Star Refrigeration’s low-charge ammonia system improves efficiency, increases capacity for U.K. dairy
Scottish OEM Star Refrigeration announced that it has replaced U.K. dairy First Milk’s aging R404A cheese chilling system with the low-charge ammonia/NH3 (R717) Azanechiller 2.0, improving operating efficiency by 25% while also increasing production throughput capacity by almost 30%.
In 2021, the British milk cooperative invested £3.5 million (US$4.13 million/€4.15 million) in upgrading the creamery to help meet the company’s net-zero carbon agenda, including replacing its cooling system, according to a statement by Star Refrigeration.
Working in conjunction with First Milk, Star Refrigeration’s Newcastle branch was tasked with the large-scale replacement of the cooling equipment. Star recommended its low-charge ammonia Azanechiller 2.0 to fulfill all the requirements. The OEM provided 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 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 health and safety concerns as the current model has a charge of just 42kg (92.6lbs) of ammonia.
First Milk’s new Azanechiller 2.0 exceeds the “Minimum Energy Efficiency Requirements” set by the U.K.’s Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products Regulations 2010 by 75.2%. As a result, the new installation will have a significant impact on cutting First Milk’s carbon emissions and provide considerable energy savings for the business. This shows an even greater efficiency than the initial product test data.
First Milk has taken a two-year warranty, two-year maintenance plan and dial-out service for preventive maintenance so that Star’s aftercare engineering team can remotely interrogate the plant to ensure it is running as expected.