ICS Cool Energy, an international market leader specializing in complete temperature control solutions for manufacturing process and facilities applications, has helped a leading multinational brewery in Burton-on-Trent to fulfil their cold storage and process cooling needs. The brewery was looking for a partner that could answer their unique needs for cold storage within their Burton-on-Trent plant and replace the aging, ammonia-based process cooling system. ICS Cool Energy team was able to deliver a bespoke, long-term hire solution that met all their requirements.
“At ICS Cool Energy, we take pride in working hand in hand with our customers, listening closely to their needs and keeping their industries running,” said Dave Palmer, general manager ICS Cool Energy. “In the brewing industry, achieving a high-quality product consistency relies on having control of your process temperatures. With this project, our dedicated hire team fulfilled the customer’s unique demand for cold storage and helped them address their safety concerns by replacing the ammonia system with a safer and environmentally friendly process cooling solution.”
Cold storage in the middle of the plant
The brewery was looking for a way to install a flexible cold storage solution that would keep the kegs of beer and raw products cold and fresh within their craft beer pilot plant. They needed to maintain specific temperatures to guarantee product consistency, while coping with a high ambient temperature caused by the central location of the pilot plant within the manufacturing facility. ICS Cool Energy was able to tick all their boxes customizing a 20-foot refrigerated container unit as part of their Cold Store hire solutions.
Originally designed for global - often in high ambient temperatures - marine transport of temperature sensitive perishables, the Cold Store solution provides accurate and stable storage temperatures. At the brewery, the unit’s temperature was set at down to minus 21°C to ensure the raw material and ingredients used in the brewery processes of the special craft beers were kept at the optimum conditions before they are used. Additionally, the portable Cold Store container, designed to be put on and off ships, gave the brewery the flexibility to move it around with the lift and shift as needed.
Replacing ammonia to combine safety, high efficiency and performance with low environmental impact
Following the successful Cold Store hire project, the brewery was looking for a way to remove the ammonia (NH3) refrigerated chillers from their site. Further investments required to maintain the old system safe and operational exceeded the financial and safety benefits of installing a new and more efficient one. ICS Cool Energy was again able to provide them with a hire solution, that met their process cooling needs and combined safety, high efficiency and performance with low environmental impact.
Initially, the brewery was looking for localized chillers for every part of the brewing process. After analyzing the options, the ICS Cool Energy team offered a more efficient solution that mimicked the old ammonia system. ICS Cool Energy installed three large 1,4MW chillers in the same area where the ammonia was originally installed, which allowed to tap the new chillers into the existing pipework and power infrastructure. The new chillers can provide reliable temperature control in the most demanding applications. They feature a variable volume index compressor and permanent magnet motor that allow the equipment to operate at the most appropriate pressure ratio and achieve excellent part load efficiencies.
For low environmental impact, the units feature ultra-low global warming potential (GWP) R-1234ze refrigerant, which in chillers can outperform ammonia even by 25% according to the energy efficiency ratio (EER) analysis R-1234ze is mildly flammable and non-corrosive in comparison to ammonia, which is toxic and can pose serious risks to human health and food and beverage operations.
