Air to Water Heat Exchangers

Thermal Management Solution for Large Commercial Bakery

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thermal management solution bakery cooling racks

Supermarkets strive to craft fresh and unique baked goods to bolster their brands. Any downtime in the baking process can turn away customers at the door.

One of the largest commercial bakeries for supermarkets, which supplies 19 US states and parts of Canada, had repeated failures in its electric enclosures’ air conditioners, which were breaking down throughout its plants. To overcome this issue, the bakery sought a reliable thermal management solution that could function effectively in hot and dusty environments.

commercial bakery solution mixing areaThe search for the ideal solution brought the bakery to Pfannenberg, who conducted a plant survey to identify the central problem — many A/C units were undersized for ambient air temperature and heat loads generated for the enclosures. Increased temperature in the electrical cabinet during summer months reduced component life and overheated the enclosure.

A/C units on the electrical cabinets were typically part of the OEM equipment and not sized properly for the plant’s ambient conditions or the enclosures. This motivated the bakery to search for a cost-effective solution that could reduce downtime and cut energy costs.

Pfannenberg quickly saw that the problem could be solved with its PWS Series Air-Water Heat Exchanger. Effective at providing cooling in harsh environments, this product provided the perfect fit for electrical enclosures throughout the bakery’s facilities.Air to Water Heat Exchangers

The cooling mechanism of the PWS Air-Water Heat Exchanger draws hot air from the enclosure into the top of the unit, then passes the air across the unit’s coil. When the heat leaves the coil, it cools the air. The cool air then continues moving out the bottom of the unit.

Because the unit has no refrigeration system, it did not require an external condenser air circuit. Ambient conditions also had no influence on how the air-to-water heat exchanger performs. Moreover, chilled water was already available in the bakery’s manufacturing plant, such that the Pfannenberg Air-Water Heat Exchanger achieved substantial energy savings while requiring little-to-no maintenance. No filters needed to be changed or cleaned.

After implementing the new product, the bakery saw a one-year return on investment (ROI) based on the total cost of ownership (TCO) for the bakery’s previous A/C units. On top of this, the bakery applied for energy rebates from their local utility to offset the investment, given that the payback period was less than 5 years.

Providing a complete, turnkey solution to thermal management, Pfannenberg empowered the leading bakery to slash costs in a sustainable fashion, reducing downtime to ensure the seamless flow of baked goods to its hungry customers.