Convection ovens manipulate air flow within a heating chamber to effectively regulate temperature. Sometimes known as forced air ovens, convection ovens used a combination of blowers and fans to circulate air and evenly distribute heat—ensuring that all objects within the chamber are heated uniformly. This is the basic concept of most domestic ovens, but industrial convection ovens are commonplace too.
How are Convection Ovens Used in an Industrial Setting?
Industrial convection ovens are highly versatile and can be used to heat large quantities of objects extremely quickly. Industrial convection ovens can reach extremely high temperatures and can be used for both small or large volume applications.
Industrial ovens are usually one of two designs: batch or continuous. Batch ovens are used when all materials being heated need the same temperature and duration, however this can be altered from batch to batch.
Continuous ovens remain at the same temperature and sometimes have a rotating section creating a conveyor belt. Industrial ovens are heated by hot water, gas and electricity and the heat generated from these sources are introduced into the oven by convection.
Types of Industrial Convection Ovens
Industrial convection ovens fall into two categories: direct-fired and indirect-fired. In direct-fired ovens, the burner is directly beneath the cavity and emits heat into the space. Heat from combustion mixes with recirculated air and comes into direct contact with what is being baked in the oven, this is ideal for cooking at high temperatures,
In indirect-fired industrial convection ovens, the burners do not have direct contact with the recirculated air and combustion products. The burner is instead fired into a radiant tube-type heat exchanger, heating up food in the cavity from both above and below. This method of heating an industrial convection oven is slower to start up and cooking takes longer however it cooks more evenly and has less of a margin for error.
Benefits of Industrial Convection Ovens
Convection ovens allow the use of a lower temperature setting whilst maintaining curing time. The fans push the heat from the heating element at the back of the oven across the entire oven. Compared to standard industrial ovens, industrial convection ovens can reduce cooking time by up to 25% and can reduce necessary temperatures by 30%.
Standard industrial ovens allow air to move freely and at random around the oven whereas industrial convection ovens manage their airflow through their fans.
Industrial Convection Ovens from Thermcraft
At Thermcraft we supply a number of industrial convection ovens for use in a variety of applications. One of which is an industrial drying oven which is used for pharmaceuticals,
The sample is placed into the oven compartment where it is heated at a regulated temperature to dry it out. Once the sample is dry it is then baked and any leftover heat is removed through a ventilation system to ensure it is not reabsorbed by the sample.
If you would like to find out more about the industrial convection ovens Thermcraft supply, contact us today.