82 | nzdairy Time to update your milk cooling system Kim Newth “There are a number of things farmers can think about when it comes to assessing a replacement system. With lower emissions gases now starting to become available in new milk refrigeration systems, farmers do need to be asking questions about what gas type it uses and if they’ll be able to access these gases in the future. They also need to assess the overall ef ciency of the system and consider full life cycle economics – that is, how much energy will it use and how long it will last.” On the face of it, holding onto an old milk cooling system seems like the right choice when times are tight. Yet there are compelling nancial and environmental reasons to make the switch to a well-supported, ef cient new system. That’s the advice of Fonterra Farm Source’s Paul Mulligan, who says it’s worth remembering that upfront costs of a modern milk cooling solution will be offset by future savings and improved performance. Modern, well-designed milk cooling systems include heat recovery systems to generate hot water. As Paul points out, as refrigeration units extract heat energy from milk, there is an opportunity to capture that heat energy and use it in a dairy shed to generate hot water. “Heating water to wash the milking plant is the single biggest shed-related energy cost for many dairy farmers. Getting an ef cient new milk refrigeration system will go a long way towards mitigating that cost.” Our high quality milk is due to the practices and hygiene of our farmers, it’s not due to meeting an MPI standard. On-farm milk refrigeration systems play a signi cant role in helping maintain New Zealand’s reputation for producing high quality, safe and nutritious milk. Paul also explains that there are also associated environmental and cost bene ts that should be taken into account when considering a new system. Farmers may not be aware that the refrigerant gases historically used in New Zealand milk chilling systems are currently being phased out and replaced with alternative refrigerant gases that are friendlier on the environment. This phase-out of these gases is driving up recharge costs. Paul says an emergency replenishment of gas into a leaky refrigeration system can DAIRY SERVICES » Refrigeration & Heating Systems • to page 84 As refrigeration units extract heat energy from milk, there is an opportunity to capture that heat energy and use it in a dairy shed to generate hot water. Compliant Cooling Solutions Service Like No Other Dairy Refrigeration REFRIGERATION • AIR CONDITIONING • ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS • Milk Silo Refrigeration • Conventional Refrigeration • Water Chilling • Solar Installation • Pre Cooler Design • Hot Water Recovery • Boost Systems • Electronic Valves Qualified and experienced engineers offer options for dairy farm refrigeration and process cooling From standard refrigeration to complete cooling solutions giving water conservation and effluent efficiency REFRIGERATION / AIR CONDITIONING / ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS 9 Sim Place, Ashburton / www.stewartandholland.co.nz
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