Star Refrigeration installs one of Europe`s most efficient chillstore plants at Gist Chesterfield facility
One of our members - Star Refrigeration - has completed the design, supply, installation and commissioning of one of Europe's most efficient chillstore plants to serve the UK-based temperature-controlled logistics site of the supply chain company Gist.
As one of the leading temperature-controlled logistics companies, Gist handles, stores and transports millions of chilled and frozen food products every day. Gist's UK-wide network of temperature-controlled logistics sites is responsible for managing the supply chain for a wide range of customers in the food industry, including retailers and foodservice operators. To support business growth and customer partnerships, Gist has opened a new chilled depot in Chesterfield, serving their midlands-based customers.
The project brief required a cooling solution that used a highly efficient, environmentally friendly and future-proof refrigerant. Further, the solution had to deliver low greenhouse gas emissions via “indirect emissions” linked to the chiller's power consumption, which in turn would reduce operating costs. It was also supposed to eliminate the "direct emissions" that are associated with refrigerant leaks and counteracted by the EU's F-Gas Regulation. Finally, italso had to build in redundancy to deliver continuous cooling, increased efficiency and low operating costs. However, this was all on the condition that Star would be able to deliver the fully functional chiller within the required timeframe.
The project was completed in half the time normally expected for a project of this size. To meet this ambitious timeframe, Star Refrigeration worked closely with the main contractor and other subcontractors on site to coordinate the installation work. Despite the tight schedule, Star Refrigeration completed the project ahead of schedule. To reduce the amount of work required on site at Gist Chesterfield, the low charge, ammonia Azanechiller supplied by Star were commissioned and tested at the company's own production facilities prior to delivery. With careful planning and a great deal of hard work, the project was delivered within the allocated budget, ahead of schedule and according to the customer's expectations.
The ammonia plant has now been fully operational for over three years, and readings from the site indicate that the energy consumption is around 5kWh/m3 per year. This is one-eighth of the levels recommended by good practice guidelines and one-tenth of typical cooling requirement levels for similar stores in Europe. Sam de Beaux, Gist’s Engineering Director, responsible for Gist’s UK and European site network, said, “Star delivered above and beyond our expectations regarding every aspect of the Gist Chesterfield plant, providing a solution that combines both high efficiency and low environmental impact. Despite the tight timeframes for the installation and commissioning of the chillstore facility, Star delivered every step of the way. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship working with them in the future.”