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A harbour in Cornwall was struggling with unreliable ice making equipment which was costing a lot of money annually in running costs and repairs. They wished to keep their existing insulated, unrefrigerated storage, so any new equipment would need to fit in the space available in the roofspace above and also through the existing access hatch.
As the storage is unrefrigerated it was very important that the ice store well without fusing together. A total production of five tonnes was required, split between two machines.
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After consultation with a Ziegra application engineer, it was decided that a granular flake ice machine would be the most suitable due to its intrinsic hygiene, good storage characteristics and energy efficiency.
The machines needed to fit into the existing location in the roofspace and also fit through the existing access hatch. The space is also shared by fishermen who use it as a net room, so it was decided to screen off the machine area from the room and select two ZBE 2.500 machines.
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To ensure maximum performance in summer and winter, remote condensers were chosen which would be mounted below the machines under the overhang of the building. These were supplied with a Cu/Cu saltwater resistant finish for maximum reliability and longevity in the saltwater environment.
The fans are speed controlled to automatically adjust to the temperature conditions in real time.
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Each ice machine discharges into the insulated storage room below through food safe poly ice pipes, which are angled to distribute the ice into the bunker as evenly as possible.
The ice type chosen was granular flake ice in the largest flake size 'macro'. This ice has excellent storage properties and will never fuse together into large lumps.
This makes emptying the bunker very easy, withouth the need to break the ice apart, which would result in large, jagged pieces which can damage fish.
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Each ice discharge pipe has its own independant level control, which stops the machine when its half of the bunker is full. Once ice is removed the machine automatically restarts and begins filling it again.
As they are independant, if the bunker is emptied asymetrically, one machine can remain running while the other is switched off.
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Even when granular flake ice has been in storage for sevaral days, it remains loose and easy to spread into fish boxes, the picture at right shows ice that had been produced several days before and put into boxes earlier that day. You can see how the pieces remain discrete and smooth with no jagged edges.
The large 'macro' size flakes are up to 9mm thick, so have a slow, continuous melt rate. This makes it ideal for applications where the ice must be stored for extended periods or the product is to be shipped a long distance.
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During a recent visit, we were told by the customer that they have had no issues in the twelve months since the plant was installed, everyone is happy with the ice and they have saved over £5,000 in electricity bills when compared with the old plant it replaced.
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