The system was developed as part of a joint two year research project between Campden BRI and Spooner Industries exploring the flow of air in industrial bakery ovens.
A least one plant baker is now poised to install the oven system, which is around 5% more efficient than a conventional setup, according to Gary Tucker, head of Baking and Cereals Processing at Campden BRI.
The system is estimated to save around £14,000 ($22,000) annually on a single commercial three-section industrial oven, which is likely to operate at around 7,000 800 g loaves per hour, he told BakeryandSnacks.com.
He said the savings calculation was based on a 4.7% reduction in gas usage at energy costs typical of the plant baking industry.
“Around 80% of UK bread production is dominated by high volume plant bakeries and the main use of energy in these bakeries is during the oven process. This research therefore has the potential to deliver substantial cost reduction and energy saving for the industry,” he said.
Efficiency savings
By looking at the balance of air intake and exhaust flow, Campden had developed an oven that incorporated both gas flow optimization and a heat recovery system, Tucker said.
Efficiency savings were achieved by calculating the quantity of gas released during baking and balancing the way gases move into and out of ovens.
Carbon dioxide comes off first during the baking process, he said, followed by ethanol, then water. Dissolved air also comes out of solution as the temperature increases, he added. The balance of gas release, he said, was therefore complicated because of the different quantities of each and their relative boiling points.
Applicable to ovens of all sizes
The research could be applied to ovens of all sizes, Tucker said; even in-store bakery ovens which operated for long hours could achieve energy savings.
Any bakery with modern burners and the right electronic links would only require a software change to implement the system, he explained, which was now being marketed by Spooner Industries.
The project was funded by Campden BRI and Spooner Industries in collaboration with the Regional Growth Fund and with support and advice provided by the Carbon Trust.
Campden BRI is currently working on understanding what time-temperature conditions are required to achieve a bakery product that is stable in terms of chemical, physical and microbiological changes, Tucker said. This will be linked in to vacuum cooling of bakery products in which a reduced baking time is one way to manage the water loss during baking and cooling.