IceDry – 10 års kamp mod is og rim er slut!

Martin Olsson er Sveriges største leverandør af fødevarer og drikkevarer til restaurationsbranchen. I det 1.890 m² store kølelager i Stockholm oplevede man reelle problemer med is- og rimdannelser inde i kølelageret og i de to luftsluser. ”Vi har meget hyppig gaffeltrucktrafik ind og ud af det -26ºC kolde kølelager. Op til 50 gange i timen,” fortæller Lars Sandell, teknisk driftsleder hos Martin Olsson. ”Varm, fugtig luft kom ind i de to luftsluser og dannede rim og is alle vegne. Vi brugte formentlig totalt set 15-20 timer om ugen på at fjerne is på forskellige måder. Men det værste var, at isen også gjorde gulvene glatte. Nogle gange var der reelle bakker af is på gulvet.” ”Det var svært at bevæge sig effektivt rundt, og det førte til en øget risiko for ulykker,” fortsætter Roland Sacco. Munters’ løsning på problemet var at installere en IceDry-affugter i hver af de to luftsluser, så luften, der bliver blæst ind i luftsluserne, var tør og ikke kunne danne rim og is. ”Der blev hurtigt frit for is og rim,” siger Lars Sandell. ”Det har gjort en kæmpe forskel. Den tiårige kamp mod is er endelig slut. Vi har opnået en højere effektivitet og en bedre levetid for kølebatterierne, fordi de ikke længere er dækkede af is og dermed overbelastede. Vi har også set en yderligere forøgelse af effektiviteten i vores arbejde, fordi gulvene ikke længere er glatte. Men vi har ikke kun opnået fordele set fra et driftssynspunkt, men også mindst lige så meget fra et miljømæssigt synspunkt. Vi har opnået et sikrere og meget mere behageligt arbejdsklima.”

Frequent forklift truck traffic in and out of the -26ºC cold store

“We have very frequent forklift truck traffic in and out of the -26ºC cold store. Up to 50 times an hour,” Lars Sandell, the technical operations manager at Martin Olsson, tells us. “Warm, moist air was entering into the two air locks and forming frost and ice everywhere. We were probably spending a total of 15-20 hours a week removing the ice in different ways. But the worst thing was that it was just in the air locks and the ice created slippery floors. Sometimes there were actual hills of ice on the floor.” “It was difficult to move around efficiently and it led to an increased risk of accidents,” foreman Roland Sacco continues.

IceDry dehumidifier solved the issues in the cold store

Munters’ solution to the problem was installing an IceDry dehumidifier in each of the two air locks so that the air supplied to the air locks was dry and could not form frost and ice. "Soon it was completely free of ice and frost," Lars Sandell continues. “It has made a real change. The ten-year battle against the ice is finally over. We have achieved a greater degree of efficiency and greater service life for the cooling batteries as they are no longer iced up and therefore overloaded. We have also seen a further increase in efficiency in our work, as the floors are no longer slippery. However, we have not only gained from an operational point of view but also at least as much from an environmental point of view. We have achieved a safer and much more pleasant working environment.”