FEATURE
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
Supplied by John Ackermann Supplied by John Ackermann Supplied by Energy Partners Supplied by Energy Partners
Abattoir ammonia plant room showing Grasso V-Series compressors.
Abattoir ammonia plant room showing Grasso V-Series compressors.
Evapco’ s condenser units.
GEA LT compressor 3.
The vision behind this design philosophy is a unified plant architecture managed under a single intelligent control platform. Heating, cooling, hot-water generation, ventilation and some electrical-load decisions can be co-ordinated through one thermodynamic backbone. In processing environments – where precision, responsiveness and continuity are critical – this unified approach unlocks efficiencies and resilience that isolated systems cannot achieve.
Ultimately, integrating process cooling and HVAC marks a shift from thinking of refrigeration as a utility to recognising it as a strategic asset. When placed at the centre of plant design, it delivers not only improved efficiency but also enhanced stability, better load balancing and a more intelligent, futureproof operating environment.
AMMONIA STILL THE BEATING HEART OF PROCESS COOLING
Ammonia( NH₃) continues to anchor the process cooling industry as its primary refrigerant. Despite the influx of new technologies and low-GWP alternatives, ammonia’ s unique combination of efficiency, cost-effectiveness and zero global warming potential ensures its enduring dominance in industrial refrigeration.
For more than a century, ammonia has powered the backbone of large-scale cooling operations offering a proven balance of performance and sustainability. Even today, it accounts for the vast majority of industrial installations worldwide, particularly in markets such as the US, where it is used in 80 – 90 % of large refrigeration systems.
Industry specialists agree that ammonia’ s role is far from fading. As a naturally occurring, well-understood refrigerant with a deep body of safety knowledge behind it, ammonia continues to set the standard against which all others are measured. Its staying power lies not just in its technical merits but in the industry’ s ongoing evolution: continuous advancements in system design, operator training and safety management have kept ammonia both relevant and reliable.
GEA UNVEILS NEXUS AT IFFA TO TRANSFORM ENERGY USE IN FOOD PROCESSING
At last year’ s IFFA trade fair in Frankfurt, GEA showcased NEXUS, its latest solution for rethinking energy in food production. Rather than separating heating, cooling and processing needs, NEXUS brings them together into a single integrated system designed to cut energy use and carbon emissions dramatically.
Heating and cooling account for more than 60 % of a typical food plant’ s energy consumption, making them the biggest lever for efficiency gains. GEA reports that its integrated approach can trim energy use across an entire plant by up to 30 % – and in some cases eliminate the need for a boiler altogether.
Already in use in dairy and beverage applications, NEXUS is now being introduced to a wider segment of the food industry. The concept is simple yet powerful: take a holistic look at every stage of production, map out the specific heating and
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COLD LINK AFRICA www. coldlinkafrica. co. za January / February 2026