Equipment Model: KEG-400 Evaporative Condenser

Media: R717 / Ammonia Refrigerant

Quantity: 2 Units

Project Description: Two KEG-400 evaporative condensers were supplied to a food processing project in Russia for the cooling and liquefaction of high-pressure R717 (ammonia) gas. The project overcame the challenge of winter freeze protection in the extremely cold climate, ensuring the green, safe, and stable operation of the large-scale ammonia refrigeration system thanks to its excellent airtightness, corrosion resistance, and high heat exchange efficiency.

Situation

Russia, as the world's largest country by land area, has a massive meat processing, agricultural storage, and modern cold chain logistics industry. Due to the excellent refrigeration efficiency and zero ozone depletion potential (ODP=0, GWP=0) of ammonia (R717) refrigerant, it is widely used in large-scale industrial refrigeration in Russia. The client for this project is a Russian food company whose newly built central cold chain logistics base uses a high-pressure ammonia refrigeration system. Due to the toxicity and flammability of ammonia, the Russian State Technical Supervision Service (Rostechnadzor) imposes extremely stringent standards on the sealing and pressure resistance of related high-pressure vessels and condensing equipment. Furthermore, the long winters in the region, with temperatures dropping to below -30°C, pose a significant risk of freezing for traditional condensing equipment in extremely cold climates, directly threatening system safety.

Task

This project requires the configuration of a condensing core system integrating "ultimate safety, extreme antifreeze, and high energy efficiency."

• Zero-Leakage Safety Assurance: For R717 (ammonia) media, the condensing tube bundle must possess extremely high pressure resistance and perfect welding technology to eliminate any possibility of even the slightest ammonia leakage.

• Extreme Cold Climate Adaptability (Winter Antifreeze): It is essential to ensure that the equipment, water systems, valves, and fans will not freeze and be damaged in the extremely cold Russian winter environment (-30°C or lower), and that reasonable condensing pressure can be maintained.

• High-efficiency heat transfer and long lifespan: The system needs to provide a single unit condensing capacity of up to 400 tons of refrigeration within a limited space, and resist high-pressure erosion from two-phase flow and corrosion from harsh external environments.

Standardized Action

The Shandong Casen heat transfer solutions expert team conducted in-depth research on the Russian climate and regulations, and tailored a complete solution for two KEG-400 evaporative condensers:

• High-standard safety tubing: The condensing coils are made of high-quality seamless steel (or stainless steel) tubing, formed by fully automated CNC bending, and welded under high-purity protective gas. The entire unit undergoes a 3.0MPa airtightness pressure test and rigorous flaw detection to ensure the safe operation of R717 media.

• Dedicated Anti-freezing Design: To cope with the Russian winter shutdown and low-load operation, the equipment is equipped with a water tank electric heater, automatic drain valve, and insulation layer; it features a combined wet and dry operation mode, allowing the spray water system to be shut off in winter, directly switching to pure air-cooled (dry operation) mode, completely eliminating the risk of freezing.

• Overall Hot-Dip Galvanizing Anti-Corrosion Process: After manufacturing, the machine structure and coils undergo overall hot-dip galvanizing treatment, with a zinc layer thickness far exceeding industry standards, providing extremely strong weather resistance and effectively resisting the corrosion of external cold and humid air.

• Intelligent Airflow Regulation and Snow-Proof Fan: Utilizing a high-protection-rating (IP55) explosion-proof motor and low-temperature resistant aluminum alloy fan blades, coupled with a frequency converter, dynamically adjusts the airflow according to the condensing pressure, saving energy and preventing excessively low condenser pressure.

Key Achievements

Two KEG-400 evaporative condensers have successfully commenced operation at a cold chain facility in Russia, achieving milestone results:

• High Standards of Compliance and Safety: Successfully passed Russia's stringent safety and special equipment acceptance tests, maintaining a perfect record of "zero leaks and zero alarms" since project commissioning.

• Successful Passage of Extreme Cold Testing: Under extreme winter conditions of -30°C, the equipment's anti-freeze system responded rapidly, and the switching between dry and wet modes was smooth, with no freezing blockages or pipe bursts occurring.

• Outstanding Energy Saving and Emission Reduction Effects: Compared to traditional air-cooled condensers with water-cooling systems, the KEG series evaporative condensers lower the system condensing temperature by 3°C-5°C, reduce refrigeration compressor energy consumption by over 12%, and reduce water consumption by 50%, significantly lowering the plant's total cost of ownership (TCO).

SMART Metrics

Successfully delivered and connected to the grid for 2 KEG-400 evaporative condensers.

High-pressure ammonia leakage rate: 0% (perfectly passed airtightness inspection).

Compressor overall energy saving rate: >12% (significantly reduced condensing temperature).

Extreme tolerance temperature: Stable operation in winter up to -35℃.

Enhanced corrosion resistance throughout the entire life cycle of heat exchange equipment: 50%

Reusability Takeaways

• Extremely high-safety welding and testing technology for high-risk media (R717/ammonia): Perfectly replicable in chemical industry, heavy industry refrigeration, and other hazardous media cooling projects.

• Combined dry and wet anti-freeze operation technology for high-latitude/cold regions: Provides a standardized anti-freeze engineering model for evaporative cooling/condensation projects in cold-climate countries such as Northern Europe, North America, and Central Asia.

• Full compliance with overseas special equipment specifications: Demonstrates Kaisen's strong capabilities in cross-border complex technology access.