The upgrade of an HVAC system nearly always brings savings in maintenance; in one instance it has also about an approximate 50% improvement in performance at a cheese factory in Scotland.
The original HVAC system:
The Colt ventilation system in the cheese production area was installed 23 years ago and was designed to provide comfortable and productive conditions by removing hot, stale air while introducing fresh, filtered air during the normal working day, as well as reducing ‘fogging’ during the frequent clean down routine.
The original system comprised four Whirlwind extract units installed on the roof, with fresh, filtered make up air provided five Coltair roof inflow units and four Coltair wall inflow units.
The ventilation system had an original design performance of 31,000 m³/hr extraction and 38,000 m³/hr inlet ventilation, providing a degree of positive pressure to ensure high standards of hygiene.
The HVAC system after 23 years of service:
Over the years some of the Coltair units had fallen into disrepair and required replacement motors and filter sections.
Additionally, heater batteries within the Coltair Units had not been used for winter heating and were considered redundant.
Colt was asked to carry out a survey to propose a means of returning the system to the original ventilation design conditions while, if possible, reducing the number of Coltair units to minimise maintenance and filter replacement costs.
Colt’s survey and recommended solution:
After completing a free survey, Cold recommended replacing the old Coltair axial fans with new radial fans which would offer significantly increased airflow, while more effectively coping with pressure drops over the filters.
By changing the fans to radial units and removing the redundant heater sections, Colt was able to demonstrate that only six Coltair units would be needed to provide the required air volumes, instead of the original nine.
Upgrade with Coltair radial fans brings about savings and dramatically improves performance:
The client has been able to take three old Coltair units out of commission with resulting savings in maintenance, filter replacement and the associated disruption to the work area.
The new Coltair units deliver around 50% improved performance as the result of the much more efficient fans, the removal of redundant heater batteries and the new filters.
