Transtherm overcome on-site restrictions
With a portfolio of original equipment manufacturers serving a variety of large-scale commercial sectors, leading innovator of cooling technologies, Transtherm Cooling Industries, is known for its ‘out of the box’ thinking when it comes to complex specifications.
But when two of its most longstanding clients, Edina, a leading supplier and installer of energy efficient gas and diesel power generation systems, and SES Engineering Services, a specialist provider of civil, mechanical and electrical engineering solutions, both requested detailed quotations for a soft drinks manufacturing facility extension in Rugby, the team were right to question whether this could, in fact, be one and the same.
A little digging later the team learned that there was only one such facility, and it was the home of one of the UK’s largest soft drinks manufacturers, filling an impressive 90,000 cans per hour and distributing 70 lorry loads of soft drinks per day.”
Overcoming performance inhibiting on-site restrictions
Attending on-site meetings in order to consult each client on their cooling requirements, Transtherm quickly established that the intended plant arrangement would mean that the four flat bed engine coolers, being supplied to cool the CHP system, would create performance inhibiting conditions for the two adiabatic V coolers, dissipating heat from absorption chiller plant.
Tim explains:
“With four flat bed engine coolers located next to but lower than the two adiabatic V coolers, the hot air emitted from the top of the flat bed coolers, which can be circa 70°C, would have entered the air inlet stream of the adiabatic V coolers, which require an air inlet temperature of around 23°C.
“With both sets of plant coming from Transtherm, we found ourselves in a position whereby, if left unresolved, we’d be creating performance problems for our own equipment.
A bespoke product solution and a consultative approach
Whilst the available space for all cooling equipment was limited, it was to be sited on a raised open mezzanine meaning that the air inlet requirements posed no problem.
However, to avoid the hot air from the engine coolers entering the air inlet of the absorption chiller coolers, Transtherm firstly addressed the height difference between the flatbed coolers and the V-type coolers. Amending the design of their flatbed coolers to incorporate extended braced legs allowing the air outlet deck height of both sets of plant to sit at equal height. Secondly, as the gaps between the coolers were small, Transtherm recommended that they be blanked off with some basic sheet metal at air outlet/fan deck height to further avoid the possibility of warm air recirculation.
