Replacement of evaporative condensers for the Galbani factory in Corteolona, Italy
Beginning in the second half of 2020, Decsa (Cofiniar) was engaged by Galbani, a multinational food/dairy company, to supply new evaporative condensers to replace existing ones for their cooling plants.
The following units have been supplied:
- No. 3 evaporative condensers of 1,700 kW serving the Central Chiller Plant;
- No. 4 evaporative condensers of 1,700 kW serving the Clauger Power Plant;
- No. 6 complete exchange sections for revamping other units not produced by Decsa already in use for several years.
The Customer’s problem: features required
Besides requesting a guarantee on the condensation performance, the Customer highlighted to Decsa some essential requirements before proceeding with the project.
Indeed, the evaporative condensers had to meet the following characteristics:
- Durability and ease of maintenance: the plant and the evaporative condensers had to be designed to guarantee an operating lifetime of at least 20 years and to minimise ordinary maintenance.
- A compact and size-conscious solution: as a replacement, the available space for positioning the evaporative condensers was already pre-defined. It was, therefore, necessary to provide a solution that did not require any change to the allocated areas for the units;
- Plant equalization/balancing: the system used by the Client involved the use of many condensers in parallel; therefore, it was necessary for the new units to be communicating with each other to maintain a water balance between the basins;
- A customised solution for the installation: since the central Chiller plant, where three units are to be installed, is located in the middle of the factory, the Customer required a solution that would enable the already assembled condensers to be moved, as the usual on-site assembly operations would not be possible in this case;
The solution: new evaporative condensers and heat exchangers
With the aim of consistently and incisively responding to the identified needs of the Customer, our Technical and Sales Departments ì – after an in-depth analysis – selected and proposed the supply of the following units:
- N. 7 evaporative condensers CFR-A-140 series;
- N. 3 complete exchange sections for CFR-140;
- N.1 complete exchange section for CFR-159;
- N.2 complete exchange sections for CFR-184.
The proposed solution was based on Cofinair Decsa’s CFR-A series evaporative condensers, which are distinguished by heat exchange coils featuring a higher number of tube rows (24). This design maximises thermal performance while minimising the required installation footprint.
Furthermore, this equipment configuration was able to deliver the thermal capacity required by the Customer while fully complying with the dimensional constraints of the existing plant. At the same time, it addressed the need to upgrade the equipment performance to suit the current local climatic conditions, which differ significantly from those considered in the original plant design more than 20 years ago.
Regarding the complete heat exchange sections, Decsa’s selection was based on a detailed verification of both the overall dimensions and the available heat transfer surface, ensuring a solution fully equivalent to the original design.
To ensure perfect hydraulic balancing among all units, Decsa also proposed equipping each new evaporative condenser with additional basin equalisation connections. Furthermore, for the four units serving the Clauger refrigeration plant, a special execution was proposed featuring a shared 11 m basin (two units connected together), supplied complete with a common base support structure to facilitate handling and installation.
To meet the Customer’s requirements in terms of durability and ease of maintenance, Decsa also developed the following solutions:
- Standardisation of the condenser model across both refrigeration plants, ensuring uniform maintenance procedures and common spare parts.
- Installation of a davit arm with manual chain hoist on the top of each tower to facilitate major maintenance operations on the mechanical assemblies.
- Enhanced protection of the Z-725 hot-dip galvanised steel panels through the application of DecsaCOATING Plus, a special epoxy powder coating applied in addition to the standard galvanisation.
Finally, to simplify installation activities, Decsa also proposed dedicated lifting base frames, allowing the CFR units serving the Chiller plant to be lifted and positioned fully assembled.
Project Scope
Following the evaluation of Decsa’s comprehensive proposal, the Customer awarded the contract for the supply of:
- 3 × CFR-A-140 evaporative condensers, complete with:
- Basin heater with thermostat;
- Enlarged basin with equalisation connections;
- DecsaCOATING Plus protective coating;
- Low water level switches;
- Lifting base frame;
- Davit arm for manual chain hoist.
- 3 × CFR-A-140 evaporative condensers, complete with:
- Basin heater with thermostat;
- Enlarged basin with equalisation connections;
- DecsaCOATING Plus protective coating;
- Low water level switches;
- Lifting base frame;
- Davit arm for manual chain hoist.
- 4 × CFR-A-140 evaporative condensers, complete with:
- Basin heater with thermostat;
- Common head basin configuration (2 + 2 units);
- DecsaCOATING Plus protective coating;
- Low water level switches;
- Lifting base frame;
- Davit arm for manual chain hoist.
- 6 × complete heat exchange sections:
- 3 × CFR-140;
- 1 × CFR-159;
- 2 × CFR-184;
- All complete with DecsaCOATING Plus protective coating.
Timeline
The project was acquired at the end of Q4 2020.
The units were made in Q1 2021.
The evaporative condensers are being installed and will go live by early Q2 2021.
| Company | Galbani |
|---|---|
| Year of Installation | 2020 |
| Place of Installation | Corteolona (PV), Italy |
| Type of interlocutor | End Client |
| Application | Refrigeration |
| Fluid | NH3 |
| Condensation temperature | 35°C |
| Wet Bulb | 26°C |
| Power required | 1742 kW |
| equipment provided | Closed-circuit Evaporative Condenser CFR-A-140 |
| Services Provided | – Consulting – Dismantling of pre-existing condenser – Installation of new evaporative condensers – Assembly assistance – Startup – Revamping of other units not manufactured by Decsa |
