JBS targeted an expansion of the Lenoir, NC facility as a new processing hub for their Wild Forks Foods subsidiary.  Due to the large scale of this expansion, a complete independent ammonia refrigeration system was required.

Refrigeration Design & Service (RD&S) designed a two-stage ammonia refrigeration system for this new expansion.  The new system includes eight (8) GEA screw compressors having a combined motor total of 4,050-HP.  One variable speed driven compressor is included on each suction level to allow for efficient low load/weekend operating conditions.  The design also includes both high temperature and low temperature recirculator packages.

High temperature room cooling is accomplished with Evapco ceiling hung evaporators with stainless steel casing for corrosion protection.  The ceiling hung evaporators include reheat coils for humidity control and improved dehumidification after washdown.  Finally, the high temperature system also includes an Evapco makeup air unit with stainless steel liner and fully welded stainless steel ductwork for plant pressurization.

The low temperature portion of the system is dominated by four (4) (-40°F) spiral freezers, including three (3) double drum spiral freezers and one (1) single drum spiral.  The low stage system allows Wild Forks to process nearly 32,000 lbs. of various protein products per hour.  The entire low side of the system has been designed with an extremely low pressure drop, featuring 304 SS piping, motorized suction butterfly valves, and an 18” wet suction line.

Controlling and sequencing the refrigeration system, is an RD&S Allen Bradley PLC based control system.  This system, along with the motor control center for the ceiling hung evaporators and condensers was assembled in our UL certified panel shop in Fairless Hills, PA.  RD&S programmers provided on-site startup and support along with RD&S service technicians to ensure that the startup procedure was hassle free for the end user.

JBS – Refrigeration System Expansion

Plans were made to establish a new, state-of-the-art bottling facility in Kannapolis, NC.  The mission of this 300,000 square foot production facility is to co-pack up to 1,500 cans per minute of a wide variety of product lines.

Refrigeration Design & Service (RD&S) was selected to design and construct a chilled glycol system to meet the facility’s production demands.  This system needed to be flexible to handle varying load conditions based on differing product temperatures and production speeds.  A custom ammonia to glycol chilling skid was designed to meet this requirement.  The skid featuring Frick compressors and heat exchangers was fully constructed in our Fairless Hills, PA fabrication facility and shipped to site where it was interconnected with the RD&S supplied evaporative condensers.  All skid mounted components were pre-piped and insulated.  Motors, control devices and sensors were pre-wired to RD&S built motor control panels and control system panels.  The electrical/control system design included VFDs for all refrigeration system drive-motors.  Not only did the variable frequency drives offer energy efficiency improvements, they also offer the flexibility needed to meet the customer’s various operating scenarios.

Before shipping the 45’ long, 60,000 lb. skid, our service team wrung out the complete electrical system and pressure tested the components and piping.  A dry-nitrogen holding charge was added and the package was shrink wrapped for safe shipping.

Once the skid arrived, RD&S took care of the rigging, the IMP machine room enclosure, and the field piping to two evaporative condensers.  A few hundred feet of chilled glycol piping later, and the customer was provided with a dedicated +28°F chilled glycol system for their production loads.  This system utilizes 3-way valves to properly distribute flow to two filler lines, one process chiller, and three 30,000 gallon mix tanks.  Our chiller is fully integrated with the customer’s building management system, allowing Prime Beverage to view the operating conditions of the chiller in conjunction with their ever changing production loads.

RD&S is always ready to address your refrigeration needs.

Since 1995 Dogfish Head Brewing has crafted a wide variety of unique and flavorful beers.  Through their dedication to Off-Centered beer crafting and community support, sponsoring events like the I Pedal A Lot cycling event, the Dogfish Dash 8K road race and numerous others, their following has grown and so has the demand for their products.

Thanks to an increase in loyal beer drinkers, the brewery required a new refrigeration system to expand their brewing capacity.  To accomplish this RD&S designed a low charge ammonia glycol chilling package.  This package consisted of pre-manufactured equipment skids containing Frick RXF-101 screw compressors, Alfa-Laval semi-welded plate heat exchangers, vessels, and electrical/control system components.  The skids were then interconnected with the site installed Frick Ecoss condenser and Guntner adiabatic cooler, used for the compressor oil cooling.  These efforts resulted in 1.5 pounds of ammonia per TR refrigerant charge.

Pre-manufacturing of the refrigeration skids, in the RD&S fabrication shop, gave us the flexibility to complete the Dogfish Head skids while the utility building was being constructed, thereby minimizing the project completion timeline.

Stacking the skids saved floor space in the utility building.  Notice the staircase is hinged at the top landing to enable easy removal of large refrigeration components from the lower skid.

Floor Level electrical components include power distribution panel and compressor drives.

Second Level electrical components include the main control system panel.

RD&S is always ready to address your refrigeration needs.

Central Ammonia System

Coastal Sunbelt serves some of the largest multi-unit chain restaurants in the nation. Given the sensitive nature of the produce products they distribute, the facility required a reliable and efficient refrigeration system. Refrigerated spaces at their facility include freezers, storage coolers, produce processing and re-packing areas, shipping and receiving docks and banana ripening rooms.

In order to achieve the Highest Quality Product through means of controlled temperatures in each space, RD&S designed and built a vast energy efficient Central Ammonia Refrigeration System and an integrated Glycol Chilling System. Incorporating a Glycol Chilling System enabled us to reduce the total ammonia charge and further enhance the operation and ensure product hydration. The system utilizes open drive economized screw compressors and Evaporative Condensers for high efficiency and reliability. Operation of the System is maintained by the PLC based Control System with remote and web browser communication software. Compressors, condensers, glycol pumps, and all evaporator fan motors are Furnished with Variable Frequency Drives to maintain Optimum Operating Efficiencies.

Moving refrigerated air in the facility required a total of 32 air units; 22 units are supported by the Ammonia System and 10 units are supported by the Glycol System. Careful consideration was taken when designing each evaporator to ensure an optimal environment for the product. For example, the Re-Pack Process room and all 50-55°F cooler areas were designed with a lower temperature difference across the evaporator coil to mitigate product dehydration.

Deb El Food Products, founded in 1984, is a major provider of egg products for the United States and international markets. Their products include frozen, liquid, and dried egg available in various sizes to meet the needs of industrial, institutional, food service and retail channels.

RD&S built and installed a glycol chilling system to support the processes at Deb El Food Product’s Thompsonville, New York facility. Deb El required an efficient, reliable chilling system that could fit into a small space. We determined that a skid built chiller package would best suit their needs. Due to the space restrictions, we designed a package that consisted of two prefabricated skids stacked on top of each other. The skids hold ammonia compressors, vessels, heat exchanger, valves and controls along with the electrical distribution panel, motor starter panel, and operator interface screen. Atop the structure sits the evaporative condenser. Control of the structure and its components is provided via a Self-Automated Central Control System which allows for low operator and maintenance costs. The finished product is a 35’ high mechanical room complete with heating, ventilation and exhaust, and a leak detection system all enclosed in an insulated metal panel structure.

RD&S engineered the “refrigeration building” utilizing a 3D modeling software. Modeling the building in 3D allowed our engineers to address the structural intricacies required to support equipment and associated components in a multi-level skid. Ultimately, this method provided our team with a clear and concise direction in which to build the structure.

I’ve had not one thought in ten years of leaving RD&S and going with another vendor. Since all my time with them, I’ve seen nothing but the utmost professionalism. They’ve taken so much time to teach me about refrigeration and given me a great understanding of the different kinds of pressures, so I’m able to troubleshoot the system a lot better. They’re just second to none as far as the vendors that I work with, and I have a lot of vendors that come here and work on different things in this facility inside and out. I’d put them right up there at the top. Fantastic. If I didn’t feel comfortable saying that, I wouldn’t say it. I’m really legitimately very happy with the service.

Director of Operations
McLane FoodService

I’ve been with Wakefern FoodService for 37 years, and I’ve seen seen a lot of contractors in that time. I first learned about RD&S when they designed and built the Southern Perishable building in Keasbey, New Jersey, which was the one of the biggest R134A refrigerant jobs in the country at the time. We were very impressed with the job they did, so we’ve brought them back, not only to bid on several other projects, but also to consult with us on problems we’ve had with our other refrigeration plants.

They did a project for us in Elizabeth, NJ where they replaced some corroded evaporative condensers. That had to be done in the dead of winter because it’s a refrigerated building, and we were going to be without refrigeration for several days during the conversion. Unbelievably, the RD&S folks worked in 20-degree weather and they knocked it out. Overall, I find that RD&S is very fair, very professional. They seem to be on the cutting edge of technology and are always looking at new applications, whether it be stainless steel evaporative condensers or variable frequency drive compressors. When they feel it’s appropriate, they introduce us to the new technology and let us make up our mind.

RD&S has a very good engineering department. They take their business very seriously and know what they’re talking about when they design these complex systems with all their intricacies. We’re impressed by that. Not only are we impressed with their design work, but also their construction work in the field. It’s good to have both sides of the design/build process. With RD&S, you have engineers on site during construction and not merely installers. That helps the process go a lot smoother.

Facilities Engineer
Wakefern FoodService

• One of first Hot Gas Ripening rooms in the United States that uses waste energy to ripen the avocados
• RD&S installed VFD’s on evaporator fans and condenser fans
• Dedicated hot gas compressor by Bitzer that generates hot gas without penalizing the facility during discharge

I’ve been here at Mission Produce a little over a year now. RD&S was the refrigeration contractor, so when I came on board here, I had confidence in them because I’d used them with my previous employer. I’ve been working with RD&S probably seventeen or eighteen years now.

RD&S definitely has a wider variety of experience and talent than other contractors. From your split systems, your commercial to industrial, your PLC programming all the way down to the simple stuff, they definitely have a wide variety of talent in every aspect of refrigeration—controls side, electrical side. I know I can call them and if I need a new install, they can handle it from start to finish.

At our facility, we’ve transitioned from electricity to hot gas in our ripening room. RD&S has helped us with this transition, and the cost savings has been fantastic.

In my experience, they’ve always been available any time you need them, day or night, so that makes my job easy. I’ve got most of the tech cell phone numbers, so if I have an issue, they help me get it resolved.

All the office people, from the top down, are accessible. Their doors are always open and they’ve always worked with me to come up with the best plan for my projects.

Maintenance Supervisor
Mission Produce