Italian (OEM) Soluzione Termica and Italian compressor manufacturer Frascold teamed up to upgrade a dairy from f-gas to two low-charge ammonia/NH3 (R717) chillers, improving the system’s energy efficiency, its total cost of ownership, and environmental impact.
The customer, an Italian “leader in gastronomy specialty products and a company renowned in the market of fresh cheeses, mozzarellas and burratas at an international level,” required a new solution for its cooling needs, according to a statement by Frascold. Soluzione Termica conducted an in-depth analysis of the customer’s production processes: from the receipt of milk to the preservation phase of the finished product, to propose an alternative to the systems in operation.
A high-efficiency solution
For this project, Soluzione Termica built two ammonia chillers to constitute the new refrigerated glycol production system used both for cooling the premises and for processing. Each chiller includes three high-efficiency Frascold screw compressors coupled directly to IE3 motors and features flooded plate evaporators.
Over and above serving the existing facility, the new refrigeration system also ensures a controlled temperature of 2/4°C (36/39°F) inside the new 25,000m3 (882,867ft3) storage and distribution facility.
“One of the main challenges overcome is ensuring the scalability of the groups in relation to the extreme daily and seasonal variability of the thermal loads,” explained Mirco Pasotti, Frascold’s Central and Southern Italy Sales area Manager. “In this sense, a system was required that can always provide an adequate level of power, using sustainable solutions, for an optimal COP.”
The choice to opt for Frascold’s three ATSH 360-A series screw compressors derives from the desire to modulate the cooling capacity with high precision, said Pasotti. Maximum efficiency at partial loads also depends on the possibility of reducing the number of compressors in operation, according to the cooling demand. Pasotti described the compressors as “a solution that has guaranteed benefits not only in efficiency and environmental impact, but also in terms of energy saving and total cost of ownership.”
“We rely on Frascold because it is able to guarantee constant support for the entire project: from the prototyping phase to the manufacturing of the systems up to the collaboration in the field,” said Giandomenico Iobbi, CEO of Soluzione Termica. “It was, therefore, natural to dialogue with their technical department in order to identify the most suitable compressors for our customer’s ammonia plant.”
A good choice for the food sector
Ammonia, among the natural refrigerants, has always been a protagonist in the field of industrial refrigeration, according to Frascold. “By virtue of the stringent constraints imposed by the regulations for the phase out of F-gases, especially in Europe, this fluid reconfirms its role in numerous markets, primarily in the food sector.”
“Ammonia systems, enhanced in efficiency, are a guarantee of low energy consumption and high yields,” said Frascold. “Pluses that meet the needs of end users to combine sustainability and excellent performance.”
“I consider it important to promote the use of NH3 without prejudice,” concluded Iobbi. “Ammonia offers a solution that is not only immediate and definitive but also proven by long-standing use and knowledge by the market. The regulations relating to ‘low charge’, although more stringent with regard to safety, are generating favorable conditions for the large-scale use of the fluid, even in new application contexts.”
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“Ammonia systems, enhanced in efficiency, are a guarantee of low energy consumption and high yields. Pluses that meet the needs of end users to combine sustainability and excellent performance.”
Frascold
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