PROJECT
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
Door openings into two ripening rooms, strip curtains behind goal posts.
Goal posts over the BG Doors to prevent damage if forklift enters with load lifted.
A FRESH APPROACH
Examples of the individual room control boards.
What makes this approach more
effective than traditional methods is that
all aspects of the ripening environment
are monitored and controlled. Traditional
systems would comprise a direct
expansion synthetic cooling system
and a machine called an ‘ethylene
generator’ that would create ethylene
in the rooms once-off, and then the
environment would be untouched until
the bananas are rolled out of the room.
The danger with this ‘old’ approach
is that CO 2 and ethylene gas (both
byproducts of the ripening process)
will rise uncontrolled to levels that
damage the bananas. Previously, to
curb the rise of these levels, they would
periodically open doors to let fresh air
into the room. But this approach was
relatively inaccurate and would often
be neglected if the ripening process
straddled a weekend, for example.
A HAPPY CLIENT
The client was happy as the municipality
will now be able to generate more funds
by renting these facilities and services to
the agents and farmers who hold their
product at the market. Additionally, the
quality of product going to the ‘lower’
end of the market will now be elevated
to levels not far off those established by
industry pioneers. CLA
LIST OF PROFESSIONALS
Owner Ekurhuleni municipality
Developer Themba Projects
Architect/Designer Holm Jordaan
Project manager Hlanganani Engineers and Project
Managers
Consulting engineer
The controls of this system is what make it so sophisticated.
Contractors
Product suppliers
Mechanical WSP Group
Wet services WSP Group
Main building Themba Projects
Refrigeration Lutz Refrigeration
Central control system
and electrical Lutz Refrigeration
Electrical Themba Projects
Ethylene gas system All Craft
Air extract system Topliss Refrigeration
Piping insulation and
lagging TISS (Thermal Insulation Solutions)
Product Suppliers
Control systems Eliwell (Keystar)
Water chiller Aermec (Aersa)
Cooling coils Colcoil
Doors BG Doors
Variable speed drives Schneider Electric (Keystar)
Switchgear Lovato
Insulated Panels Precool
Air curtains Precool
Water tanks JoJo
Springs market main trading floor.
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www.coldlinkafrica.co.za
COLD LINK AFRICA • June 2019