Expansion of high street outlets for bakery products
presented a challenge for the Cooplands family owned
Bakery business looking to increase volume sales.
With production at full capacity, expansion of the
central production facility in Doncaster was key to
this strategy.
Cooplands Engineering Director, William Mcllroy was
well aware of the failings of the previous
refrigeration systems and was determined to ensure
that future systems installed at the bakery plant
should provide the best in energy efficiency,
flexibility and reliability. These features coupled
to the minimising of the long term environmental
impact could not be ignored. |
Cooplands front view FWC 920 LT Chiller |
Trading as a food production factory, the CCL
(Climate Change Levy) taxes impact heavily on the
energy production costs and had to be minimised and
with limited additional capacity available from the
local electrical sub-station placed even greater
focus to this aspect. The new building comprised of
refrigerated areas, freezer cold store and blast
freezer equipment which narrowed down the options
for systems that fully met the specification. More
latterly a spiral freezer was installed and operated
by SRS Frigadon LT packaged chillers The LT heat
transfer fluid was Hycool®.
But one choice did stand out, a secondary
refrigeration system.
Traditionally refrigeration installations for such a
project of this nature are designed on direct
expansion (DX), however with the careful selection
of a secondary refrigerant system, its components
and design has given the opportunity for Cooplands
to demonstrate environmental responsibility and
still enjoy the commercial benefits associated with
such an installation.
The Cooplands project is an enhanced system
development of the secondary refrigerant
installations common throughout Scandinavia but
employing external packaged chiller systems with
hydrocarbon natural refrigerants.
Whilst this has been partially driven from strong
environmental awareness within these countries, but
given the choice to install DX systems again,
refrigeration contractors and end users alike are
all emphatic that in addition to having the green
credentials associated with such engineering
systems, their experiences based on plant
reliability, reduced service / maintenance, lower
energy consumption and plant efficiency that given
the choice they would never revert back to
conventional DX installations. Even in Scandinavia
there is a skill shortage so their aim is to supply
and install safe and simple systems.
Equipment, fluids and technology is now available
from SRS Components to permit installations of all
sizes and applications due to the introduction of
the potassium formate heat transfer fluids with
freezing points as low as –50˚C.
This positive experience of this particular
Cooplands bakery installation has led to the phasing
out of remaining DX equipment within all areas of
the factory and with new plant which includes the
145kW spiral freezer.
As stated by William McIlroy, “we have now achieved
the ultimate in installing a totally green
environmentally friendly installation without the
deployment of any volatile HFC refrigerant gases”.
Furthermore, William underlined the benefits and
efficiencies of such system engineering whereby, in
addition of the energy saving features of Hycool® as
the circulating coolant due to its low viscosity
compared with glycol, the SRS Frigadon chillers were
designed for the Care 45 natural refrigerant in the
primary circuits, charged up on site by SRS. This
totally removes the dependency upon the conventional
HFC refrigerant gases such as R404A.
On site time was reduced with the installation of
George Fischer “Cool-fit” pre-insulated
thermo-plastic pipe line services thus removing any
potential risks that are associated with brazing on
site as can occur with conventional refrigeration
metal pipe work services.
With its innovative design solution using the SRS
Frigadon packaged chillers manufactured in Sweden,
this Bakery plant installation in Doncaster by using
the Hycool® as the secondary refrigerant will set
new standards for future green refrigeration
installations with minimal ecological impact.
The Hycool® circulating coolant is non toxic, food
safe and is biodegradable
This together with the Care 45 hydrocarbon (HC)
natural refrigerants for the primary circuits are
rapidly gaining wider acceptance and offer the
immediate opportunity for lower energy consumption,
improved COP and increased efficiency for such
installations.
Furthermore with the introduction of the revised
Environmentally Ozone Depleting Substances
Regulations in October 2002, it is considered likely
that more refrigeration system designers and users
will be turning to alternative refrigerants such as
hydrocarbons and potassium formate fluids.
The cooling coils supplied include the large
industrial CBFI coils and the low speed CBDL dual
discharge coils all manufactured by AIA of Sweden as
specified by SRS Components.
It was no coincidence that the subject of the future
use of HFC refrigerants and the use of secondary
refrigerants was an issue at the ‘Natural
Refrigerants Forum’ hosted by the European Trade
Association, ‘Eurammon’ in Brussels.
The terms of the Kyoto Protocol for which the UK is
a signatory is quite clearly defined and with the EU
“F-Gas Directive” which has now been adopted by the
European Parliament, is only the first stage in a
process that could lead to a total phase out of HFC
gases.
Companies such as Nestlés have had a total non-HFC
policy in place for three years and now other
companies such as Unilever, McDonalds and Coca Cola
all announced at ‘Euromonn’ their global statements
supporting their installation of non-HFC
refrigerants and to follow the Nestles’ policy.
The increased application of this technology will
bring with it many technical and safety issues and
therefore in the interest of the industry, companies
such as SRS must make available as much technical
and safety information as possible.
Alan Colbourne. Managing
Director of SRS Components Ltd. |
