The installation of a cold room with low environmental impact and high performance was the challenge faced by Colombian engineers. The floriculture sector will be the main beneficiary of the project, belonging to the cargo transport company, Lanco.
by Vanesa Restrepo
Recently in Colombia, a project was carried out that meant a technological advance for the refrigerated cargo transport sector in Latin America. These are the new cargo holds of the firm Lanco, a subsidiary of Lan Cargo, owned by the airline Lan that began operating at the end of 2010 and became a benchmark for those of its kind in Latin America.
The installation was carried out in the cargo terminal of the Eldorado International Airport in the Colombian capital and required an investment of US$7 million in state-of-the-art equipment, both for the dry cargo terminal and the refrigerated cargo terminal. In total there were 2,400 square meters of refrigerated area that, according to the airline, will be destined to the attention of exports, especially of the floricultural sector that contributes with e1 11.6% of the Gross Domestic Product of Colombia.
"These warehouses guarantee the maintenance of the required cold chain, maintaining the highest environmental standards of the industry," explained Ximena Gómez, engineer in charge of the project with the company Grivan Ingeniería, responsible for the assembly. The opening of the warehouses, which also have an area of 3,400 square meters for the handling of dry cargo, implies a 125% increase in Lanco's operating capacity and will generate a 50% reduction in delivery times and receipt of cargo.
A commitment to technology
The Lanco warehouses are located in the new cargo terminal of Eldorado Airport, whose construction was completed in September 2009 and were adapted to the operating conditions of the airline thanks to the designs of the firm Pérez y Pérez, based in Miami. The calculations of the cold room were presented by the design company to Lanco, which chose Grivan Ingeniería as responsible for the installation: "the comparative advantage of the company to be chosen was its extensive experience in the construction of large capacity cold rooms and its alliance with equipment suppliers who were committed to the timely delivery of the equipment", explained Ximena Gómez, responsible for the project.
Thus, the companies involved focused their efforts on the selection of equipment and technologies to have an efficient and environmentally friendly cold room. For that, two Bohn brand racks were installed, each equipped with three 35hp compressors that, in turn, are connected to six high-efficiency, low-noise evaporators. "The requirement of the evaporators is that they have UL or Eurovent certification to guarantee their quality and durability," explained the engineer Gómez. These equipment were assembled with high efficiency Discus compressors of the Copeland brand whose operation is supported by a centrifugal oil separation system with peepholes and valves that isolate it.
The compressors were equipped with an element for filter or stone installation, disposable cartridge type, in its suction line, which is complemented by oil protections with electronic level controllers for the Carter, and pressure in the internal oil pump. "It also has high and low pressure pressure switches installed in the ports of the discharge and suction valves," added Ximena, who said that all the valves, checks, liquid and pressure regulators, filters and oil separators used in the project were of the Danfoss brand.
The key is control
Foresight was one of the keys in this project, as Lanco's demands sought to anticipate emergency situations, operation problems and equipment failures, so that the impacts on the load reception and delivery line were minimized. That is why the room was equipped with a PLC microprocessor (Einstein e2) that commands the compressors and motor fans of the condenser system based on the required evaporation and condensation pressures.
According to Ximena, the system operates taking into account parameters of timing, rest, alternating operation of the compressors, configurable options, disconnection under adverse conditions, reporting of local operating conditions and through the communication port to the centralized monitoring system. To this is added a system of monitoring and control of local access by display and keyboard, located in front of the electronic dashboard, which allows reading operating reports, obtaining the historical record of events and alarms, in addition to reconfiguring the general operational options.
Ximena Gómez also indicated that anticipating failures or operating outputs of the main controller of the rack, an electronic backup system was installed that includes a microprocessor, high pressure transducers of each suction group and safety pressure switches. "This system can automatically come into operation in the event that the main rack controller fails, allowing the compressors to operate in a manner similar to the performance of the control system.
Facilities for a long time
The systems installed in the cold room of the Lanco cargo plant have an estimated service life of 20 years.
To ensure that this performance is efficient, the installation company designed a monthly preventive maintenance program that aims to avoid system failures. The plan includes a review of discharge and suction temperatures and pressures, review of suction gas overheating, filter cleaning, checking of pipes and joints, review of oil and refrigerant gas levels. In addition, an evaluation of the electrical elements, review of the pressure transducers and temperature sensors, as well as a general verification of all components, including evaporators, compressors and condenser, have been budgeted.
Minimizing environmental impact
the installation of a large capacity cold room involves the consumption of energy resources and refrigerants; hence the importance of adequate planning to minimize the environmental impact of the project. In the case of the refrigerated area of the Lanco cargo warehouse, the use of cooling racks and variable speed drives was used in all the motors to have a consumption of resources according to the thermal needs of the room; this minimizes the waste of energy and refrigerant when the cargo volume is lower. "In the same way, an ecological refrigerant R-507 is being handled that is friendly to the environment and generates a lower environmental impact," explained Ximena Gómez, engineer in charge of the installation project with the Colombian firm Grivan Ingeniería.
Overview
Firm in charge of the project: Grivan Ingeniería S.A
Manufacturers involved: Heatcraft
Contacts: Thomas Neumann, Claudio Torres, Ximena Gómez
Email: [email protected]
Company covered with the installation: Lanco
Installation dates: March 6 to June 1, 2010
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