Rebound Technologies, an advanced refrigeration equipment supplier, has commissioned the first full-scale commercial IcePoint system.
IcePoint uses a new patented thermodynamic cycle called a freeze point suppression (FPS) cycle which allows cold chain customers with low temperature refrigeration needs to freeze more product, achieve higher efficiency and enhance moisture management throughout their entire facility, all leading to optimised operations.
Rebound's IcePoint system is now operational at Lineage Logistics' 115,000-square-foot cold storage and blast freezing facility in Greeley, Colorado in the United States.
The system will provide up to 80 tonnes of cooling while simultaneously managing moisture levels and helping avoid peak energy rates.
Lineage is the world's leading temperature-controlled industrial REIT and logistics solutions provider. Lineage boasts a global network of over 400 strategically located facilities totalling over 2 billion cubic feet of capacity, which spans 20 countries across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
A globally patented technology, IcePoint, provides agile freezing that attacks temperature fluctuations which leads to inefficiencies and reduced throughput.
Its dehumidification impact greatly reduces defrost cycles resulting in faster freezing times, optimized equipment operations and labour savings.
Lineage Logistics vice president of research and development, Alexander Woolf, said this technology offers next generation flexibility and impact in an otherwise fixed-capacity, legacy equipment world with excellent return on investment.
"IcePoint represents a huge leap for industrial cooling technology. The go-live of the first industrial-scale IcePoint unit represents a key milestone in the six-year collaboration between Lineage and Rebound,” he said.
Rebound and Lineage partnered on a pilot project in 2018 at a strawberry processing facility in California, where the agile freezing benefit was shown to increase throughput.
The unit operating at the Greeley facility is 10-times larger than the initial pilot, was installed with almost no interruption to the facility and does not require engine room integration or critical ammonia infrastructure tie-in.
Rebound Technologies CEO John Fox said this installation is an exciting step for Rebound and Lineage.
"Our partnership with Lineage represents the first commercialisation of FPS technology and offers the next step in the evolution of improved cold chain operations,” he said.