Basic Design Principles for Curing Racks
The planning process of each curing rack starts with two questions: capacity and general design. While the capacity is depending on basic production parameters, like the daily output of the plant and the average curing time of the products, the general design can be decided in consideration of the size and layout of the facility, the existing building situation, the actual or later planned support of the curing process climatization measurements, and many other individual aspects on the customers side. Therefore it is good to have an experienced partner like ELIFRAF to support you in all stages of your curing rack project.
This page gives you the basic information about the design of the curing rack, which you need for your further planning process.
Indoor or Outdoor
Indoor curing racks are installed inside an existing (or new) building, under the same roof with the production equipment.
This design principle leads to a homogeneous unit of the curing rack with the main production building, in regard of foundation and working level, roofing and de-watering installations and design and appearance. Usually, indoor racks can be planned without the consideration of wind and/or snow loads, as they are not impacted by the climatic conditions. The following picture shows the same factory after it has been completed:
Outdoor curing racks are installed as a building separate from the main production building, but harmonized with the style of the entire facility.
This design allows the independent erection of the curing chamber and is in most cases more cost efficient than the indoor chambers of the same size, considering the total building expenses. Another advantage of outdoore curing racks is the option, to ammend the storage capacity at a later stage.
Elifraf supplies complete outdoor curing racks, including side walls, roof and all necessary accessories like rain gutters, lighting and other features, customized to the style of the entire facility.
Big Chamber or Individual Chamber
Curing racks as Big Chamber Style consist of one rack without any separation into smaller groups or even single aisles, by means of insulation walls.
Big chamber styled racks are the cheapest version of all options and provide constant climate as long as the throughput of the products to be cured is sufficient and consistent and the variety of the end products to be cured at the same time is not too big. If however additional climatization systems are planned, big chamber styled racks have limitations.
The consistent climate (temperature and humidity) in all areas of the curing chamber is an important precondition to achieve the best curing results, and it is easier to reach this goal in smaller chambers, especially if additional climatization features will be used.
Separation of big chambers into Individual Chambers of one or few aisles by means of insulation walls and the closure of the aisles with roller shutter doors are a proven way to improve the curing process.
Elifraf can design the curing rack as individual chamber solution and deliver complete with the insulation walls or prepare the rack profiles for easy installation of insulation walls by third party suppliers.
