Distribution Centre cuts energy cost by 40%

Star Refrigeration has enabled a leading distribution firm to cut annual energy costs by 40% at its facility in Wales. The installed ammonia system for the cold store replaced an existing plant that operated on R22.

A global logistics specialist was looking for an energy efficient cooling system to serve a frozen food cold store and to replace an existing plant that operated on R22. The facility in Wales has a throughput of over 600 frozen pallets each week, with products from the region’s food manufacturers being distributed to retailers and food service outlets across the UK. The cold store houses six insulated chambers with fully automated doors, and has a total volume of around 31,500 m³.

Energy efficient cold storage design with ammonia

The refrigeration plant located in a new plant room adjacent to the cold store enables the distribution company to cut energy cost by 40% and has the following performance characteristics:

Total capacity of around 450kW
Delivers cooling via 10 evaporators
Cold store temperature at minus 22 degrees centigrade

Star Refrigeration’s Director of Sales – Food Market, James Ward, says: “We are confident that as well as having a refrigeration plant that complies with environmental legislation, the operator will save around 40% off its annual energy bill thanks to the design of the system.”

Environmentally friendly solution to increase system performance

Star, working with the company’s staff, designed, built, installed and commissioned the single stage pumped circulation ammonia refrigeration plant. The energy efficient plant design package includes:

Defrost on demand
Floating head suction pressure
An Aether condenser fan inverter controller
Intelligent compressor controls

Star also improved the design of the existing cold store evaporators with graduated fin spacing to allow longer operation between defrosts.

Furthermore, the ammonia system features two screw compressors and one reciprocating compressor to give highly efficient part load operation. The plant also includes surge drum, open flash intercooler and one common evaporative condenser. Star’s Telstar PLC computerised control and management system ensures optimum performance and energy efficiency, with HMI touch screen interface.

James Ward, says: “As part of the R22 phase out and a drive to reduce energy consumption across the client’s estate, our system is designed for optimum operating efficiency at an affordable running cost. As well as operating on natural refrigerant ammonia, the plant incorporates energy saving equipment and controls to provide significant electrical savings when compared to standard pumped circulation designs.”

About Star Refrigeration

Founded in 1970, Star Refrigeration has become one of the leading companies in cooling and heating system innovation. It has expanded from an industrial refrigeration company to a multi-faceted engineering group. Today Star Refrigeration is a total solutions provider, active from design through to commissioning and maintenance of cooling and heating systems with a specific competence in the minimisation of refrigerant charge and leak-tightness.

It has over 350 employees working from nine branches throughout the UK and a network of overseas partners enabling the delivery of Star solutions around the world.