Project:
Case Farms, Dudley, North Carolina
The Challenge:
As part of a 61,000 square-foot facility expansion and renovation at Case Farms, ColonialWebb Contractors designed and constructed a complete refrigeration system and other necessary equipment for the mechanical room and truck doors.
Case Farms demanded an accelerated project schedule and awarded us the contract based upon our quality reputation and our known ability to adhere to tight deadlines.
Our Approach:
ColonialWebb relied upon a close working relationship with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, plant operators, general contractors and subcontractors to develop a specific plan of action.
Our plan called for:
- Ammonia refrigeration system
- Blast chillers
- Freezers
- Insulated panels
- Controls and electrical panel construction
- Conditioning of the entire production area
We set up refrigeration in several special-purpose areas: an ingredient room, a product cooler, a frozen storage area and a -40 degree blast freezer. To supply cooling for the refrigerated spaces, ColonialWebb established a completely new ammonia engine room.
As an innovative aspect of the project, we provided and installed three state-of-the-art ACU air hygienic units. The units were among the first to use dehumidifier desiccant wheels to remove humidity from the production areas.
To address the time element, ColonialWebb designed the engine room’s main piping headers to fit on and be supported by a central core racking system. We fabricated the rack and piping in our manufacturing plant and then transported them as one unit. This approach limited the amount of on-site assembly. The delivery arrived at the same time as the major refrigeration equipment, so all pieces could be set with the same crane.
We used the same method of prefabrication to assemble all other pipe stands and valve trains. This approach, coupled with a coordinated schedule of work crews, contributed to a quick turnaround.