Abstract: An air treatment plant for foodstuffs includes an elongate trough (29) for the foodstuffs, a heat exchanger (35), a fan assembly (39) for circulating air on a path through the heat exchanger, through the trough, and back through the heat exchanger, a housing (1) having a housing bottom (7), and side walls (2, 3) with modular units (11) extending transversely to the trough. Each one of the modular unite includes an insulation layer (19), a water-impermeable inner layer (20), and two submodules (12, 13). Each has a respective submodule bottom with a respective bottom panel (15, 16) and a side-wall panel (17, 18) forming part of side walls (2, 3). One or more elongate, separate second bottom panels (14) interconnect the first bottom panels (15, 16) of the two submodules. Upper sides of the bottom panels (15, 16) of the submodules slope downwards toward at least one of the second bottom panels (14).

Abstract: The refrigerative probe comprises in combination an insert member fit into, and cooperating with, a probe housing to provide an elongated flowpath in fluid communication with the inner surface of said probe housing. The elongated pathway, being partly defined by a channel formed in the outer surface of the insert member and partly formed by the probe housing, is easily formed in the assembled probe by inserting the insert member into the probe housing.

Abstract: A method of separating air in which a compressed air stream is divided into first and second subsidiary streams. The first subsidiary air stream is cooled by heat exchange to a temperature suitable for its separation by rectification and introduced into the higher pressure stage of a double rectification column. The second subsidiary air stream is further compressed and then at least part of it is cooled by heat exchange to a first intermediate temperature below ambient temperature but above those temperatures at which the double rectification column operates. The thus cooled second subsidiary air stream is expanded in a first expansion turbine and is withdrawn therefrom at a second intermediate temperature below the first intermediate temperature but above those temperatures at which the double rectification column operates. After withdrawal, the second subsidiary air stream is introduced into a second expansion turbine where it is further expanded.