Updated: May 21, 2019
Free-Cooler Helps Lower Operating Costs For P.D. Hook Hatcheries
The Challenge
P.D. Hook Hatcheries is a family run business that has grown to become the UK’s largest independent hatchery capable of producing 9 million day old chicks and 6 million chickens a week. Due to the size of the operation and growth of company, the demands put on the temperature control equipment had increased significantly and therefore creating a requirement for a more efficient solution.
The Solution
ICS Cool Energy team met the client on site to discuss fitting a new tank and pipework. On inspection, the team noticed the current chiller system was taking up a large amount of room and wasn’t operating as efficiently as more modern systems. The solution was to replace the current 35,000 litre water tank with a significantly smaller 3000 litre weir tank, allowing the current chillers to provide the cooling but with new more efficient process and chiller pumps installed. Both pumps were sized based on the current pumps on site to make sure the flow and pressure rates remained the same and therefore minimised any disruption.
The system was supplied on a skid to help reduce the onsite time with the connections from the chiller pumps requiring to be mechanically connected to the pre-fabricated skid. The new process pumps were mounted on the skid and connected by new pipework onto the connection points.
In the space made available from removal of the 35,000 litre tank, a free cooling unit was installed to make use of the ambient air temperature throughout the year to reduce energy consumption costs. This is achieved by taking advantage of lower ambient air temperatures to help reduce the return water temperature before it enters the tank, thus saving energy consumption of the compressors.
The Result
The smaller, more powerful chilling and free-cooling system installed was able to greatly improve the operating efficiency of the temperature control equipment. The lower energy consumption of the process resulted in energy savings of £26,000 per year and therefore pay-back on the capital investment would be made within 10-12 months.
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Free cooling chiller hire
Improve energy efficiency and lower your carbon footprint with our free cooling hire units. These free coolers can be used as a cooling solution in their own right or to provide free cooling for a significant proportion of the year when used in conjunction with a chiller. Our new range is available with multiple fixed fan speeds, inverter speed control and EC fans for varying noise applications as well as on low energy systems. The units control panels are designed to offer ease of use with a ‘plug and play’ solution and 4G connectivity.
Free cooling chillers
Free Cooling allows businesses to recover up to 80% of their process cooling energy costs by utilising lower ambient temperatures to cool their process application and reducing the need to power the chiller. Available as independent units or integrated with your process chiller, free coolers can be retrofitted into your existing process or installed as part of a turnkey solution. Working with businesses in the manufacturing and facilities management industries, we have lowered their energy costs and reduced their environmental impact through free cooling systems. Given the intrinsically process-heavy nature of the UK’s industrial manufacturing, process cooling is one of the biggest costs incurred. For many industrial end-users, process cooling is achieved solely via an air or water-cooled chiller or cooling tower. However, all industrial applications with a water leaving temperature of 10°C or more – regardless of sector – can start to be cooled via the external ambient air temperature, rather than by electro-mechanical refrigeration, thanks to a process known as free cooling. <strong>Up to 80% energy savings</strong> One of the stand-out benefits of a free cooling system is the sheer amount of energy – and therefore utility bills – it can save. While free cooling can bring about a reduction in energy consumption for any process cooling application with a water leaving temperature of 10°C or more, it should be attractive to larger manufacturers, such as those working in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors. Further costs can be saved due to the reduced load on the chiller – particularly the compressors and fans – as they are not worked as hard, or at all in some cases. As such, maintenance costs can be lower over the lifetime of the system. From a health and safety point of view, unlike cooling towers, free cooling systems pose no risk of legionella and therefore do not require additional water treatment costs beyond the norm to mitigate the risk of an outbreak.