Wine Warehouse Installs High-Efficiency Ventilation
To enhance its wine warehousing facilities, L.S. Solland, a distributor for A/S Vinmonopolet, Oslo, Norway, installed a Fibertec KE-Inject system, combining mixing and displacement ventilation. The system is engineered to ensure completely uniform temperature distribution in a refrigerated warehouse.
The 70'-high storage room is filled and emptied of product by means of fully automatic cranes running between the 17 shelf sections. Room temperature is set at 59°F with a tolerance of +/-4°F, measured both horizontally and vertically.
When choosing the high-room ventilation system, optimum use of the room's total storage capacity was a key criterion. By placing the KE-Inject ducts inside the shelf system, space was allowed for an extra Euro-pallet per section—equivalent to 650,000 extra bottles of wine compared to what could be stored in a traditional sub-ceiling ventilation duct configuration.
Another important benefit of the duct positioning is the much-improved access to the ducts at floor level, both for installation and for future maintenance.
The high-induction fabric ventilation system offers sufficient jet velocity to ensure thermal penetration during the winter heating season. The risk of creating "dead zones" or areas of air stagnation is reduced to a minimum.
Another potential problem, common with air injection through small-orifice nozzles and long duct sections, is variation in air quantities per running unit duct length. This is caused by differences in static pressure between duct inlet and outlet. The KE-Inject is designed to deliver uniform air all across the storage room and to maintain efficient air-flow temperature distribution throughout.
The system is said to be easy to install and maintain, neutral in terms of impact on warehouse construction design (occupying no room height). And it comes with a 5-year warranty.
For more info: Michael Woolsey, senior partner, KE Fibertec North America, Oro Valley, AZ, 877-229-0695 (toll-free) or mewoolsey@kefibertec.com.
Edited by Judy Rice