Saladworks cuts cooling energy costs by 25 per cent 31 October 2013

Saladworks of Leicester, one of the UK's major ready meals producers, is reporting savings of 25% on cooling costs since installing a single 55kW variable-speed drive (VSD), from ABB.

Paul Hampton, engineering manager for the plant, explains that IDS (Inverter Drive Systems) was brought in to recommend ways to reduce energy use on its chilling process, which uses two refrigeration circuits, each with a duty and a standby glycol pump and condenser.

"We knew that VSDs could save us money by cutting our energy use [and] IDS confirmed our instinct by taking a statistical approach," states Hampton.

"Their energy appraisal produced a detailed list of all the motors on site and flagged up [the] two glycol pumps that could save particularly high amounts of energy," he continues.

And importantly, he adds: "We look for a payback of under a year and these applications met that criterion."

An ABB drive was selected for one glycol pump in each refrigeration circuit, one of 55kW, the other of 11kW. The pump motors are now operated at 40Hz, providing for an energy saving of 25% – which, in turn, delivers Saladworks' required sub-one year payback time.

Saladworks can also run the motors at 43 to 44Hz in the summer months, with a feedback loop from a temperature sensor ensuring that the chillers maintain a temperature of less than 5C.

"IDS installed the drives very quickly, once we gave the go ahead, and we have had no maintenance problems with the pumps or motors since the drives were installed," comments Hampton.

Brian Tinham

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