NEWS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
Changing the game with
simple-to-operate controllers
E
band of 2°C between heating and
cooling set points for their vaccine
cabinets fitted with holdover plates.
“To maintain the useful shelf life, the
vaccines cannot be allowed to freeze,
nor should the temperature of the
vaccine fluctuate too much. When the
cabinet usage is low (few lid openings),
the holdover plates can freeze the
vaccines. After much searching,
we found the Full Gauge Controls
controller with our required dead
band. The holdover plates are essential
to maintain vaccine temperatures
in remote areas where grid power is
unreliable,” says Steve Davison, formerly
of Minus 40. He went on, “After that
initial contact, we used Full Gauge
Controls extensively on our entire range
of low-temperature cabinets, fridges,
and solar-powered fridges.”
Temperature control, logging, and
defrosting of supermarket vending
cabinets are simplified with the
Sitrad monitoring software. Multiple
cabinets can be connected to a single
computer and defrosting intervals and
sequence selected. Defrosting can be
set to terminate by coil temperature
lectronic controllers often have
features in excess of what
is required for a particular
application — features that make the
use of them more time-consuming
and sometimes cause the info to be
misread. Most controllers also require
unique software that can only be
purchased from the manufacturer. It
was these very constraints that inspired
two colleagues, Antonio Gobbi and
Flávio Perguer from the aviation
industry, to develop the Full Gauge
Controls controller: simple to operate,
easy to read, and providing free access
to all the required software from any
location that has access to the Internet.
The Full Gauge Controls controllers are
available for the control of refrigerated
retail cabinets, cold store temperatures,
solar heaters, milk tanks, energy usage,
protection against power fluctuations,
and humidity control. Controllers can
be interconnected and interfaced with
Sitrad plant management systems.
Full Gauge Controls was first used
in South Africa 10 years ago when
Minus 40 in Cape Town needed a
temperature controller with a dead
By John Ackermann
Lidiane Burin (left), on a recent visit from Brazil, called on users in all sectors together with Steve
Davison, the local technical support manager.
The Phase LogE plus monitors power supply, provides digital display, and protects motors
or electrical panels against loss of phase, over voltage, and phase sequence. Incidents of
irregular power is logged and stored.
or time, or both as a safety measure.
Cabinet temperatures can also be
viewed remotely, with different levels
of security for different staff. Alarms,
according to selected conditions, are
transmitted via the Internet to staff or
service contractors.
Full Gauge Controls
was first used in South
Africa 10 years ago when
Minus 40 in Cape Town
needed a temperature
controller with a dead
band of 2°C between
heating and cooling set
points for their vaccine
cabinets fitted with
holdover plates.
Following a trial at a supermarket in
Knysna, a Garden Route contractor
has standardised on Full Gauge on all
installations, with some having up to 14
cabinets controlled by a single Sitrad
installation. Britos Meats also have Full
Gauge Controls controllers on their
vending cabinets and cold stores.
During a recent trip to South Africa from
Brazil, Lidiane Burin visited end users
together with the local technical support
manager, Davison.
“In South Africa, the Full Gauge Controls
range is stocked and distributed by
TecsaReco, and we are fortunate to have
Davison to provide technical support to
all users as well as the original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs) to whom we supply
directly,” said Burin, international technical
sales consultant of Full Gauge. Burin, who
visits distributors in China, Europe, Australia,
US, and the United Arab Emirates, added:
“One of our most recent installations is in
a new large perishable cargo handling
facility in Dubai. Full Gauge Controls
controllers are used throughout for
temperature, pressure, humidity control,
and energy usage, as well as monitoring
on site and remotely.”
Burin also visited solar heating and
panel manufacturers to promote the
Microsol E controllers line, with up to
three sensors to activate circulating
pumps, mix hot and cold water, and set
operating times.
“The response from the market in
southern Africa to our affordable range
of products has been encouraging and
evident from the increase in users across a
wide spectrum of the refrigeration, dairy,
retail, air-conditioning, and solar heating
sectors,” Burin concluded.
CLA
COLD LINK AFRICA • Novem ber | December 2017
www.coldlinkafrica.co.za
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