The EU’s F-Gas Regulation - which aims to contain, prevent and reduce emissions of the fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-Gases) covered by the Kyoto Protocol - has brought about significant change to the cold storage sector. Indeed, a number of refrigeration companies have already been busy working with the fresh produce industry to install efficient cold storage systems.
Since the arrival of F-Gas, IMA Cooling Systems says it has seen a dramatic rise in the uptake of formal maintenance contracts with more than £100,000 of new contracts in the last six months alone, according to John Dye, the company’s md.
“End-users are taking their responsibilities seriously and adopting the recommended procedures as laid out by the F-Gas regulations,” he says. “This is just as well as we are seeing the ‘policing’ of the new regulations being enforced in the form of British Retail Consortium (BRC) audits, which are also checking that the proper equipment maintenance procedures are in place for all refrigeration plants.”
Farm Refrigeration presented a seminar at the National Fruit Show last October to provide information to top fruit and soft fruit-growers about all the requirements for F-Gas regulations in terms of record keeping and general maintenance.
“Modern electronic control systems to set and monitor the performance of each storage chamber are an integral part of our specification, as are leak monitoring systems, in order to comply with the recently introduced F-Gas regulations,” says John Haffenden, md of Farm Refrigeration. “These regulations are now of great importance to anyone operating refrigeration equipment and specifically needs suitably qualified personnel to deal with any refrigerant leaks.”
Farm Refrigeration has been busy with a number of new installations for the fruit industry in recent months. “It is becoming more and more important to growers that they have the best storage facilities to meet their customers’ quality requirements,” says Haffenden. “Ancient refrigeration equipment working flat out to maintain temperatures in old and poorly insulated buildings uses vastly more energy than a modern state-of-the-art plant. This point alone is vital in these days of constantly rising energy costs.”
The Marden-based company claims it can save growers and storage companies between 35 and 40 per cent of their refrigeration running costs by installing equipment systems with liquid amplification pumps. An added benefit of these pumps is that they are on the technology list for Enhanced Capital Allowance, thereby helping to reduce the cost of new installations.
In addition, Farm Refrigeration has its own design of low-profile, low-velocity coolers which provide an even air distribution with steady temperatures and low fruit dehydration.
Cold storage and temperature management is now much more important, says Lloyd Gibson, operations director of CCG Logistics (UK) Limited. “Not only are there changes in the technical side, but it is not sufficient just to have a standard temperature regime anymore; demands are there in regards to a greater understanding of the product and how we mange that product,” he says.
CCG offers a multi-temperature facility, which allows it to alter temperature quickly and efficiently to meet its customer requirements.
The company is working closely with a number of professional bodies and argues that its main task is to ensure that the cool chain is managed at a high level. “We are in the process of introducing a cool chain track and trace system that will be available in the near future,” Gibson reveals.
CCG is taking a tailored approach and Gibson says it is not just about handling large volumes. “The main opportunities and challenges will be the development of the CCG network globally and to provide a well managed, temperature-controlled and sensitive logistics solution,” he says.
The past 12 months have seen an increasing focus being put on energy efficient design by all IMA customers. “It seems that the combination of high electricity prices combined with massive media focus on the global warming issue has concentrated the minds of our customers,” says Dye.
In 2007, IMA Cooling completed a 9,000 tonne facility for Branston potatoes and also worked with swede company RK Drysdale and organic carrot producer TIO. “Our enquiry book is bulging with new potential work for 2008,” says Dye.
IMA Cooling has developed a unique cooling system known as Passive Up-Flow (PUF) which ‘flew off the shelf” last year. “PUF storage for fresh produce is a system which will allow the long-term storage of perishable goods, such as potatoes, carrots, swede and other similar produce for extended periods with higher quality and yields at lower overall running costs,” says Dye.
“PUF has been around for years, but it is the current market situation with higher energy costs and increasing global warming concerns that has suddenly increased interest.”
IMA Cooling specialises in secondary glycol cooling systems and carries out many projects using this technology for its clients across the UK.
These systems use minimal amounts of F-Gases and allow for much lower servicing and maintenance costs compared to traditional systems. “I am receiving calls almost weekly from concerned customers who are being questioned about their cooling systems by their own customers,” Dye tells FPJ.
“Large retailers have dedicated departments looking at reducing their own carbon footprints and this includes their own suppliers, to whom they are looking to be responsible when purchasing a new cooling plant.”
However, while a number of fresh produce companies have invested in their cold storage facilities in the last two years, critics say there still too many out-of-date facilities that cannot maintain the correct temperatures.
According to Cold Control Ltd, the air conditioning and refrigeration company, the UK refrigeration industry continues to face major challenges. “While ozone depletion is being addressed, the battle against global warming is heating up,” says Laurie Fisk, Cold Control’s technical director. “As a big user of electrical power, the cooling industry is in the spotlight in the drive to reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change. As well as the need for improved energy performance, other environmental issues - such as noise, refrigerant leakage and material sustainability - are driving change throughout the industry.”
Since the introduction of the F-Gas Regulation, Cold Control has implemented a procedure to ensure the correct compliance is achieved and has informed all of its clients about this new legislation.
Meanwhile, rising demand for fresh, frozen and chilled products has led to growth in the installation of cold stores and humidified display. The growing number of farm shop outlets needing refrigeration is also boosting the sector.
However, Cold Control acknowledges that keeping a constant temperature in cold stores and walk-in freezers is a challenge faced by a wide variety of manufacturers.
“The exchange of warm air for cold air that takes place when an entrance to a chill or freezer store is left unprotected can also cause food-safety problems, by affecting the temperature of the products themselves,” says Fisk. “Installing a system to reduce this exchange complies with food-safety best practice, and can also prolong product shelf life, all of which add up to further cost-savings for food manufacturers.”
According to Dye, 2008 looks like being a complex year for the fresh produce sector and its cooling requirements. “Money is tight and this will doubtless make people more careful when it comes to making major investments,” predicts Dye.
NEW CHILLER/FREEZER FOR BEACON
Beacon FoodS has invested £45,000 in a new energy efficient, bespoke blast freezer and chiller. The new facility has enabled the Brecon-based company, which supplies food manufacturers and the food service industry, to blast chill and also freeze three tonnes of ingredients from 12°C to -21°C in 12 hours.
“A feature of the new facility is its energy efficiency due to the type of compressors used in the installation,” says Edward Gough, Beacon Foods md.
The 4.5sqm facility has been built onto the company’s modern food processing plant by isd coldstores of Gloucester. The 42-kilowatt refrigeration units, which use Copeland discus compressors and R404A refrigerant, were designed and installed by PR Cooling Services of Hereford.
“The motors on the refrigeration units have the capacity to run a frozen food store six times the size of Beacon Foods’ new facility,” says Simon Pyke, md of PR Cooling Services. “In this case, it was a matter of chilling or freezing up to three tonnes of product as quickly as possible to ensure freshness.”
ASDA TRUCKS IN ECOFRIDGE
Asda is to replace its traditional diesel-fuelled fridges in its transport fleet with an emission-free, silent-running alternative, as the retailer aims to reduce carbon and eliminate noise pollution from deliveries made to stores.
ecoFridge is being trialled in seven articulated vehicles at Asda’s Skelmersdale depot. According to Asda, this initiative will reduce the overall amount of carbon emitted by its fleet transport by around 860 tonnes, putting the retailer on course to hit its pledge in reducing the amount of carbon produced by 80,000t by the end of the year.
“This is a major step towards ensuring that our fleet transport reduces costs, cuts carbon emissions and lowers the overall environmental impact of food distribution,” says Chris Hall, Asda’s network transport manager. “It also solves the problem of delivering chilled goods to our stores in residential areas - especially at night, due to the silent running nature of the technology.”
If the trial is successful, the ecoFridge, which runs off liquid nitrogen rather than diesel, may be rolled out to Asda’s entire fleet of temperature-controlled distribution trailers. By switching all of its fleet transport to nitrogen-powered refrigeration, Asda believes it could reduce overall carbon emissions by 70,000t in the next five years.
The ecoFridge, designed by Ukram Industries, works by using emission-free liquid nitrogen as the accelerant in the cooling process. Not only will ecoFridge eliminate carbon emissions - calculated by the Department of Transport to be 2.6304 kgs per litre of diesel burned - but, owing to its engineering simplicity, maintenance costs are reduced by at least 65 per cent.
SEVENTH HEAVEN RENTALS
Seven Group is targeting the fresh produce sector and has recently secured new contracts with two fresh produce processors.
Operating throughout the UK and Europe, Seven Group claims it is the only cold store rental company to offer its own remote temperature-monitoring system.
The Ipswich-based firm claims the Cool Track system is an essential tool for checking the ongoing environment of perishable goods that are in transit or held in storage. Each unit maintains an historical temperature monitoring log for audit purposes, as well as alert status reports to notify changes and other activities, such as door openings in real-time.
The group, which offers a range of refrigerated units available in the rental market, with more than 800 cold stores available to lease, recently announced further investment in its fleet of portable coldstore units in the form of commercial air sterilisation equipment.
“Increasing numbers of customers wanted to minimise risk of cross-contamination in stored produce,” says Seven Group.
Seven Group is also working closely with Gray & Adams, a Scottish-based designer and manufacture of refrigerated trailers, rigid and intermodal vehicles and twin deck trailers.
Seven Group has recently extended its product to the cold store rental market with a new purpose built Gray & Adams 37 pallet box.
No comments yet