possible Caking at Sides or Bottom – One of the drawbacks of using flake ice is that it can result in caking at the sides and bottom of the transportation area.

Knowing the pros and cons of different fish cooling agents will help you understand what is best suited for your business’s needs.

How Can SEMCO/SEMCOLD LLC Help?

SEMCO/SEMCOLD LLC can help you figure out what type of fish cooling strategy is best for your business. If you already know what is best, we can also help you get the customized machinery and equipment that you need. SEMCO/SEMCOLD LLC offers completely customizable equipment. We strive to give you the best products and services available, so that you can pass on that quality in the form of fresher, delicious fish to your customers. Don’t use a product that isn’t right for your business. Talk to SEMCO/SEMCOLD LLC today to get a better understanding of your ice-related needs.

A Closer Look at Concrete Cooling Systems: Post-Pour Cooling

The exothermic chemical reaction that takes place during the mixing of concrete can cause temperatures to exceed 200°F. When concrete is poured at such high temperatures this typically results in reduced tensile strength, tendency to crack, and non-uniformity. This means that high pouring temperatures can lead to low quality finished concrete.

SEMCO/SEMCOLD LLC wants to help your business produce the best concrete possible. This means that you have to have a concrete cooling system. There are many different customizable aspects of a concrete cooling system. In order to get the best system for your projects it is important to understand all the various concrete cooling methods. Let’s take a look at one of the final lines of defense for cooling concrete: post-pour cooling.

About Post-Pour Concrete Cooling Systems

Post-pour cooling systems do exactly what the name suggests: these systems are used to cool concrete after it has been poured. Generally containerized water chillers are used to pump cold water through a piping system. When water is released from the containers it is normally at about 40°F. By the time it makes it through the pipes it is at about 50°F.

These chillers are similar to chillers used to cool the mixing water. The difference is that these are a bit more mobile. As the construction progresses, you have to be able to move the chilling containers so the newer parts can be chilled post-pour.

When Post-Pour Cooling Is Necessary

In huge concrete structures such as dams, foundations and some concrete highways concrete has to be cooled after it’s been poured. After the concrete is poured, but before it is completely solid, cooling helps shrink the concrete which reduces the possibilities of cracking. However, while post-pour cooling is useful and important for these very large concrete projects, it is not typically the primary concrete cooling system. For most concrete projects sufficient cooling can be accomplished by cooling mixing water and aggregates prior to pouring. However, in situations where the concrete won’t cool adequately using these traditional measures alone, a post-pour cooling system is extremely useful and important.

Options for Post-Pour Cooling

When you’re looking at putting some sort of post-pour cooling system in place, you have to consider your options.

  • Cooling Pipe Size – One thing you have to consider is the cooling pipe size. It is important that you work with a company like SEMCO/SEMCOLD LLC who can help you choose the right pipe. If this system is not put together just right it can reduce the quality of your concrete.
  • Spacing – Another option you have to keep a close eye on is the spacing of the pipes. Each project may require different spacing to optimize the post-pour cooling technique.
  • Temperatures – The temperature of water that you use can also be an important option. If any of these details are off, it can cause irreparable damage to the concrete.
  • High Initial Costs – Another thing to consider as you look at these options is that post-pour cooling has a high initial investment cost.
  • High Operating Costs – It also has a high operating cost because the volume of water used is generally quite high.

There are many options that you have to consider in a post-pour cooling system.

SEMCO/SEMCOLD LLC Delivers Quality Post-Pour Cooling Systems

SEMCO/SEMCOLD LLC wants your business to be the most productive that it can be. That means that we want to help you customize the ideal concrete cooling system for your projects. If post-pour cooling is the right choice, SEMCO/SEMCOLD LLC can help you get exactly what you need. Regardless, we will help you determine the best concrete cooling system, whether it involves post cooling or not.