International Meat Topics — Volume 5 Number 6 21

by the technical team, GEARefrigeration Technology, 19 ChainAvenue, Montague Gardens, 7442, POBox 36815, Chempet, 7442, CapeTown, South Africa.

Tydstroom Poultry’s new cold storagefacility outside Durbanville, CapeTown, South Africa, features mobile

racking, which reduces the building footprintand associated energy consumption, whilemaximising the available pallet stacking slots.Consisting of approximately 915m2 of cold

storage and 200m2 of combined receivingand dispatch areas, the facility was designedas a stand-alone plant. It boasts a dedicatedrefrigeration system and plant room, forkliftcharging facilities, as well as anadministrative office. A new truck switchingyard was also constructed to tie into theexisting traffic routes. The three adjacentinsulated docking bays serve the dispatchand delivery areas.GEA Project Solutions – leaders in the field

of refrigeration related feasibility studies,planning, design, and project management –was contracted not only to facilitate designand planning but also to manage the overallproject. GEA Refrigeration Africa carriedout refrigeration design and installation, andsupervised execution in accordance with thelimits of the company budget.

Various design alternatives wereinvestigated, including static and mobileracking layouts on various levels. Valueengineering showed that the most costeffective solution would be a mobile rackingsolution for storing pallets on six levels. Thisapproach enabled arriving at a design toutilise the smallest possible floor area, whichas a result reduced the refrigeration capacityrequired to cool the building. Initial clientrequirements included 2,500 pallet storagepositions, but the sophisticated designultimately enabled storage capacity of 2,650pallets.

The freezer facility operates at -20ºC andthe cooling requirement is met by three lowtemperature evaporator coils housed inpods. These insulated pods includehydraulically operated flaps and are designedto close during defrost cycles, whicheliminates any heating of freezer storageduring the hot-gas defrost cycle(s). Thereceiving and dispatch area is maintained at+10°C, with cooling duty provided by twodirect-expansion evaporator coils. Therefrigeration system utilises two GEAGrasso GSH III 57 TSOC (type used in the

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New cold storage facility for poultry processing in South Africa

The new cold store facilities at Tydstroom Poultry feature great energy efficiency,small footprint use of floor space, and large storage capacity.

The advanced -20°C cold store has a pallet racking systeminstalled on mobile bases. In this way, it was possible toincrease the stipulated 2,500 pallet storage capacity to anactually achieved 2,650 pallets.

Two frequency-controlled Grasso GSH III 57 TSOC screwcompressors with low-energy operation. They are characterised by efficient partload behaviour and low start-upcurrent.

22 International Meat Topics — Volume 5 Number 6

South African market – equates to Berlinmodel H compressor which corresponds toa US model 110GM compressor package)screw compressor packages, complete withvariable-frequency drives, thermo-syphonoil cooling, and economiser connections,with operation at suction temperature of -35°C. The high-stage loads areaccommodated by the economiser and side-port capacity of the compressors.The variable frequency drives (VFDs) not

only assist in power savings under part-loadconditions, but also enable substantialreduction in start-up current. Capacity

control and compressor sequencing aremanaged by the GEA GForce micro-processor control system.System design includes a high pressure

float system to minimise the ammoniarefrigerant charge. Refrigerant pumpsinstalled below the -35°C accumulatorvessel provide liquid refrigerant distributionto the low-temperature evaporator coils.This design solution supplies the receivingand dispatch area with high-pressure liquidrefrigerant.All possible measures were implemented

to maximise energy efficiency and minimiseenergy consumption. Minimisation offootprint in the layout was the startingpoint. Energy efficient lighting together with

mobile racking allows lights to be switchedon only in the aisle currently being accessed.The receiving and dispatch area wasdesigned with additional insulation andeffective dock seals to minimize heat ingressand loss of cold during loading and dispatchactivities. Insulation thicknesses wereincreased in key areas, and additional over-purlin insulation was added in roof areas.Building regulations required the facility to

be sprinkler-protected. This necessitatedstorage tanks with pumps with duty/standby configuration, ESFR sprinklers, and aVESDA detection system. Thanks to GEAProject Solutions, their professional team,GEA Refrigeration Africa, and the principlecontractor, the project was completed ontime and within budget, withoutcompromising excellence or precision. n

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Ammonia as a refrigerant has no ozonedepletion potential and no direct globalwarming potential. Its great energy effi-ciency also means that its contributionto indirect global warming is very slight.

The condenser is provided on a roof terrace on the outside wall.

Valve stations that control the evaporators are located in the pods.