Although the retorts should only be operated by the FNH technician
This video for demonstration purposes will show you how the retort is operated under standard operating procedures
This is the retort that we will be operating today for this video
Before inserting thermal couples into the retortable cans
We must first determine where the cold spot will be located based on the heating mechanism of the food within the can
There are three types of heating mechanisms that will be shown in this video
conduction, convection and a combination of the two
For conduction heating the cold spot is located in the geometric center of the can
make sure to take a five millimeter headspace into account
In this case punch a hole in the side of the can that is midway from the head space and bottom
Please note when hole punching the cans avoid the seam
For convection heating the cold spot is located a third way up from the bottom of the can
in this case measure the can from its base to its headspace and divide by three
Punch a hole 1/3 way up the cab based on your measurements
for foods that undergo both convection and conduction heating
you will need to use two thermocouples
One for the conduction heating cold spot and one for the convection heating cold spot
Punch two holes on opposite sides of the can, one in the middle and the other one-third way up from the bottom
make sure to account for the headspace while doing so
when finished fit the thermocouples into the holes
then place an o-ring on the backside
Finally twist the back screw nut into place, tighten everything with a wrench
Your cans should look something like this
Before loading your food samples fill the cans to the top with water and observe if any leaking occurs
if there is leaking around a thermocouple remove the thermocouple and try adding additional o-rings between the can and a screw or
thermocouple to obtain a tighter seal
The screw nuts may also need to be tightened some more
The cans can now be filled with food and hermetically sealed, to do this we will use a manual can sealer
Begin by placing the lid on the can such that the overhang is consistent all the way around
Next place the can on the can sealer platform
and use the lever to raise the can up such that the chuck is pressed into the center of the lid
Turn the crank
You should see the first seaming roller go around the can rim
followed by the second seeming roller
Once the second roller unlatches from the can, the seam is complete, now the cans are ready to be processed in the retort
Once all your retortable cans are properly sealed with thermocouples in the right places load everything into the retort
Then close the retort door
To turn on the compressor pump plug the unit in and turn the red switch to the on position
Then open the red compressed air supply valve
Make sure that the compressed gas tank is between 100 to 120 psi
If the gauge ever reads above 120 psi turn off and unplug the compressor
If the pressure ever falls to less than or equal to 40 psi plug in and turn the compressor back on
Next turn on the retort ventilation fan using the red button on the wall by the doorway
then close valve number five and open valve number six
These two valves are for the compressed air venting and compressed air supply, repectively
they allow the compressed air to run pneumatic valves that regulates temperature and pressure
slowly open the main steam supply valve
Then open valve number 10 and the bypass valve number 11 to provide the retort vessel with its main steam supply
using the blue dial on the temperature/pressure chart recorder
Adjust the blue arm to set desired temperature in Fahrenheit
242 degrees Fahrenheit equivalent to 121 degrees Celsius is typically used
using the red dial on the temperature pressure/chart recorder
Adjust the red arms to set desired pressure, which is typically 15 psi
The source pressure should read approximately 80 psi while the inlet pressure should be approximately 40 to 50 psi
finally turn on the retort
Wait for five to seven minutes to allow the vessel and pipes to heat up and any residual water
to be blown out of the system with valves number two and number four open
When the retort vessel is ready to be heated and pressurized
Valve number four and number two are to be tightened to seal off the vessel
close bypass valve number eleven to start automatic control of the retort temperature and pressure
The temperature can be monitored on the digital display
just to the left of the retort on switch, while the pressure can be monitored on the control panels top left
analog dial gauge
The desired range of operation is 121 to 123 degrees Celsius and 15 to 18 psi
If the retort temperature or pressure rises above 123 degrees Celsius and 18 psi, respectively
open pressure relief valve number two slightly to allow the temperature and pressure to fall back to the desired levels
If the temperature and pressure still do not fall back the main steam supply valve should be turned
Until the temperature and pressure are within the desired range
The cans within the retort can be seen through the sight glass located on the side of the retort vessel
to shut down the retort closed steam valve number 10
After all water is drained open valve number four then open valve number two
Close the main steam supply valve
to vent any remaining pressure use valve number 10 and number 11
For optional steps on how to rapidly cool the cans with water please refer to the retort SOP
Steps one to nine are optional however
It should be done when rapid water cooling of cans are required. The following comprises steps one to nine
Thank you for watching