50kW Process Cooling for Food Manufacturers
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The Challenge
Production Disruption in Food Manufacturing
The client operates a mid-sized food processing facility in the East Midlands, producing chilled ready meals for several major UK supermarket chains. Their existing third-party 50kW process cooling system, installed over a decade ago, had been struggling for two seasons. Inconsistent water temperatures were causing their sealing and portioning lines to run slower than spec, and during a particularly warm spell in late summer, a compressor failure brought production to a complete halt for 11 hours.
The financial impact was immediate. An 11-hour stoppage meant missed delivery slots and penalty clauses from retail customers. The operations director knew they couldn’t go another season relying on ageing equipment, but they also couldn’t afford another major disruption while sourcing a replacement.
They needed a seamless replacement that matched their facility’s footprint but offered the reliability their ageing equipment lacked, along with remote monitoring for easy system status checks. Rapid Chillers was recommended by a refrigeration contractor already familiar with our chiller contingency planning capabilities.
The Survey
Full Thermal Load & System Assessment
Our engineer visited the site within 48 hours of the initial enquiry. Rather than simply measuring for a replacement, we carried out a full thermal load assessment of the production facility — reviewing the process water circuit layout, the heat rejection requirements of each line, the ambient conditions in the plant room, and the existing pipework and electrical supply.
Our findings confirmed the root issue immediately. The original chiller had been slightly undersized for the facility’s actual peak demand — it was rated to handle around 44kW but was regularly being asked to manage closer to 50kW during summer production peaks. That shortfall, combined with years of deferred maintenance, had worn the system down far ahead of its expected service life.
The Solution
Precision Specification & Seamless Installation
We specified and supplied a 50kW process water chiller purpose-built for continuous-duty food industry use. The unit features scroll compressor technology for low-noise, energy-efficient operation; a stainless steel evaporator suitable for food-grade water circuits; and a fully programmable controller with remote monitoring capability, allowing the client’s team to check system status without entering the plant room.
Installation was completed over a planned maintenance weekend. Our team completed mechanical and electrical connections, pressure testing, system charging, and full commissioning within the agreed window. By Monday morning, process water was flowing at the correct supply temperature of 8°C — right on spec for the client’s portioning and sealing lines.
For clients with larger multi-zone or high-capacity operations, Rapid Chillers also supplies 50kW chillers capable of handling significantly higher thermal loads across multiple production lines simultaneously.
Our chiller hire service also provides flexible access to the same systems with full support included.
The Result
Measurable Gains Across the Production Floor
Since commissioning, the facility has run through one full production year — including two summer peaks — without a single cooling-related stoppage. Process water temperature stability has improved from a variance of ±2.5°C under the old system to ±0.4°C with the new unit, which the production team says has made a measurable difference to line throughput and product consistency.
Energy monitoring data from the first six months showed a 14% reduction in electricity consumption compared with the same period the previous year — a direct result of moving from an ageing, inefficient machine running at the edge of its capacity to a correctly sized, modern unit operating well within its design envelope.
The operations director summed it up simply: no alarms, no call-outs, no missed deliveries. For a food manufacturer in a competitive retail supply chain, that kind of reliability isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s fundamental to the business.
If your production depends on reliable food cooling performance and your current system is failing, get in touch with Rapid Chillers.
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