An oven is where the most important step of baking takes place. So it make sense there’s lots to adjust. One thing to pay attention to: oven air velocity.

What’s the big deal with air velocity?

If your oven is blowing air the way it’s supposed to, you’ll increase quality and decrease waste. Four things to keep in mind:

• An increase in air flow causes an increase in the apparent heat transfer coefficient, convective heat flux.
• Velocity of the circulating air influences baking time.
• Weight loss, browning, and firmness of the baked product can be increased by increasing air velocity.
• Cohesiveness and product volume are unaffected by this component.

How do you measure it?

Air velocity can be recorded by an air velocity sensor. The sensor array delivers a precise picture of airflow patterns inside an oven from side to side and end to end. The sensors collect data, at product level, as the array passes through the process. The number of sensors varies with the width of the conveyor.

An velocity sensor array can help with spotting airflow differences between baking zones, concentrated air velocities on isolated parts of the conveyor, and unwanted air currents at the entrance or exit of the oven.