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    Innovation

    Open, evaporative cooling towers for all branches of industry

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    Providing the energy required for cooling: The Krones VapoChill series designed on a modular principle is suitable for use not only in the food and beverage industry but in chemical and pharmaceutical plants as well.

    When- and wherever machines and systems are running, it gets hot because they produce heat. To protect them from overheating, there is only one solution – cooling. The energy required for this is provided by the Krones VapoChill.


    The Krones cooling tower series has been part of the group’s portfolio since early 2019. Its inclusion in the product range was more than logical since every food and beverage plant needs cooling energy. And instead of buying the requisite equipment from other vendors, Krones – true to its principle offering one-stop shopping – set about developing its own cooling tower. “Krones’ decades of experience in machinery and plant manufacture has been put to good use in the development. The result is a modularised cooling system which satisfies the food and beverage industry’s stringent requirements for process dependability and hygienic design and offers its users many advantages,” explains Christian Depner from Krones’ Flensburg plant, who has headed the VapoChill development project. 

    Functional principle: open, evaporative cooling tower with axial ventilation

    Ambient air is used to cool down the process water. When air comes into contact with water, some of the water evaporates. This process withdraws energy from the rest of the water and cools it down.
    The advantages: Despite its small footprint, the cooling tower releases a high amount of energy and yet requires only a comparatively small amount of electric power.

    Today, the series is available in various sizes to cover a range of different cooling requirements. The development team placed particular emphasis on flexibility of all kinds:

    Modularised system

    Regardless of how high the demand for cooling energy is, Krones offers the appropriate unit – for cooling requirements of between 50 and 2,000 kilowatts. This is because the series comprises a total of eight different basic modules that can also be combined in a multi-cell configuration, depending on the required cooling output. 
    Particularly useful: An increase in cooling output does not necessarily mean having to invest in the next size. It can also be achieved by adapting the modular packing materials, since four different packing-material heights are available for each system type. This precision scaling is a smart option for responding flexibly to a change in cooling output while also minimising investment costs.

    Abschnitt 3
    The VapoChill is available in sizes from 1.2 by 1.8 metres (smallest variant) to 2.1 by 5.7 metres (biggest model). This means the units will always fit into a standard 40-foot container. Multi-cell configurations are likewise possible (combination on the right).

    Easy to transport, quick to install

    Customers also reap the benefits of the modular system with regard to transport and installation. Since every cooling tower consists of four individual “plug and play” modules which can be fitted into a standard container for shipment, transport costs are saved and the installation time is cut. The modules – including fans, air inlet, packing material and trough – are simply fitted on top of each other and fixed in place by means of heavy-duty dowels or bolts. 


    The customer can even manage without a crane if the cooling system is installed at ground level instead of on the roof. In this case, two fork-lift trucks are sufficient for manoeuvring the equipment into place. And thanks to the point load distribution, no elaborate subconstructions or foundations are required, either.

    Abschnitt 4
    Viewed from above: The modules, including fans, air inlet, packing material and trough, fit into a standard container and are installed simply by fitting them on top of each other and bolting them tight.

    Equipment customised to suit your wishes

    Even if the VapoChill might appear standardised, Krones factors in all your individual requirements in terms of process and system parameters and also the local climatic and geographical conditions when configuring your system. This is the only way to ensure that the specified cooling output is actually achieved.

     

    The cooling tower is developed and manufactured in Krones’ Flensburg plant. But any specific inquiries, plus engineering and project management, will be handled by the group’s Milkron subsidiary. The reason for this is quite simple, as the sales manager responsible, Thomas Koch, explains: “Krones operates mainly in the beverage sector where the group has a finely meshed international network. Milkron is not only the group’s milk expert (as the name suggests) but also its specialist for process technology in the related fields of plant-based products and foods. My colleagues and I can draw upon decades of experience in the sector. For the VapoChill, we now intend to harness and extend all our existing networks while also making new contacts with many other branches of industry.”

    VapoChill – the details

    The standard equipment includes the following components:

    • Cross-fluted fill and droplet separator: permanently resistant up to 70 °C
    • Spraying system with variable nozzle configuration
    • Detachable sieves for pump protection
    • Axial EC fans
    • Pump connecting piece
    • Jetting unit distributor
    • Fittings for the mechanical overflow and for filling the cooling tower
    • Dosing connections

    Parts of the enclosure (trough, roof and front walls) are made of immersion-pickled stainless steel, which renders them suitable for outdoor installation. Nozzles, inlet louvres, packing materials and droplet separator, by contrast, are made of plastic, making them resistant to biocides and water stabilisers.
    True to its “One-stop shop” motto, Krones also supplies all the necessary peripherals, such as:

    • Separate tanks for biocide dosing 
    • Control system for cooling tower and peripherals
    • Heat exchanger station
    • Piping

     

    More facts and figures on the cooling tower

    Would you like to know more about the cooling tower’s technical details and the components used? All relevant information can be found in the product brochure, which is available for downloading on the Krones website.

    Want to read more Krones stories?

    You can easily send a request for a non-binding quotation in our Krones.shop. 

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