Anchor Mechanical of Rhode Island, looked to partner with Thermal Products in assisting a large commercial New England bakery in cooling water to 34 F for three separate process cooling loops. Commercial bakeries require large volumes of highly controlled chilled potable water for blending of cake batters and doughs.
The challenge for this commercial bakery was maintaining the 34F supply water during the summer months. The current supply of potable city water was being cooled by an ice bath system which was extremely difficult to control and led to longer batch times while the water bath cooled the potable process water. In addition, the current space this system was utilizing was planned for other processes.
Thermal Products Sales Engineer, Scott Robinson, along with Advantage Engineering and Hexonic Heat Transfer designed a more efficient solution. Utilizing Advantage Engineering’s chillers and Hexonic Heat Transfer’s Stainless Steel Brazed Plate Exchangers, a 1F approach temperature (Approach Temperature = Process supply temperature vs cooling inlet side) and on demand three loop process cooling water system for each blending tank was implemented. This designed approach temperature is only capable with a plate exchanger due to the high heat transfer coefficients afforded to this style heat exchanger. With the required low process temperature requirements, it was necessary for the chiller loop to be isolated from the process water due to freeze risk. This design also included insulation with stainless steel sheath for all three stainless steel brazed plate exchangers. The design criteria needed for a similar design can be found below:
- Total Heat Load
- Water flow rate or fill time needed
- Water volume needed in tank
- Process cooling water supply temperature
- Blending and mixing time frame
- Tank size
- Voltage
- Head pressure losses
Thermal Products provided the Advantage Engineering outdoor process chiller model OACS single zone that was installed on the roof of the bakery along with three Hexonic Luna series heat exchangers that were installed at the point of use. The Luna series is an all-stainless-steel construction, brazed plate heat exchanger with insulation to stop the formation of condensation. The design included a constant flow of 33 F water/glycol from the Advantage OACS outdoor chiller to each of the heat exchanger with a 1F approach temperature. The potable water was cooled from 80 F to 34 F into the bakery tank for blending. When tight approach temperatures are needed, as we have in this design, a plate heat exchanger is the only heat exchanger style capable of that design requirement with a reasonable footprint and cost.
Anchor Mechanical’s installation of all equipment went very well and has been in operation now for one year as it was designed to operate.
If you have an application requiring processed chilled water or with extremely tight approach temperatures, please reach out to any of us at Thermal Products Inc. We would be more than happy to speak on the phone or come to site to discuss your application more in depth.
