Hydrocooler

Most hydrocoolers use mechanical refrigeration. Figure 26 shows the approximate amount of refrigeration needed for an uninsulated hydrocooler, installed outside.

Smaller hydrocooling operations may use crushed ice rather than mechanical refrigeration to produce chilled water. Typically, large blocks of ice are transported from an ice plant to the hydrocooler and then crushed and added to the water reservoir of the hydrocooler.

A continuous-flow immersion hydrocooler cools the packaged product by flooding as it is conveyed through a cooling tunnel.