How do I optimize Industrial refrigeration system?

How do I optimize Industrial refrigeration system?

In processing equipment services, processors should focus on five stages to get the most out of a contemporary industrial refrigeration system:     

Lowering the costs of installation and maintenance Improving productivity Assuring the food safety Following FSMA and HACCP requirements Switching to more environmentally friendly refrigerants

Combining techniques can bring a number of advantages. This post will look at five techniques to improve the efficiency of industrial refrigeration systems.

1. Lowering Costs of Installation and Maintenance By utilizing communication networks, distributed controls can minimize the number of hardwired device runs to the central PLC system, lowering installation costs. They can also provide more versatility and dependability.

When you give a piece of equipment intelligence, it may function as a stand-alone gadget if the rest of the system goes down. Assume a processor wish to add a few evaporator systems to a facility with a centralized PLC system. Instead of increasing the IO of the centralized PLC system and adding modules, dispersed controls may be attached to the additional evaporators and communicated with the main PLC system.

Distributed controls can also save time and money in new installations by reducing the length of wire lines between IO points. Because there are fewer runs, there are fewer copper wires, lowering the cost.

Installing new technology into older or legacy systems is another approach to save money. Installation costs can be reduced by reusing existing cables and, where possible, existing IO. To install sophisticated control systems, the majority of industrial supervisory control system vendors require new technologies. Fortunately, some companies have developed a software library for linking to older controllers, compressors, condensers, vessels, and the latest technology evaporators. This reduces the number of controllers that need to be replaced in the future.

While older controllers may need to be changed if they are hazardous or in bad shape, a processor may save money on the cost of a new controller, labor to repair it, and field wiring by not replacing them.

Equipment run times are recorded and synchronized with the manufacturer's suggested maintenance plan in predictive maintenance. Facilities can evaluate the data points collected from various devices in the facility and detect subtle variations in behavior that might signal equipment concerns. Taking care of these issues reduces machine downtime, which in turn reduces production downtime.

2. Improving Productivity Intelligent condenser control, intelligent compressor control, and load management are three of the most effective techniques to boost efficiency.

The sliding valve in the screw compressor exposes part of the rotor within, reducing the machine's capacity correspondingly. If the slide valve is 90% full, for example, 10% of the capacity can be recycled back into the suction chamber. Because the input power remains constant, the machine becomes less efficient as its capacity is lowered. How can this be resolved? Compressor control that is intelligent or autonomous compressor sequencing can enhance efficiency.

Many machine rooms run their machines on their own setpoints rather than in a coordinated manner. If the machines are operated in a coordinated manner, they may be run more efficiently by permitting only the amount of compressor capacity required to sustain cooler or freezer production.

Floating suction is a gadget that may also be utilized. Pressure and temperature are closely linked in all refrigeration systems. This feature may be used by an operator to better meet the facility's load needs by floating the system suction pressure higher.

Reduced compressor operation is the payoff for this investment.

How much can a processor expect to save if these guidelines are followed? Let's start with the definition of a tonne of refrigeration: The electricity required to melt or freeze 2,000 kg of ice each day is equal to one tonne of refrigeration. Furthermore, 1 tonne of refrigeration equals 12,000 BTUs or 3.5 KW. Assume that the cost of 1 kW is $0.12 for the sake of argument. The cost savings for a 50-ton decrease per day is $506.40 per day or $184,836 per year.

Intelligent condenser control is the second key method for enhancing efficiency.

Automatic condenser staging and floating pressure with wet-bulb management are the two primary types available. In an industrial refrigeration system, condensers can account for up to 20% of the total energy usage. They have a direct impact on the overall efficiency of the business. This can be reduced by controlling the condensing equipment based on wet-bulb temperature or humidity.

When a bulb thermometer is wrapped with a water-soaked towel, it reads the temperature as a wet bulb. The wet-bulb temperature would be the same as the ambient air temperature if the relative humidity was 100%. Due to evaporative cooling, the wet-bulb temperature is lower than the dry-bulb temperature when the humidity is lower. The wetbulb temperature is the lowest temperature that can be obtained by evaporating water under present environmental circumstances.

The condenser pressure should be kept as low as feasible in order to save energy. As the compressor's braking horsepower per tonne of refrigeration required decreases, the return is perceived as enhanced compressor efficiency. At lower discharge pressures, screw compressors run more efficiently. Lowering discharge pressure, on the other hand, might have an impact on other parts of the facility, so keep an eye out for potential side effects. Liquid injection and evaporator system defrost are two areas that should be scrutinized.

Ambient circumstances must also be considered. It will be more difficult to maintain a lower discharge pressure just by turning on all of the equipment and allowing it to operate at 100% if it is really hot outdoors. Instead, get the wet-bulb temperature by combining humidity and temperature.

The lowest discharge pressure feasible for evaporative condensers is equal to the saturated liquid pressure at the wet-bulb temperature plus the condenser approach temperature. It is feasible to establish the minimum condensing pressure using a wet bulb and utilize that number as the condenser pressure's floating setpoint. The amount of labor required by the compressor can be minimized by combining floating suction with floating discharge pressure control, lowering energy consumption.

Load control is the third and most important way to boost efficiency. Depending on the time of day, electric companies charge varying fees. It is feasible to shift load needs to off-peak hours when kilowatt use is less expensive, thanks to contemporary control technologies. During these periods, the cooling is turned down to a considerably lower

setpoint, and the facility relies on a battery or a flywheel for power. This permits the system to be turned off during the day when energy costs are minimal.

Many power providers base their tariffs on both demand and the time of day. The highest 15 minutes of average usage determines the demand fee. Processors can track energy use in different regions of the plant to counteract this problem. When kilowatt use rises, the load is reduced to lower total demand. For example, if a cold-storage facility has six evaporators working and is already at capacity, four of them can be turned off to minimize demand. Peak demand costs can be considerably reduced using this method.

3. Assuring Food Safety Monitoring the temperature within the cold storage is one approach to assure food safety.

Many advanced control systems can run facilities automatically and without human interaction. The controls issue automatic alarms and have pre-programmed reactions to any problems that develop. More Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) and web-based interfaces for remote monitoring are becoming accessible, and enhanced analytics make condition monitoring more straightforward.

4. Following FSMA and HACCP Requirements The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) rules, notable to the requirements for automatic reporting, can be made easier to comply with automated monitoring. Data may be recorded and saved for a longer amount of time in modern control systems. Facilities can prepare reports for subsequent examination using past data. During third-party audits, the reports can also be utilized for food process, verification, and safety evaluations.

5. Switching to More Environmentally Friendly Refrigerants This lends itself nicely to the shift to more climate-friendly refrigerants, continuing the thread of continuous monitoring and automated reactions. Having safety and dependability helps with the shift to alternative refrigerants, whether the system is using ammonia, propane, carbon dioxide, or low GWP HFOs. Advanced algorithms allow the system to be adjusted to the new refrigerants while being as energy efficient as possible, as well as leak detection for staff safety.

An industrial refrigeration business will benefit from combining all of these mentioned strategies. Alaqua is a USA based processing equipment such as crystallizer, distillation equipment, heat exchanger, solvent recovery, spray dryer, and evaporators supplier in USA that supplies them worldwide. They also offer various services for processing equipment. Contact them today to know more about the processing equipment and their services!