INDUSTRY: Food & Beverage SERVICES: Mechanical & Process Engineering
ABOUT THE CLIENT
Our client is a leading food producer specializing in the snack, ready-to-eat, and value-added meat product sectors. They invest heavily in product development and food safety. EAD supports their mission to improve the safety and quality of the US food supply chain by delivering innovative project management, construction management, and engineering solutions.
PROBLEM TO SOLVE
EAD developed an airflow study to evaluate and address the regular summertime formation of condensate at the food producer’s facility. Because one of their wash down areas had been expanded over time with no corresponding increase in cooling capacity, there was often excess moisture that worsened during equipment wash down periods. We investigated the root cause of the condensation and recommended a potential solution.
APPROACH & SOLUTION
Our first step to solving the condensation issue was to perform an on-site investigation of the existing system and gather equipment information. Collaborating with a testing and balancing contractor, we performed an air balance study that analyzed the airflow between the rooms in the facility. Using the collected airflow data and information on the equipment performance and operational conditions, we were able to calculate for the optimal equipment performance needed to prevent the formation of condensation.
RESULT & BENEFIT
At the conclusion of the analysis, EAD provided our client with a comprehensive report detailing the root cause of the condensation. The report outlined a short-term, low cost solution for optimizing the existing equipment and ductwork to enhance the system performance. We also recommended and provided a cost estimate for new equipment and for upsizing and replacing existing equipment as a long-term, permanent solution to completely eliminate the condensation issue. The food processor was so pleased with our evaluation that they requested we conduct the study at their multiple other US facilities.