SitemapConsumption of electricity for cooling reduced by 90%
Jydsk Aluminium Industri in Herning replaced defective refrigeration compressors with adiabatic cooling.
A refrigeration compressor breakdown was the immediate reason why Jydsk Aluminium Industri in Herning reduced its annual consumption of electricity for cooling in the company’s machining department from approx. 350,000 kWh per year to less than 25,000 kWh.
The job of keeping the ambient temperature in the production premises at the required 22 °C during the hottest part of the year has largely been taken over by a system that atomises water out into the air. The system was supplied by the company ML System in Ry, known among other things for supplying air humidification systems to fruit and vegetable sections of supermarkets in large parts of the world.
Heat is generated by the many machine tools and robots used in the relatively low-ceiled production premises.
A combination of free cooling from a ventilation system and evaporation of the atomised water keeps the temperature at the required level.
The temperature in the production premises is not the only important factor for the well-being of the employees.
“It is essential that we are able to observe the tolerances for dimensional stability of the castings we are working on,” says Bo Thornvig Jensen, Technical Director of the company.
He is very satisfied with the solution developed by the company’s energy advisor Martin Raaby Skou from EnergiMidt.
“We had some time to find another solution because originally we had two refrigeration compressors, both using Freon (R22) as a refrigerant. However, we could not continue using this refrigerant as it will soon be forbidden to use it altogether,” says Bo Thornvig Jensen.
Energy advisor Martin Raaby Skou, who had previously been employed in the refrigeration industry, looked into the possibility of converting the refrigeration compressors into using propane as a refrigerant. Propane is considered a natural refrigerant and may still be used. This is, however, an expensive solution that would still require considerable consumption of energy.
A great deal of prejudice
Inspired by a visit to a fruit and vegetable section in a Føtex supermarket where he started feeling cold, Martin Raaby Skou began studying the possibility of using adiabatic cooling in the 2,000 m2 of production premises used to finish castings.
“This isn’t exactly rocket science but the area is surrounded by a great deal of prejudice,” Martin Raaby Skou says.
Jydsk Aluminium Industri therefore visited other companies that use similar solutions to keep temperatures at the required levels, without the air humidity becoming too high because of evaporated water.
This is achieved by ensuring an adequate level of air change. At Jydsk Aluminium Industri, this is handled by six ventilation hoods, which are demand-controlled in relation to temperature and humidity.
Each of them consumes max. 1.1 kWh and they are operating for up to 3000 hours a year.
Jydsk Aluminium Industri already had a water treatment system, which could be used to purify the approx. 200 litres of water per hour that are now used for the adiabatic cooling system.
Easy to move
For the company, the system has an additional advantage: They are currently considering constructing new production premises for the company’s finishing department, and in this connection, it will be easy to move and possibly extend the adiabatic cooling system in order for it to comply with the new requirements of the company.
Currently, Jydsk Aluminium Industri has a staff of 190 employees and its turnover last year was DKK 180 million. 98 % of the turnover comes from export sales, especially to EU countries.
Like many others, the company suffered severely from the recession, but now aims renewed growth and a turnover in 2011 of more than DKK 200 million.
Jydsk Aluminium Industri is one of the largest aluminium foundries in Europe with more than 60 years’ experience in gravity die-casting.
The company produces machined hi-tech castings for delivery directly to the assembly lines of leading European companies in e.g. the high-voltage, automotive, pump and maritime industries.
Jydsk Aluminium Industri has two factories with 16,000 m2 of production premises. The annual capacity of the company is 8,000 tons of aluminium castings.