Frozen own-label ready meals producer Headland Foods, part of the Prize Food Group, has found a cost effective solution to its cooling and heating problems by installing modern evaporative cooling at its factory in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire.
By using a Breezair fan from Seeley International to blow air over a steam heating coil and through the ductwork and vents, it is able to keep workers comfortable during cold months. In the summer, the heating coil is switched off and the Breezair evaporative air coolers help to maintain a comfortable working environment.
Specified by Pidra Environments, the coolers have drastically improved the overall thermal comfort and air quality for Headland Foods' staff in the main cooking suite area. The 430m2 cooking suite is located in a modern building with a shallow pitched sloping roof and a large roof void clad with insulating metal deck sheeting. Although Headland had installed central air handling units within the area, these had little effect in reducing temperatures. Throughout the summer months, and during late spring and early autumn, the working areas in the cooking suite were uncomfortable for staff.
So that the TBA550 Breezair coolers could be easily maintained, Headland asked that the coolers be suspended behind a heavy-duty false ceiling in the roof void where temperatures were particularly high due to radiated heat from the sun.
To create a near ambient airflow to the coolers, Pidra installed three powered extract ventilators, which pull ventilation through the existing roof louvres. Installation of steam heater coils in the ducting has also helped temper the incoming air in the winter months to provide year round comfort for staff.
"We initially installed two Breezair evaporative coolers to assess whether they would be effective," says Headland engineering manager Neil Armitage. "They have proved so successful that we have asked Pidra to install a further three coolers."
Contact: Seeley International (Europe), Tel: 0845 868 2017