Retrofit, build, or go cloud/colo? Choosing your best direction
Tech Cold Brochure
2. The TechCold Solution
TechCold International (TCI) is on the cutting edge of energy saving refrigeration control technology. With
a proven track record of delivering effective control solutions for over 10 years, TechCold provides both
the technological solutions to control system challenges and the know-how for implementation in today’s
global markets.
TechCold’s mission is the reduction of energy consumption, helping organizations increase profitability
while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This mission has led to the development of TechCold’s line of
control products.
TCI’s energy saving technology ties in seamlessly with existing refrigeration control systems or can be
part of a new control implementation.
TechCold Values
• Integrity – in all business dealings
• Honesty – in all communications
• Dedication – to service in all projects
• Respect – for all stakeholders
3. TechCold’s Core Strategies
TechCold International has built its business around the fundamental belief that to be a leader in the
global refrigeration control industry, the company must focus on the following:
People
TechCold‘s employees are highly skilled professionals who will
work for you. We can provide the information and technical
support necessary to maintain the most efficient and effective
refrigeration control solution to meet your needs. Whether it‘s
software development, PLC programming, engineering or
instrumentation…we have the people.
Research & Development
TechCold is on the cutting edge of control technology due in
large part to the never-ending efforts put forth by its
employees to keep abreast of current technologies pertaining
to the mechanical and controls side of industrial refrigeration.
Service
We have developed the infrastructure required to provide you with
sustainable, high quality service regardless of your plant location.
Through alliances with implementers and remote monitoring, we
can help you with any questions or concerns that you may have
about your system.
Quality
By focusing on designing user-friendly systems based on off-the-shelf components, offering tech support
and detailed operational guidelines, you can be assured that we will provide a complete controls package...
for today and tomorrow.
Growth
By providing non-proprietary control solutions and through developing strategic alliances with multi-national
organizations, TechCold is poised to expand its markets on a global scale.
Environment
By reducing energy, we are not only helping you increase your “bottom line”, we are helping you reduce
greenhouse gas emissions which has been proven to be a leading cause of global warming. Through our
extensive R&D efforts, we are continually researching new ways to reduce energy consumption in industrial
refrigeration applications.
4. The TechCold Topology
Without Existing Centralized Control:
The TCI will provide a complete refrigeration control solution, including:
• All necessary hardware for automated I/O (Input/Output)
• All necessary software:
- Operational Parameters
- Graphics
- Alarming
- Trending
- Customized Graphics
With Existing Centralized Control:
The TCI will work with and complement your existing system by:
• Integrating with your PLCs
• Providing high-end operational algorithms to reduce energy use
• Adding customized graphics as necessary
Typical Integration with PLC and Remote
5. Testimonials
We had two other competitors for control systems. TechCold had a great price and great service. In
2010, we will be building a 4Plex and will be putting a new TCI Pro-Act XP Control System in the new
facility.
- Ms. Debbie Allen, Facilities Manager, Quispamsis Memorial Arena, Quispamsis, NB
The staff from (TechCold) has been a pleasure to deal with. They have gone out of their way to
give all four of the City of Fredericton arenas, all of which have Pro-Act Arena Controllers, prompt and
efficient service…….The Controller was installed as an energy saver and has accomplished that task
very well. We have calculated that we have received energy savings in the range of 25%.
- Mike Murray, Facility Manager, Lady Beaverbrook Arena, Fredericton, NB
Since we installed the TCI Refrigeration Control System, it has made life a lot easier for the
refrigeration operators. The refrigeration plant is so stable now. This frees up a lot of time for
the operators to do other things. We were able to cut down on the operator coverage, which is a
substantial yearly savings. We have a lot of peace of mind with the TCI System. I can tell with one
glance how the plant is running.
- Bob Simpson, Chief Engineer, Atlas Cold Storage, Toronto, ON
We are very pleased with the operation and service of our TCI refrigeration Control System. The
system runs very smoothly, and we are already seeing significant energy savings. Our discharge
pressure is constant and we are experiencing fewer and shorter defrost cycles. Our refrigeration
engineers find the interface controls very user friendly and helpful in monitoring our processes.
- Mark Ingerman, Grand Bank Seafoods, Nfld.
The ease of access through PC remote allows regular checking and adjustments, when necessary,
from away with a great number of changes available. It integrated smoothly with our system and has
greatly improved control features and monitoring abilities. The ability to have power save features has
indeed proven itself as well… we have reduced our normal bill by 15-20% on average.
- Peter Frye, Bayside Foods Terminal, NB
TechCold‘s product and systems knowledge has been extremely helpful. Even more important to us
has been the extensive “hands on” familiarity and experience in the area of industrial refrigeration.
– Joel McLaughlin, Paturel International
We have found TechCold to be a highly dedicated and professional company with a strong drive to
deliver a fully integrated quality solution. We found the staff at TechCold to be very knowledgeable of
the refrigeration plant and very willing to work with ourselves and a refrigeration consultant to achieve
a very successful project. We very much look forward to working with TechCold in the future and would
recommend their system to any potential customers.
- Charlie Francis, Technical Director, Eltek Systems Ltd
6. TechCold Solutions
Evaporator Control:
• Discharge pressure reset during hot gas defrost in order to allow reduced head pressure at other times
• Zoned control through separate temperature indications allow “load shifting”
• Anti-stratification fan control instead of continuous operation
• Separate temperature scheduler for each evaporator
• Full temperature alarms with time delays
• Adjusts the defrost frequency based on run time and time of year
• Manual defrost capability
Dynamic Compressor Set Selection:
• Screw compressors are inefficient at low slide valve settings, operates the compressors as close to a
100% slide valve setting as possible
• Adapts well with variable speed compressors
TCI creates and models all possible sets of compressors in software. When in a period of low volatility, the
existing compressor set can be replaced with one of higher efficiency.
Dynamic Discharge Control:
• Discharge must be high enough for proper process control
• Discharge must be as low as effectively possible
TCI floats the discharge pressure based upon the ambient wet bulb conditions and the requirements of the
system. The pressure setpoint will be automatically reset to insure each evaporator has the proper defrost
pressure. Special algorithms prevent over-shoot when discharge pressure setpoint changes. Fixed, 2 speed or
variable speed fan control.
7. Compressor Capacity Modulation:
• Normal lead-lag control often requires more energy than necessary
• At times it is best to use two compressors for modulation while at other times, one is best
• Incorporates variable speed compressor control
TCI calculates part load ratios and determines which compressor(s) to modulate for maximum efficiency.
Ongoing TechCold Initiatives
Dynamic Suction Control:
• Too low a suction pressure wastes energy by decreasing compressor COP
• Too high a suction wastes energy by increasing evaporator runtime
• Suction can be based on the dynamic product or room temperature requirements instead of on a fixed
pressure
TCI allows dynamic reset of the suction pressure to accommodate the present product or room requirements
instead of a “worse case” setpoint.
Refrigeration Plant Health Indication:
• Through real time analysis, TCI indicates abnormalities in the operation of the condenser, compressor
and evaporator components such that proactive maintenance can usually restore proper operation and
gain maximum savings
• Indications of energy use with TCI operation, what it would have been previously and what the
potential is for further savings—all in chart form
8. TechCold’s Operational Screens (partial list)
Compressor Control Screen Condenser Control Screen
Manual Compressor Control
Alarm Screen
Evaporator Control Screen Custom HMI Screens
9. TechCold’s Performance Indicators
Energy Comparison Screen Energy/Demand Cost Calculator
Real-Time Energy Savings
Historical Data Trending
Other TCI Features:
• Full historical trending and automatic report generation software package
• Auto reports can be emailed or printed
• Full HMI package for custom graphics
• Alarm Auto Dialer can dial out on any TCI variable, up to 110 alarms
• Demand and consumption limit control option
• Compressor and suction settings and condenser rankings are saved in “profiles” and can be recalled
at any time
10. Other TechCold Products
Pro-Act “Plus” Ice Rink Controller - Single Pad Arenas
The Pro-Act “Plus” Rink Controller is your feature rich solution for basic rink control, and includes
TechCold’s “TechArena” front-end computer graphics software!
• Controls:
- 1, 2 or 3 compressors
- Cold brine pump
- Alarm relay with 2 dry contacts
• Controls ice temperature based on infra-red or return brine temperatures
• Monitors and alarms on:
- Infra-red ice temperature
- Brine supply and return temperatures
- Brine pump status (or flow with optional flow switch)
• Compressor lock out on:
- Low brine outlet temperature
- Loss of brine flow (with optional flow switch)
• Intelligent pump cycling saves energy by only operating brine
pump when required. Auto-cycle reduces warm spots while in
energy-saving mode
• 4 event x7 day scheduler with TechCold’s “Auto Anticipate”
ensures ice is at set-point when the game starts
• Pro-Act’s exclusive artificial intelligence provides precise
ice temperature readings within 0.1 ºF and control within
0.5 ºF as temperature fluctuations from players and
equipment are ignored with special software
11. Pro-Act “XP” Ice Rink Controller - Single or Multi-Pad Arenas
The Pro-Act “XP” Rink Controller is your all-in-one solution for single and multi-pad arenas, and
includes TechCold’s “TechArena” front-end computer graphics software!
• Controls up to 4 refrigeration systems with 4 ice sheets each
• Controls up to 8 compressors per system
• Controls up to 2 brine pumps per rink
• Controls ice temperature based on infra-red, slab or return brine temperatures
• Controls up to 8 stages of condenser per system with energy saving floating head
pressure control (optional)
• Monitors and Alarms on:
- Infra-red / slab temperature
- Brine inlet and outlet temperatures
- Compressor status
- Brine pump status
- Brine flow status
- Condenser fans/pumps status (optional)
- Discharge pressure (optional)
• Monitors: (optional)
- Ambient temperature
- Ambient humidity
- Suction pressure
• Compressors lock out on freeze protection or loss of brine flow
• Auto change-over feature changes to brine control if the infra-red camera fails
• Intelligent pump cycling saves energy by only operating brine pump when required. Auto-cycle
reduces warm spots while in energy-saving mode
• 4 event x7 day scheduler with TechCold’s “Auto Anticipate” ensures is at set-point when the
game starts
• Pro-Act’s exclusive artificial intelligence provides precise ice temperature
readings within 0.1 ºF and control within 0.5 ºF as temperature
fluctuations from players and equipment are ignored with special
software
• Standard PLC control of devices such as under floor
heat and dehumidifiers
12. Contact Us
For more information about our TechCold products and how we can help your organization become
more energy efficient and profitable in today‘s competitive markets, please refer to the contact
information listed below. We look forward to hearing from you!
TechCold International
127 Rocky Road
Keswick Ridge, NB
Canada E6L 1V1
Toll Free: (800) 807-3282 (DATA)
Telephone: (506) 363-3068
Fax: (506) 363-3069
Email: info@techcold.com
Web: www.techcold.com
www.techcold.com