Austrian system supplier Herzog Kalte Klima has installed three BITZER ACPs for gourmet cheesemaker Woerle.
While this was Woerle’s first experience with ammonia, this natural refrigerant was the obvious choice as the company only uses natural ingredients in the production of its cheese.
It is a long standing tradition at Woerle to produce cheese from milk sourced from organic farmers in the region.
The gourmet cheesemaker said the BITZER ammonia compressor packs (ACPs) have taken charge of cooling liquid coolant to –12°C and ice water to +2°C – for cold stores, ventilation systems and production at the Henndorf site near Salzburg.
Installation was not a simple task. With a length of over 2.2 metres, a width of 2.7 metres, a height of 2.3 metres and a weight of up to 7 tonnes per ACP, delivering them was a big job.
It required the right planning, an effective team and the appropriate equipment.
It took six Herzog Kälte-Klima employees to do all the heavy lifting: the crane operator, one crane banksman at the truck and another in the installation hall, and three installers for securing the lifting equipment and disconnecting the load.
With a radius of up to 35 metres, a 220-tonne crane lifted the ACPs approximately 20 metres into the air before lowering them through the opening and into the installation room, where they were then pushed horizontally to their final position.
The units were horizontally mounted and lifted using a vibration-reducing machine base and then horizontally transported by five installers.
The process also required heavy-duty castors, lifting cylinders and jacks for horizontal transport inside the installation room.
And that’s when the installation team comprising a welder, two pipe fitters and an electrician came into play.
There was a TÜV monitored pipe installation, which included a process inspection, design examination in accordance with the Pressure Equipment Directive, X-ray testing of weld seams, and a safety-relevant pressure test with nitrogen as a pressure medium – all before the systems could be filled. Electrical mounting followed, with TÜV testing the safety technology and function control.
Project manager Herbert Khier, who oversaw the entire process, has been with Herzog Kälte-Klima for seven years.
‘We at Herzog have been working with BITZER products for 40 years. During that time, we’ve rarely had much to do with ammonia systems, but they’re becoming more and more common,” he said.
“Our customer Woerle was already familiar with the name BITZER. It was ultimately the outstanding value for money that made the company opt for BITZER ACPs. And the Made in Germany label also carries a lot of weight here in Austria.”
BITZER manufactures its ammonia compressor packs in Rottenburg-Hailfingen in southern Germany while the screw compressors are provided by the manufacturing site in neighbouring Rottenburg-Ergenzingen.
Each ACP contains one or two OSKA95 screw compressors as well as a three-stage horizontal OAHC oil separator.
For this project, BITZER offered ACPs with just one compressor with the option to expand. The ACPs boast maximum efficiency thanks to frequency inverters and two double-pole high-speed motors, each with an output of 315 kW and a maximum speed of 4,200 rpm.