Company: T&C Ice Company
Industry: Ice Manufacturing
Location: Mississippi, USA
Case Study
Overview
T & C Ice Company is a commercial ice manufacturing and distribution facility in a moderately sοfter water area. They were experiencing scale build-up particularly in the condensers/heat exchangers and ice machine tubes. This was being dealt with by taking the machines out of operation periodically to manually descale and clean the systems. The company was interested in an alternative method of scale removal and prevention in order to increase production time.
Key Issues
After discussion with the owner, the key problem areas identified were:
- Condensers/heat exchangers had to be taken off-line on a regular basis for descaling. High head pressure and increasing temperatures indicated the condensers had to be descaled.
- Hard water scale decreased ice production and would degrade the equipment if not taken care of promptly.
- Increased head pressure resulting in a reduction in ice production of up to 20%.
- Ice manufacturing equipment was scaling over time. Once the head pressure started to increase, the ice cycles lengthened, so less ice was being made.
- Failure of the o-rings in the recirculating pumps due to the use of descaling chemicals.
Our Solution
One Integro2 system was installed on the main water line coming into the building covering seven ice machines as well as the #1 condenser. Additionally, after a few months, it was decided to install another Integro2 system on the closed loop serving condensers #5 and #6.
This provided a comparison between the #1 condenser and associated Ice machines which only receive one pass of water through the Integrosystem from the main water line compared with condensers #5 and #6 which are continuously circulating water through the Integro
System via the closed loop water circuit. The closed loop is topped up with water from the mainline from time-to time.
Summary & Results
Since the two lntegro™ systems were installed, there has been a significant reduction in the scale build-up inside the condensers/heat exchanger tubes with no new scale formation. The condensers have been operating at a normal operating pressure & temperature and have not had to be taken down due to the head pressure increasing, as was the case in the past. None of the condensers have needed to be ‘rodded out’ since installation of the technology. The machines have not been running ‘hot’ so ice production time has been consistent and the compressors are nothavingtoworkas hard.
Installation of the lntegro™ technology has improved operating efficiency, reduced down time, decreased scheduled maintenance and improved production output.
What the customer had to say?
“Head pressure on the condensers is down. It has stayed consistent. Never got near having to take it down. So going on since 9/20/20 and no need to rod any out in 2020 ,2021 or2022. Something is working if the head pressure is not going sky high, because the water I’ve got [is very hard and] has a good bit of scale in it. Since the compressors are not running as hard, I am making more ice on the machines. If the head pressure goes up, it can cut my production 10% to 20% easy because it will slow you down. Normally, I was cleaning my ice machines twice a year. I haven’t done it at all since installing the lntegro systems. I haven’t even cleaned them out due to scale in over a year. Additionally, I haven’t
lost a pump since installing the lntegro whereas before the descaler would start killing the O-rings.”
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