Campden BRI research into the flow of air in bakery ovens has helped in the development of a new oven system which is around 5% more efficient than a conventional setup oven.

The efficiency savings are achieved by balancing the way gases move into and out of ovens. By calculating the quantity of gas released during baking, Campden BRI has worked with Spooner Industries to balance air intake and exhaust flow, and improve the efficiency of ovens. Pilot tests and scale up calculations by Spooner showed that the modified oven reduced gas usage by 4.7% when applied to a commercial three-section oven. This could save a bakery up to £14,000 for each production oven of this size.

Spooner is using the Campden BRI research to develop new optional energy saving oven modifications. The new system, which incorporates both gas flow optimisation and a heat recovery system, is ready for testing on a commercial oven.

Dr Gary Tucker, head of baking and cereals processing at Campden BRI, says, "Around 80% of UK bread production is dominated by high volume plant bakeries and the main use of energy in these bakeries is during the oven process. This research, therefore, has the potential to deliver substantial cost reduction and energy saving for the industry."

The project was funded by Campden BRI in collaboration with the Regional Growth Fund and with support and advice provided by the Carbon Trust.