Appliance Design - January 2009 - (Page 48)

ASSOCIATION REPORT: NAFEM Chairman of the ASTM F26 Committee on Commercial Foodservice Equipment, and member of the Technical Liaison Committee, North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers Dipak J. Negandhi C Energy Efficient Designs for Foodservice Equipment efficient equipment through a combination of timetested methods and innovative tools. For starters, the application of alternate methods of energy dispersion that inherently reduces total energy used, such as efficient gas burners or improved refrigeration coefficient of performance (COP), is gaining popularity. Improved methods of insulating the heating or cooling chamber have increased the ability to capture and contain existing energy and minimize losses. Variable-speed drive motors are being used for significant reduction of total power consumption of mechanical and ventilation equipment. Waste energy recovery, by preheating or precooling incoming fluid flow (air, water, or steam) is a proven technique used in equipment design. These additional heat exchangers typically increase initial cost of equipment and sometimes the systems add to operating costs, but improve overall efficiency. Another practice that is widely found in commercial foodservice equipment is the availability of instant energy to heat or cool. Earlier designs tended to maintain peak operations all the time. By incorporating reliable feedback and control systems in thermal designs, energy efficient equipment delivers “On Demand” performance. Operation is at 100 percent performance with an automatic “stand by” mode during off-peak periods. This technique has yielded significant energy savings, specifically in commercial kitchen ventilation (CKV) systems. One of the more powerful tools that equipment designers have at their disposal is also one of the most recent. The ASTM Standard 2687-07 – Standard Practice for Life Cycle Cost Analysis of Commercial Food Service Equipment, allows a user or manufacturer to estimate the savings from reduced operating energy expense relative to higher initial costs. A working template for practical analysis is available for download from www. NAFEM.org. The template, which was prepared through an all-industry effort coordinated by the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM), is a unique tool designers can rely on to meet today’s market demands. Finally, designers can never under estimate the power of meeting first-hand with operators, through events like the biennial NAFEM Show — www.thenafemshow.org. Through face-to-face idea and solutions exchanges, engineers can listen, learn, and demonstrate how innovative design can help customers survive, compete, and thrive, even in a complicated and challenging environment. < www.applianceDESIGN.com ommercial foodservice kitchens are complicated and challenging environments. Not only does the equipment need to perform reliably under demanding conditions, it also needs to efficiently convert energy into food products to help operators survive, compete, and thrive. Typically, a commercial kitchen consumes five times more energy per square foot than the rest of the building. In fact, a recent study by Penn State University for the Department of Energy (DOE), found that approximately 35 percent of the building’s energy is used to fuel commercial foodservice equipment. The Food Service Technology Center (FSTC) in San Ramon, Calif., supports these facts, as well. According to FSTC research, the commercial foodservice sector annually uses $10 billion or 0.35 quads (quadrillion BTUs), for cooking, holding, and refrigerated storage. Of this, it is realistically feasible to reduce energy consumption by 30 percent, saving an estimated $3 billion (or 0.11 quads of energy) annually. Designing equipment to perform as expected requires engineers to consider a variety of factors: equipment type, application, safety, regulatory or code requirement, along with equipment function, “must have” criteria, and those “nice to have” features that may be upgraded with minimal constraints. Where applicable, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star rating criteria can also be a design specification. At any establishment outside the home where food is prepared and served, six categories of foodservice equipment can be found: 4Cooking and warming – including griddles, fryers, ranges, ovens, char-broilers, steamers, kettles, food warmers, and combination ovens. 4Dispensing equipment – such as those used for hot or cold beverages, ice, and even powered condiment dispensers for ketchup or mustard. 4Mechanical equipment – such as cutters, choppers, peelers, slicers, mixers, and conveyor systems. 4Refrigeration – including standard refrigerators, freezers, walk-ins, display cases, icemakers, dispensers, cold food counters, and prep tables. 4Ware washing – including dishes, pots and pans, glass, trash pulverizers and compactors. 4Ventilation and Air make up – including Type I, Type II, or ventless hoods and utility chase systems. Engineers are meeting the challenge by designing 48 applianceDESIGN January 2009 http://www.NAFEM.org http://www.thenafemshow.org http://www.appliancedesign.com

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Appliance Design - January 2009 Contents Editorial Shipments/Forecasts News Watch Supplier Spotlights Commercial Appliances Plastics & Parts Electronics Motors Design Marts Association Report: NAFEM Advertiser’s Index

Appliance Design - January 2009

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