FEATURE Energy Management
IT cooling and energy savings in the food and beverage industry
By Karl Lycett – Rittal UK’s Product Manager for Climate Control T
he food and beverage industry gives us some of life’s most- defi ning and uplifting moments – from feasts to simple every-day
pleasures. And yet, while their products are enticing, food and beverage factories can be hostile places for any equipment. Raw ingredients, such as sugars and yeast, must be controlled and prevented from entering enclosures to maintain output and maximise the lifespan of the expensive machinery contained inside. Eff ectively creating a sealed enclosure within which equipment can function properly, however, needs to be balanced with temperature management. Indeed, one of the critical factors in creating a protective environment for this equipment is eff ective climate control.
All electrical equipment generates heat as
a by-product of its activities, and this heat needs to be removed. Plus, of course, there is the ambient heat of the environment in which the equipment is sited. Maintaining a stable temperature within an enclosure ensures that electrical drives etc. can work to their full potential, thereby ensuring that the production equipment they control can operate at high speed.
The food and beverage manufacturing
creates specifi c challenges which must be fully understood before making an enclosure selection. The main one is the “hygiene zone” where equipment lies. Hygiene zones are defi ned by the EN 1672-2:2005 standard which determines the level of exposure the raw ingredients have to the environment and possible contaminants:
Zone 1: Food zone Surfaces come into direct contact with foodstuff s, which will then return to the product stream. In most instances these areas will be exposed to regular if not continuous cleaning regimes and will be sprayed down with high-pressure cleaning fl uid.
It is important to ensure that both hygienic design (HD) enclosures and HD climate control equipment are used within these areas. This equipment is designed
32 May 2021 | Automation
Rittal ‘Blue e+’ at Allied Bakery
Rittal enclosures
spraying of the enclosure or its associated climate control equipment, there may be some splashing that occurs, hence a higher level of protection is advisable.
Rittal can supply its cooling unit range in stainless steel as an option.
specifi cally to withstand rigorous cleaning and high-pressure jets, and that there are no nooks and crannies which can harbour germs and cause a bacterial build-up. Rittal’s range of HD Air-to-Water Heat Exchangers are an extremely versatile option which meet the requirements of the standard while maintaining an acceptable temperature for control equipment. They connect to a chilled water supply and come in diff erent output sizes to remove large levels of heat for whatever size project is being planned.
Zone 2: Splash zone Defi ned as having surfaces that will come into direct contact with foodstuff s that will not return to the product stream. These areas will be still exposed to regular cleaning routines and the fl oors may be sprayed, but the enclosures and climate control equipment will not. It is strongly advised that operators install stainless steel products in this area. The reason is that although there is no direct
Zone 3: Non-food zone Zone 3 could be a warehouse or logistical space where fi nished goods are transported from the plant or taken into it. There are no raw foodstuff s present in this area. In most instances it’s unlikely to be any cleaning activity in these areas, apart from the occasional sweeping of debris. It’s therefore acceptable (depending on your company’s specifi c guidelines) to either use mild steel or stainless-steel products. This opens the full range of climate control products and the fi nal selection can be based upon the specifi c scenario.
Energy management example Rittal UK was approached by Allied Bakeries’s Walthamstow facility, about its Plant Tunnel Oven, which bakes bread at a rate of 10,000 loaves per hour. For cooling its electrical equipment, Allied Bakeries was already using the Rittal’s ‘Blue e’ cooling units. Allied’s engineers were keen to explore if an upgrade to this equipment would reduce the energy and carbon footprint of the site, while maintaining the high level of protection required by the oven’s controlling equipment. The Rittal team recommended the ‘Blue e+’ line, a new generation cooling units, which on average provide a 75% lower energy consumption than the previous generation. This fi gure represents a quantum leap forward for cooling systems and is a major incentive for food and beverage production facilities seeking to minimise steep rises in energy prices.
Rittal’s Blue e+ also unlocks the potential of Industry 4.0 through a remote-monitoring capability, when used alongside Rittal’s IoT Adaptor.
CONTACT:
Rittal
www.rittal.co.uk
automationmagazine.co.uk
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