High-temperature air velocity measurement in your commercial oven can help you remedy inconsistent quality, moisture retention problems, uneven bakes, and low production capacity.
Reading Thermal, headquartered in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania, has been focused on commercial baking process measurements for 25+ years. We manufacture and support the SCORPION® 2 Data Logger, a profiling system that has become a standard in the baking industry. This powerful diagnostic tool can help you understand and improve your proofing, baking, cooling, and freezing processes.
Why Thermal Profiling is Important
The characteristics of baked goods are defined by the type and amount of heat applied to them during the baking process. Each oven bakes differently than another, and analyzing and controlling the differences are critical to understanding how your finished products will be affected. The benefits include:
- Quick troubleshooting
- Better product quality, texture, and shelf life
- Greater productivity
- Lower energy costs
- Improved food safety and FSMA compliance
- Efficient development of new processes
Sensor Measurements
Connecting smart sensors and sensor arrays to the SCORPION® 2 Profiling System and passing them through the oven with the product, enables the measurement system to capture the four main baking parameters:
1) Air velocity: In a convection oven, the airflow (or velocity) comes primarily from the air distribution plenums. In a radiant oven, it comes from the moving conveyor, the exhaust system, and natural combustion air currents. Measuring oven air velocity with the SCORPION® 2 Air Velocity Sensor is crucial because airflow will influence the texture, firmness, coloration, and baking time of the final product. The profiles will help you spot airflow differences between baking zones and undesirable air currents at the entrance or exit of the oven that can cause inconsistent baking.
2) Temperature (air, band and product core): Oven temperature impacts oven-spring, drying/dehydration, and color formation during baking. Insufficient or excessive heat can also lead to unwelcome changes in texture and taste. The Scorpion® 2 Temperature Sensor Array measures the temperature at product level, in fixed positions across the conveyor, and delivers a precise picture of temperatures from side-to-side and end-to-end.
3) Heat flux (energy transfer): Certain product characteristics are defined by the amount and type of heat applied during the baking process. The differences explain why one oven bakes differently than another. And analyzing and controlling these differences is critical to understanding how the finished characteristics of your products will be affected. The SCORPION® 2 Heat Flux Sensor measures radiant and heat fluxes at product level and displays the results in Btu/hr·ft2 or convective W/m2.
4) Humidity: Humidity is a measure of the amount of water vapor in the air. As your products bake, they use the available moisture in your oven. Without humidity, the quality and texture of your products will not turn out as expected. High oven humidity can lighten the crust color of baked goods and prevent it from burning. Lower humidity typically results in crustier bread. Global bakeries trust the SCORPION® 2 Digital Humidity Sensor, to accurately measure the absolute moisture content of the thermal environment in heating and cooling processes.
Prevent the production of poor-quality baked goods by investing in high temperature air velocity measurement equipment from Reading Thermal. Our solutions will help you improve your products and processes. Call us at (610) 678-5890 Ext. 2 or contact us online to learn more.