Feature
Cold storage facilities are regularly being built across the country
to ensure perishable products are kept at the right temperature
before distribution. Pictured: Idube.
more energy saving devices or systems added, the greater
the CAPEX. “Energy saving comes from efficient design and
the use of energy efficient alternatives when selecting your
equipment.”
First cost is generally a once-off cost if the correct
equipment is supplied and installed, explains Van der Merwe.
“It is accepted that it costs more to install a system with a
higher efficiency, but it is money well spent and it will pay for
itself.” Running costs are incurred on a continuous basis for the
entire life of the plant and this quickly outweighs any capital
cost savings if you install a low-cost system with high running
costs. Electrical costs will increase annually, so this cost portion
will only get worse. “It is strongly recommended to spend
more upfront in increasing the equipment specifications /
capacities to reduce the running costs.”
“Energy savings are probably the most important factor
right now, especially in South Africa with the price of power
constantly increasing,” says Ford. “You can achieve efficiency
simply by lowering your operating pressures using quality
electronic control systems. Installing soft starters and variable
speed drives on the compressors are also good ideas.”
A LOOK AT TRENDS
Being environmentally friendly is one of the biggest trends
currently, explains Ford. “Environmentally aware products,
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RACA Journal I June 2019
such as CO 2 systems are slowly becoming more cost effective
to use too.”
La Grange concurs, explaining that clients are putting large
trans-critical installations in place of what might traditionally
have been ammonia installations. He adds that globally, the
use of hydrocarbons like R290 and R600a is also growing
dramatically.
On the industrial side, a lot of R&D has gone into
alternatives to modulate the capacity that screw compressors
offer on the larger systems, says La Grange. Most compressor
manufacturers have invested heavily into this.
“It is generally a stable industry and change is a gradual
process,” says Van der Merwe. But he has noticed a move
towards installing more electronics for plant monitoring, data
logging, and off-site access to plant operational information.
“The available solutions are becoming more affordable while
offering similar levels of information and storage.”
In addition, the industry is becoming more cost conscious
and this is putting pressure on quoting for a good technical
solution with redundancy and providing some form of back-
up for equipment failure vs. equipment selections that are
marginal and possibly undersized, says Van der Merwe.
“It should be borne in mind that if an air-conditioning
system fails to perform, then the people may complain that
it is too warm but it will still be more comfortable than the
outside ambient conditions,” says Van der Merwe. “If a cold
store installation fails to perform as required then the client’s
operational requirements may be compromised and product
quality and shelf life could be negatively affected.”
Executive summary? If you’re going to build a cold store, do
it right or it’s going to cost the client a lot of money in the long
run. RACA
READ MORE
The extended version of this feature with more
technical detail will appear in the July/August edition
of Cold Link Africa.
www.hvacronline.co.za