Any Thermal Engineers out there? Can I have a meat cooler and a smoker in one??

[ELKhunter60]

Hey guys,

I'm headed to Newfoundland the end of September for moose hoping to bring back some moose meat to Michigan. I've been toying with making a small walk in cooler for a long time and think I'm going to do it. As I was ponding this project, I thought about the smoker I've also been considering for making summer sausage and stuff. Then I started wondering if I could make one 5 foot x 5 foot by 7 foot tall cooler/smoker? The concern that I have is it's possible the smoker could get to 300 degrees if something got a little out of hand temperature wise - and I don't want to have insulation chemicals contaminating the meat if this happens.

Question: Is there an insulation out there that would work good for keeping my room at around 38 degrees as a cooler that can also handle 300 degrees without causing a chemical release? If I'm over-thinking this I'll just make one cooler and one smoker - but thought I'd throw the question out there on Rokslide and see if anyone had some good ideas.

Thank you!

 

[Azone]

Definitely not an engineer, just a guy who enjoys drinking beer and tinkering with shit in the garage or driveway, so take this uneducated opinion for what you feel it’s worth.
I would line the whole inside of the box with regular steel or stainless steel or aluminum sheet metal what ever your budget and preference is. Then draw up your rack or meat rail system and get all your fab work done on that and install. Include some ports for drainage, wiring, smoker vents, dampers etc., then I would wrap that bad boy with several inches of heat resistant fiber blanket and use sheet metal or plywood to cover the outside. Build your door the same thickness as your walls then stuff it full of the same fiber blanket and get some high heat silicone gasket, food grade if it makes you sleep better at night, to use as a door seal.
As far as heating or cooling units, hopefully a HVAC guy chimes in soon.

 

[ELKhunter60]

Definitely not an engineer, just a guy who enjoys drinking beer and tinkering with shit in the garage or driveway, so take this uneducated opinion for what you feel it’s worth.
I would line the whole inside of the box with regular steel or stainless steel or aluminum sheet metal what ever your budget and preference is. Then draw up your rack or meat rail system and get all your fab work done on that and install. Include some ports for drainage, wiring, smoker vents, dampers etc., then I would wrap that bad boy with several inches of heat resistant fiber blanket and use sheet metal or plywood to cover the outside. Build your door the same thickness as your walls then stuff it full of the same fiber blanket and get some high heat silicone gasket, food grade if it makes you sleep better at night, to use as a door seal.
As far as heating or cooling units, hopefully a HVAC guy chimes in soon.

not a bad idea. I was looking at that material Sunday on-line. It didn't give an R value from what I saw but it's got to be worth something. I actually have the HVAC thing pretty well figured out. You can use the right size AC unit and "trick it" to get the room down to the right temperature for cooling. There is a bunch of stuff on that on utube. Thanks for chiming in!

 

[EdP]

There are certainly insulating materials that will withstand the temps you are anticipating. Here is the info you need: https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/insulation-temperatures-d_922.html

A comparison of R values and weights would be smart. The higher temp insulations may be heavier and lower in R value.

 

[ELKhunter60]

There are certainly insulating materials that will withstand the temps you are anticipating. Here is the info you need: https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/insulation-temperatures-d_922.html

A comparison of R values and weights would be smart. The higher temp insulations may be heavier and lower in R value.

The link to the website you provided was exactly what I was looking for! Thank you so much for the help!

 

[journeyman713]

The insulation you’re looking for is called Fiberfrax Dura blanket.

As mentioned above, a double wall with insulation in between, is how to set this up, for your application. Stainless, for food is always preferred.

 

[waldo9190]

Definitely not an engineer, just a guy who enjoys drinking beer and tinkering with shit in the garage or driveway, so take this uneducated opinion for what you feel it’s worth.

Coming from an engineer...you're pretty much an engineer based on your qualifications.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

no

 

[Yoteassasin]

Stop it, stainless sheet and Kwool spun ceramic behind it then clad in insulated panels and there is virtually no way you will have an issue .

 

[Wrench]

The cooling is easy. Getting 300* in a space that big is going to be expensive. If you come off your target about 125* it's much easier.

When you get a chamber that tall you need fans to keep the air moving not many enjoy that environment. You'll be building a through wall shafted fan if you want it to live.

A friend and I have built some in the 36x36 at 60 tall and used oven elements and pids. 240v saves some $$.

 

[Azone]

The cooling is easy. Getting 300* in a space that big is going to be expensive. If you come off your target about 125* it's much easier.

When you get a chamber that tall you need fans to keep the air moving not many enjoy that environment. You'll be building a through wall shafted fan if you want it to live.

A friend and I have built some in the 36x36 at 60 tall and used oven elements and pids. 240v saves some $$.

You got pictures of the fan setups?

 

[Wrench]

I don't. Pretty much a small blade fan driven through a pair of flange bearings like this but 1/2".

https://www.amazon.com/PGN-UCF205-16-Pillow-Mounted-Bearing/dp/B07QLBYT1Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?c=ts&keywords=Mounted+Flange+Block+Bearings&qid=1691521964&s=industrial&sr=1-2-spons&ts_id=220004011&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1