Question 1

What is the difference between the GEA RAY® and RAY® Plus freeze dryers?

Accepted Answer

RAY® Plus is the new generation of GEA's RAY batch freeze dryer. Compared with the standard RAY® at an equivalent footprint, it delivers 33% more capacity and up to 50% lower pressure losses in the cabinet, achieved with vapor traps on both sides of the cabinet and vapor inlets at both top and bottom. The chamber is self-draining and can be equipped with an optional washing-in-place (WIP) system. The new user interface adds remote access, recipe management and batch reporting. RAY Plus cabinets can be combined with existing RAY freeze dryers. The full comparison is shown in the table above.

The standard RAY® is best suited to fruits, vegetables, pet food, sea food, prepared meals and candy. RAY® Plus suits all applications, including coffee and active ingredients, such as probiotics.

Question 2

Can an industrial freeze dryer be cleaned by CIP or WIP?

Accepted Answer

RAY® Plus can be cleaned with GEA's optional washing-in-place (WIP) system. The RAY® Plus chamber is self-draining, allowing rinse water and product residues to exit the cabinet without manual intervention. As an option , GEA offers a Washing-in-Place (WIP) solution for RAY® Plus for customers who prefer an in-place cleaning solution over manual cleaning.

Question 3

How low in vacuum should an industrial freeze dryer be able to operate?

Accepted Answer

Freeze drying happens below the triple point of water, 6 mbar, where ice sublimates directly to vapor. Production dryers run well below that: RAY® Plus is normally operating at levels lower than 1 mbar and is designed for high capacity below 0.15 mbar with standard refrigeration. Lower vacuum only pays off when the condensers can take the vapor, which is why RAY Plus pairs it with a larger condensing surface.

Question 4

What is the best and most efficient way to transfer heat in an industrial freeze dryer?

Accepted Answer

Radiation. In high-capacity tray dryers, radiation heating transfers heat to the product surface uniformly and without hotspots, because it does not depend on the distance between plate and tray. Conduction requires perfect contact between the heating plate and the tray, which small dents and tray aberrations rarely allow. Even at contact points, the high heat transfer can result in product overheating. To avoid this, the only solution is to reduce the temperature and slow the sublimation process, thereby increasing drying times and significantly reducing capacity. GEA's RAY® and CONRAD® freeze dryers use radiation heating.

Question 5

What are the pros and cons of freeze drying via conduction or radiation?

Accepted Answer

Radiation: Uniform heat transfer, independent of the distance between plate and tray, no hotspots, and it suits high-capacity systems. Its control point is the plate temperature profile late in primary drying, when the product surface is most exposed. Conduction: Efficient only with perfect contact between plate and tray, which needs flat, undented trays; any gap gives uneven heating. GEA's RAY®, RAY® Plus and CONRAD® freeze dryers use radiation heating.

Question 6

Does the size of the condenser or condensing coil have an impact on freeze-drying capacity?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The condensing surface sets how fast vapor can be removed from the cabinet and how thick the ice layer grows before de-icing, and both limit capacity. The RAY&reg; Plus industrial freeze dryers are equipped with four condensers, three in operation and one in de-icing, which gives a larger condensing surface and lets the condensers run about 6 &deg;C warmer. That in turn allows operation at lower vacuum with higher sublimation rates. Vapor traps on both sides of the cabinet, with inlets at the top and bottom, keep the pressure loss on the way to the condenser up to 50% lower than in the standard RAY.

Question 7

What is important when talking about freeze-drying capacity?

Accepted Answer

Capacity is the amount of water a freeze dryer can sublimate per day at a stated vacuum and product temperature, in kg of water per 24 hours, not the chamber volume or the tray area. Four things limit it: condensing surface and refrigeration, pressure loss on the vapor path from tray to condenser, heat input to the product, and the product's collapse temperature. RAY® Plus works on the first two: Sublimation rates above 2.5 kg/m²h, and up to 33% more capacity than the standard RAY at an equivalent footprint.

Petfood example based on 38% TS:

RAY® 175 Plus: Batch size: 2,400 kg. Drying time: 11.5 hrs. Capacity per 24 hr: 1,861 kg

RAY® 125 Standard: Batch size: 1,800 kg. Drying time: 11.5 hrs. Capacity per 24 hr: 1,396 kg

Question 8

Will heating via conduction or radiation damage the product?

Accepted Answer

Neither, if the product surface stays below its collapse temperature. Conduction can create local hot spots where the tray touches the plate; radiation can overheat the surface late in primary drying if the plate temperature is not throttled. A production dryer controls both with the plate temperature profile and product temperature sensing. Aluminium heating plates have a maximum of 130 &deg;C (in some cases up to 140 &deg;C), and most products have a maximum of 115 to 125 &deg;C.

Question 9

How much energy does an industrial freeze dryer use, and how do you reduce it?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the product, the batch load and the temperatures the process runs at. The RAY&reg; Plus reduces energy use in three ways. Improved flow inside the chamber reduces energy consumption at the vapor trap without compromising capacity. Operating at lower temperatures with higher batch loads, it achieves the same daily capacity with reduced energy consumption. And it can be connected to a range of cooling and heating solutions, including the latest heat pump technologies.

	RAY®	RAY® Plus
Capacity at equal footprint	Baseline	+33%
Pressure losses in the cabinet	Baseline	Up to 50% lower
Vapor traps and inlet	Bottom side by side	Both sides, inlet top and bottom
Condensers	Two condensers, one operating, one de-icing.	Both sides. Four condensers, three operating and one de-icing.
Cabinet size	0.76 m² to 136 m², 2 to 15 layers for trays	114 to 152 m², 15 or 20 layers for trays
Chamber and cleaning	Self-draining through door opening	Dedicated Self-draining and sanitary design – Optional WIP option
User interface	Standard Codex® interface	New Codex® interface, remote access, recipe management, batch reporting
Throughput per batch (Petfood <12hrs)	1800 kg	2400 kg
Typical lead time	6 months	6 months
Best suited to	Fruits, vegetables, pet food, sea food, prepared meals and candy.	All applications including fruits, vegetables, pet food, seafood, prepared meals, candy, active ingredients, such as probiotics, and coffee.

Cabinet size	114 to 152 m²
Heating plates	Layers of 15 or 20
Condensers	Both sides of the cabinet. Four condensers, three in operation and one in de-icing mode
Sublimation rate	Above 2.5 kg/m²h
Operating vacuum	High capacity at below 0.15 mbar with standard refrigeration.
Cabinets per group	Up to six, sharing one control and support system
Trolleys	60 or 80 trays per trolley. The 60-tray trolley is compatible with RAY cabinets
Rail system	GEA rail system, 80 mm stainless steel pipes
Heating and cooling	Connects to existing RAY dryers and to external cooling and heating, including heat pumps

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RAY® and RAY® Plus compared

RAY® Plus specifications

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RAY® Plus user interface

A wealth of freeze drying opportunities

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Freeze-dried pet food

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Freeze-dried coffee

Freeze-dried candy

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Common questions about the RAY® Plus

Explore the technical details behind RAY® Plus performance, efficiency and production benefits. Answered by Jakob Svendsen, Senior Process Specialist.

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