PROJECT
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
Backup cold stores are fitted with Thermo Coil CO 2 evaporator blowers.
Project team of Mainstream Refrigeration: From left: Chris Drinkrow, engineering; Jared Nel, IT;
and Lourens van Staden, project manager.
Woolworths’s refrigeration plants and which is a major contributor towards
with other interventions, has reduced global warming,” was said by Alex
energy usage. Kuzma of Woolworths during a tour of
Variable speed drives on each rack
compressor to balance the temperature
The store has two backup low temperature stores.
the V&A store.
Continuous improvements and
set point closely with the refrigeration added design features have reduced
demand of all the cabinets and cold energy usage of Woolworths stores to an
freezer rooms is one of many design average of 50% of the total store usage.
features to reduce energy usage to a A separate power meter to monitor
minimum. Floating suction temperatures the total power usage of the entire
to match demand, electronic expansion refrigeration plant is a standard feature at
valves, parallel compression, EC variable Woolworths supermarkets.
speed fans (4 x 800mm diameter) on each
of the two roof mounted gas coolers, air
defrost on the MT cabinets, alarms to warn
when cold room doors are left open, all
contribute towards lower energy usage.
For food safety and quality control, the
temperature of product in the different
cabinets are closely monitored by probes
in artificial ‘hams’ which have the same
thermodynamic properties as the actual
product in the cabinets, for example
chicken, cheese, milk.
“As part of our environment policy
at Woolworths, refrigeration plants
need to be green within due financial
consideration and low on energy usage.
As part of our
environment policy
at Woolworths,
refrigeration plants
need to be green
within due financial
consideration and
low on energy usage,
Alex Kuzma, Woolworths.
Trans-critical CO 2 refrigeration has also
meant our plants do not consume any
of that very valuable natural resource,
water. LED lighting in cabinets, double
Cold room doors are fitted with a ‘talking’ alarm to warn when doors are left open and
buzzers to warn when CO 2 levels are high. Open doors and high CO 2 levels are also indicated
on the monitor of the Guardian Controls PMS.
22
www.coldlinkafrica.co.za
CO 2 leakage is a safety concern as it
will cause asphyxiation by replacing the
glazed doors on all LT cabinets and oxygen level in confined spaces. The
acrylic doors on MT cabinets, except plant room, cold stores and freezer stores
those with fresh produce, have been
introduced to conserve energy usage,
are fitted with CO 2 alarms and outside
mounted buzzers and lights to indicate
COLD LINK AFRICA •
March/April 2020