Value Delivered
For this large-scale cheese and whey protein manufacturing facility, Shambaugh designed and constructed a new refrigeration system using 3D building information modeling (BIM) software. This facilitated planning of the system with the client prior to construction.
BIM made it possible for the client to visualize what the final system would look like well before it was installed. This collaborative effort allowed for input from the technicians who would be running the system, providing a truly operator-friendly design.
Client Objectives
For their production process, MWC needed a tempered glycol loop which served several rooftop HVAC units, process heat exchangers, milk silos, and other miscellaneous loads.
For post-production, they needed large tempering spaces which allowed 40-pound and 640-pound bulk product to be reduced in temperature from above 90°F to below 50°F in less than 24 hours.
Solutions
Major components of the refrigeration system include:
- Six 650 HP compressors
- Six evaporative condensers
- Three recirculated overfeed plate and frame heat exchangers
- Six custom tempering evaporators
- 13 ceiling-hung evaporators
- 12-foot diameter by 25-foot tall pumped recirculatory package capable of supporting over 4000 TR of refrigeration
- Six 600+ TR ammonia compressors
Refrigeration design solutions include:
- Substantial use of BIM to fully lay out the system prior to construction
- Over 6,000 man-hours of prefabrication labor
- Tempering capacity of approximately 800,000 pounds of 40-pound or 640-pound blocks of cheese daily
Client Background
MWC, a cheese and whey protein manufacturing facility, is a unique joint venture between Glanbia Nutritionals, Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., and Select Milk Producers, Inc.