Plant recycling takes a bite out of costs
Leading plastic food packaging manufacturer, Alma Products, is on track to reduce running costs by 63% thanks to a large scale recycling and energy-saving solution from process cooling specialist, IsoCool. By re-commissioning a redundant cooling tower and retrofitting a separate plate heat exchanger to an existing chiller system, IsoCool have provided a service with a ROI schedule of just 15 months.
Efficiency is a key performance indicator for Alma products, who provide extrusion, thermoforming and container printing services to the food industry. On realising that the current chiller system could be improved by taking advantage of low ambient conditions, they put a tender out to several specialist companies. Steve Ellis, Operations Director at Alma Products explains why IsoCool stood above the competition: “We chose IsoCool because they had a consultative approach that took our business values, such as sustainable manufacturing, into account. Their solution effectively optimised our existing system and was therefore really cost effective in the short and long term”.
To lower the initial investment required and provide the most eco-friendly solution, IsoCool re-installed Alma’s disused cooling tower using existing pumps and then retro-fitted a plate heat exchanger. This takes water from the cooling tower to provide the cooling source during times of the year when the ambient allows partial and up to 100% direct air cooling. The lower the outside temperature, the more effective the plate heat exchanger and cooling tower become, which reduces the load on the chillers.
Steve Ellis explains: “We used to have the chillers running all year round. Now, as soon as the temperature is below 16oC, the cooling tower and plate heat exchanger kick in and offload the compressors. Below 10oC we run on 100% free cooling so when the temperature drops, so do our running costs – it’s fantastic”.
He adds: “IsoCool’s preparation was meticulous and the installation was carried out at times that suited us. The payback schedule they gave us beforehand is also proving accurate and we’re really pleased with the energy savings we’ve made.”
For more information about IsoCool’s range of energy efficient cooling systems, visit www.isocool.ltd.uk or call 01376 328455.