Competitive position of natural gas: Industrial baking
Industrial baking is one of the largest natural gas consumers in the food industry. In 1985, bread, rolls, cookies, and crackers accounted for over 82 percent of all baked goods production. Bread accounting for 46 percent of all production. The baking industry consumed approximately 16 trillion Btu in 1985. About 93 percent was natural gas, while distillate fuel oil accounted for seven percent, and electricity accounted for much less than one percent. The three main types of baking ovens are the single lap, tunnel, and Lanham ovens. In the single lap oven, trays carry the product back and forth through the baking chamber once. The single lap oven is the most common type of oven and is popular due to its long horizontal runs, extensive steam zone, and simple construction. The tunnel oven is slightly more efficient and more expensive that the single lap oven. IN the tunnel oven, the hearth is a motorized conveyor which passes in a straight line through a series of heating zones, with loading and unloading occurring at opposite ends of the oven. The advantages of the tunnel oven include flexibility with respect to pan size and simple, accurate top and bottom heat control. The tunnel oven is used exclusively in the cookie and cracker baking, with the product being deposited directly on the oven band. The most recently developed type of oven is the Lanham oven. The Lanham oven is the most efficient type of oven, with a per pound energy consumption approaching the practical minimum for baking bread. Between one--half and two--thirds of all new industrial baking ovens are Lanham ovens. In the Lanham oven, the product enters the oven near the top of the chamber, spirals down through a series of heating zones, and exits near the bottom of the oven. The oven is gas--fired directly by ribbon burners. 31 refs.
- Research Organization:
- Gas Research Inst., Chicago, IL (USA); Energy and Environmental Analysis, Inc., Arlington, VA (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6915323
- Report Number(s):
- GRI-88/0042; ON: TI88014944
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
030600* -- Natural Gas-- Economic
Industrial
& Business Aspects
APPLIANCES
BAKING
BREAD
COMPETITION
DESIGN
DISTILLATES
ELECTRIC POWER
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOOD
FOOD PROCESSING
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
HEATING
INDUSTRY
MARKET
NATURAL GAS
OVENS
POWER
PROCESSING