Glen Dimplex Thermal Solutions recently entered the dairy market to provide reliable and expandable chiller solutions for milking operations. Steve Weisman from American Dairymen highlighted our P Series in advance of last year’s World Dairy Expo. As we prepare for the World Ag Expo in California Feb. 12-14, we invite you to learn more about our dairy market capabilities. Visit us at World Ag Expo in Booth #6728 in the Farm Credit Dairy Center or contact us to learn more.
Glen Dimplex Thermal Solutions Offers Producers Reliable and Expandable Chiller Systems.
By Steve Weisman
For dairy producers, the collection of quality milk requires a lot of planning and care. It all starts with healthy cattle free of disease. After that, the producer must make sure that a safe and proper milk processing is established from milk collection to an approved tank. A critical time during the milking process is cooling the milk from 100 degrees Fahrenheit to 40 degrees Fahrenheit within 30 minutes to prevent the development of harmful bacteria. Cooling this milk can be accomplished a couple of ways: with a refrigerated tank or through a plate cooler. Glen Dimplex Thermal Solutions (www.dimplexthermal.com), also known as GDTS, now offers dairy producers a simpler and more reliable cooling solution.
GDTS, which has been known for its outstanding chillers and coolers in the industrial and medical markets for more than 60 years, has recently entered the dairy market. The Koolant Koolers brand chiller has a strong reputation in the industrial process cooling and medical imaging markets with a reputation known for its robust and reliable performance. With more than 60,000 chillers in the field, the Koolant Koolers chiller is no stranger to extreme and harsh ambient conditions, dirty, dusty, corrosive or oily air conditions, while providing consistent temperature control and efficient, dependable operation.
According to Bonnie Martens, GDTS Marketing Communications Manager, “We are now just entering the dairy market. We believe our expertise in the industrial and medical markets will transfer into the dairy industry. We have spent the past two years visiting with dairy producers, listening to their needs and suggestions. We realized we have the experience in designing and manufacturing chillers that can provide an all-in-one system that will save money, space and time, while improving the cooling requirements for the milking process.”
GDTS has been the premier provider of OEM medical imaging fluid cooling equipment for use with MRIs with a track record of 99.96 percent uptime with more than 1,400 MRI chillers in North America. Denise Klaren, New Business Development Manager, shares the company’s excitement of entering the dairy market. “We really believe our history in both the medical and industrial areas make us a good fit in the dairy industry. Our chillers offer exactly what dairy producers need no matter the size of their milking operation.”
At the Kalamazoo, Michigan facility, which is the central location for the engineering and manufacturing of the Koolant Koolers brand, all chillers undergo thorough testing in an environment, which reflects the conditions the equipment will face in the field.
GDTS has several chiller models ranging from 1/8 ton to more than 90 tons but one chiller design may be the answer to ever-expanding dairy farms. GDTS has designed a pressurized closed loop chiller featuring an oxygen-free system that prevents evaporation and biological growth in water-only systems and extends life for water-glycol systems. This chiller, the P Series is also a self-contained unit with its own tank, pump and header piping to be a scalable system. In the 40 tons and larger, dual refrigeration circuits are available in each module for improved uptime through component redundancy. When reliability is so important, redundant systems provide confidence that the system will function every second of every day.
Since the P Series can be utilized as a single self-contained module, it works well for both the small and large producer. The P Series has modules for 5 tons to 90 tons of cooling, and with its unique design, it can easily connect more modules with the series, and as a result, actually providing 100s of tons of cooling. Each module is able to operate as a stand-alone chiller that is equipped with its own controller. When the need for more cooling is realized, new modules can be added that not only increases cooling capacity but also component and system redundancy.
When individual modules are connected, the master controller intelligently rotates each compressor in each module into lead position providing even and extended wear of the compressors, as well as energy efficiency to match the process cooling output and capacity demand. Since each module has its own refrigeration system, adding modules provides system redundancy while allowing for independent maintenance without production interruption, since individual modules can be manually isolated. Multiple building communication protocols are available for remote monitoring of predictive maintenance and service issues.
In working with one Midwest dairy producer, Klaren noted the difference a P Series system would make. “The original equipment included five compressors, a pump, tank and evaporator, which was all housed indoors and individual pieces. The barn was approximately 40’ x 60’ building, and all of the equipment took up nearly two thirds of the building. Our two 60-ton system is 194” x 96” – that’s 16’ x 8’! On top of that, because the P Series can handle ambient temperatures between -20 degrees and 120 degrees, we can install the system outside the barn. Think of the space that we can save for the producer.”
If expansion is in the future for this producer, the P Series is easily adaptable. “Since each module is self-contained, we can easily add another module to this unit,” says Klaren. “In the future if there is an issue, only the module that needs service is affected. The entire unit keeps performing. We have a 24-7 service team that will take care of the situation.”
With its pressurized system, scalability and redundant design capabilities, the P Series offers dairy producers more for the lowest total cost of ownership, Klaren adds, “We believe our P Series will be a difference maker for dairy producers. GDTS offers an 18-month warranty on all parts and labor. We also have over 600 certified contractors to work with dairy producers. We also offer a training program to help other contractors become certified. In this short time, we have had an excellent response to the P Series, and we look forward to helping more dairy producers with their milking systems.”
Each year dairy producers across the country attend the annual World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. Martens and Klaren note that GDTS will be a first-time exhibitor at the 2018 World Dairy Expo. Martens says, “Stop by the Trade Center and visit our booth-#947 to enter your name for a drawing and to receive a free gift.”
