WOOD – Case History

In a production line for recycled wood panels, maintaining the glue mixer at a controlled temperature is essential. Temperature control ensures higher product quality, as cooling the glue mixer helps keep material temperatures low, allowing the glue to polymerize within the correct time frame. Additionally, maintaining the proper working temperature prevents the formation of material buildup on the surfaces involved in the process, thereby increasing the productivity of the line.

The client’s request led us to design two systems for different production sites, where the respective climatic profiles enabled us to propose tailored solutions.

The client required a partner capable of developing an integrated system with a particular focus on:

• Efficiency
  OPEX Reduction
• Reliability
  The production plant is designed to operate 24/7
• Connectivity
  To integrate the cooling system with the production plant’s supervision system

The proposed solution involved the design and implementation of a system composed of multiple components, enabling the integration of various solutions such as water-cooled chillers and air-cooled chillers to ensure highly efficient chilled water production.

For the first plant, the following equipment was installed:

• 1x WSW281: 825 kW water-cooled chiller with screw compressors
• 2x DRY COOLERS: equipped with electronically commutated fans
• 1x HYDRONIC MODULE: with pumps and three-way valves for the condensation circuit
• 2x WSA362: 836 kW air-cooled chillers with screw compressors
• 1x 4.PLANT: system for plant management, optimization, and supervision

The system consists of two cold water production lines that insist on a cold storage tank. The first exploits the two air-cooled machines, installed directly on the roof of the shed, the second is characterised by the water-cooled chiller, which includes a complete solution of dry coolers, installed on the roof, and a hydronic unit for managing the condensation circuit, installed in an indoor technical room.The two cold water production lines are integrated in an operating logic dictated by a supervision system suitably designed and implemented using the 4.PLANT platform

4.PLANT is a management, optimisation and supervision system that provides logic for the integration of plant resources with a view to maximising their performance when environmental conditions vary. In addition to efficiency, this system guarantees correct productivity by managing operating logics studied ad hoc with the customer. Reliability is also guaranteed by the type of chillers proposed, which provide for the complete redundancy of the components in the cooling and hydraulic circuits. 4.PLANT also makes it possible to optimise the connection between the cooling plant and the management system of the entire production plant, using different BUS communication protocols.

The second plant, located at a site with temperatures ranging from -40°C to 45°C, required equipment specifically designed to operate across such a wide temperature range. This condition allowed us to take advantage of low ambient temperatures to produce chilled water without using compressors.

For the second plant, the following equipment was installed:

• 1x WSW281: 825 kW water-cooled chiller with screw compressors
• 2x DRY COOLERS: equipped with electronically commutated fans
• 1x VFM HYDRONIC MODULE: with pumps, three-way valves, and a heat exchanger for mix mode and free cooling

Free cooling - The use of free cooling makes the system particularly efficient. At ambient temperatures below -5°C, the entire required cooling capacity can be generated without the need for compressors. Between -4°C and 10°C, the system operates in mix mode, where free cooling provides part of the required cooling capacity while the compressor supplies the remainder.

This innovative solution ensures maximum efficiency and takes full advantage of the site's climatic conditions, significantly reducing energy consumption.

Wide range of solutions

Expertise
Engineering collaboration with the client to deliver tailored solutions.

Efficiency
Systems managed by a customized plant optimization system designed to meet the client’s specific needs.