Our Facility
Cape Fruit Coolers, a company with significant stakeholders in the fresh fruit distribution chain, specializes in the cooling, storage, and dispatch of a diverse range of fruits.
The operations begin in November with table grapes, followed by various deciduous fruits, such as apples and pears, a wide variety of citrus fruits, avocados, sub-tropical fruits, pomegranates, blueberries, and small quantities of vegetables like sweet potatoes.
To meet the shipping schedules of conventional refrigerated vessels transporting citrus to the United States and container ships carrying various fruits to international markets, the storage facility needs to operate round the clock for at least 11 months of the year.
This 24/7 operation ensures timely delivery and maintains the freshness and quality of the fruits during transportation.
The CFC complex in Richmond Park features a central system consisting of three Mycom screw packages connected to an ammonia circuit. This circuit comprises two evaporative condensers (BAC CXVE 628), a receiver, an accumulator drum, two horizontal pumper drums, and 74 flooded evaporator blower coils.
All the coils in the system are constructed with stainless steel tubes and aluminum fins. Among the compressors, two are equipped with Mycom 250VLD models, featuring 450 kW motors, while the third compressor utilizes a Mycom 250VSD model with a 315 kW motor.
In compliance with the sterilization requirements set by the US, the palletized citrus fruits undergo a cooling process for a duration of 72 hours. During the final 24 hours of this process, the fruit is maintained at a temperature of -0.6°C.
During the initial pull-down phase, all compressors are engaged to provide maximum cooling capacity.
As the cooling load decreases over time, a cycling mechanism is employed to optimize the performance efficiency of each compressor.
To ensure optimal plant efficiency, a sophisticated Scada electronic plant management system continuously monitors and adjusts operating parameters.
The design of the plant room layout takes into account future expansion, allowing for a 30% increase in cooling load at a later stage.
Compliance with fire regulations necessitates the installation of two water storage tanks and a pump house.
The process of cooling products is facilitated through forced air-cooling tunnels equipped with vertical fixed galvanized steel racking. Within each tunnel, there are three centrally positioned suction fans, each boasting a diameter of 1,000mm and powered by 5.5kW motors. To ensure optimal power usage and accommodate specific cooling programs, variable frequency drives (VFDs) are installed in conjunction with each fan motor. These VFDs enable the adjustment of fan speeds as per the cooling requirements.
Upon completion of the cooling process in the tunnels, the cooled pallets are transferred to five conventional atmosphere cold rooms. In anticipation of future requirements, one of the holding rooms features embedded rails for mobile racking, allowing for the potential installation of a mobile racking system at a later stage.
