An Innovative Cold Storage Solution
Since the time of the ancient Egyptians, garlic has been used as a food flavouring and as a traditional medicine. Today, it is a fundamental component of dishes across the world, from Asia to Africa, and from Europe to Latin America. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties have also been shown to boost the body’s immunity and may help to reduce the risk of heart attacks. World demand for the pungent plant shows no signs of decreasing, and production is forecast to increase by 2% a year from current levels of around 30m tonnes.
In São Gotardo, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, the Agropesg company grows garlic as well as coffee, corn, soy and a variety of other vegetables. In 2021, it decided to build two cold rooms, with capacity to cool and store 128 tonnes of garlic in each.
Alerted to Güntner’s expertise in cooling and refrigeration, representatives of Agropesg visited Güntner’s Brazilian HQ in Caxias do Sul, where they met the Güntner team, led by CEO Osni Caron. They were impressed by an energy-saving proposal developed by Technical Sales Representative, Luciano Costa, and a deal was closed.
Energy efficiency is the major advantage of the Güntner system devised by Costa, which operates at 300kVA, compared to the 500kVA of a competitor cooling system. “We achieved that reduction by using a cogeneration approach, in which hot gas is diverted to the evaporator for re-heating the coil, instead of relying on electrical resistance,” says Costa. Cogeneration of heat and power from the same source is increasingly being seen as a clean, efficient, and cost-effective choice in many industrial processes.
Güntner’s design also ensured the defrost process was as efficient as possible, and a thinner thermal insulation panel could be installed after a study of climate data from the Agropesg meteorological station, further reducing costs. The system was automated by Güntner’s partner, Refritech, ensuring it operated with as little human intervention as possible. “It’s not common to see something like this in São Gotardo,” says Costa.
The customised solution included four Güntner Cubic VARIO Air Coolers, two Güntner Cubic COMPACT Air Coolers, and a Güntner V-shape VARIO Condenser with hydroBLU™ adiabatic cooling technology. In the local climate, the latter contributed an important water saving compared to the evaporative condensers traditionally used in the São Gotardo area. By using water only on peak days, consumption can be reduced by as much as 30% compared to a conventional water-cooled system.
The customer was extremely happy with the end solution, and it has sparked considerable interest among the local community of garlic producers.