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A chilled way to increase output

24 February 2022

First Milk, a British farmer-owned dairy co-operative, has future-proofed a rapid cool store in its creamery by replacing an aging R404a cooling system and boosting capacity.  

To help it meet its Net Zero Carbon agenda First Milk made a decision to upgrade its creamery, which included replacement of its cooling plant. The refrigeration system was approaching the end of its life and relied on R404a, a synthetic refrigerant with high GWP (global warming potential).

Working in conjunction with First Milk, Star Refrigeration’s Newcastle branch was tasked with the large-scale replacement of the cooling equipment and a low charge ammonia Azanechiller 2.0 was recommended to fulfil all the requirements. The job was a sizable investment and as such First Milk wanted to ensure it would offer long-term benefits, and it also needed a safe, efficient and sustainable solution. Star was able to provide the pre-engineered modular air cooled chiller to work in conjunction with the chilling tunnel to enable the creamery to increase its cheese output by just under 30% 

The Azanechiller 2.0 uses the natural refrigerant ammonia, which has zero global potential; this ensures the business is safeguarded against future F-gas legislation. In terms of efficiency, the low charge ammonia Azanechiller has an overall improved operating efficiency of about 25% when compared to new refrigeration systems using HFCs and HFOs. The low charge ammonia aspect addresses any health and safety concerns as the current model has a charge of just 42 kg of ammonia.

Commenting on the project, Ian Wilson, a project engineer at First Milk said: “We worked with Star Refrigeration on our chill plants many years ago – going all the way back to 1976. The current cheese chill store which required replacing was installed by Star in 1985, so it’s nice to work with the company again as it understands our requirements and can inform us of the new technology available since the original install.

“Updating our rapid cool store was phase three of a four-phase strategic plan to increase capacity significantly, and Star proposed a safe, efficient and reliable option.”

Dairy requirements
The existing Rapid Cool Store (RCS) was limited on the number of cheese blocks it could process and has been replaced with a store that meets current and future needs. The cheese enters the RCS with a core temperature of approx. 30°C and is held for 18 hours to reduce the core temperature to 12°C before being palletised and stored.  

First Milk’s new Azanechiller 2.0 exceeds the ‘Minimum Energy Efficiency Requirements’ set by the Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products Regulations – the UK instrument that enacts the European Ecodesing Directive – by 75.2%. 

“The Azanechiller 2.0 boosts the capacity of the chill store plant and offers great efficiency by delivering immediate reductions on our energy costs. This development also helps towards our First4Milk net zero commitments, delivering more efficient and environmentally friendly refrigeration,” said Wilson.

The Azanechiller 2.0 was run tested at Star’s production facilities in Glasgow before being delivered to site charged and ready to commission. Installation was simple, requiring just a suitable base concrete/steelwork, connection of secondary pipework and an electrical power supply. 

In addition to the design and installation, First Milk also took taken a two-year warranty, a two-year maintenance plan and dial out service for preventative maintenance, so that Star’s aftercare engineering team can remotely interrogate the plant to ensure it is running as expected. 

Compliance 
In order to comply with the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) the user of a refrigeration plant is required to prepare a Written Scheme of Examination for the plant and Star included the preparation of a Written Scheme of Examination for the plant and for the first plant examination. The Written Scheme document incorporated a description of the system including each pressure vessel and safety device, and it provided a detailed inspection schedule for the system. The work was carried out by Star’s in-group technical consultancy business Star Technical Solutions (STS). 


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