Keeping products cool without polluting
The Wedgwood factory has resolved the conundrum of how to meet Heath and Safety issues on cooling without introducing pollutants into the atmosphere.
The world famous Wedgwood factory in Stoke on Trent has resolved the conundrum of how to meet Heath and Safety issues on cooling without introducing pollutants into the atmosphere. Wedgwood has installed five Breezair evaporative cooling units within the flat shop on the first floor of the factory and has also purchased an additional four mobile Breezair units, which are used for spot cooling throughout the factory. All the Breezair systems were designed and supplied by Works Base Cooling in Bury St.
Edmunds, a leading supplier of evaporative air-cooling systems throughout the country.
Cooling within factories where kilns, ovens or furnaces are being used is always a health and safety problem.
Winter temperatures in the flat shop at the Wedgwood factory could reach up to 32degC due to the fact that the fine china has to be produced in a near sealed environment to prevent any pollutants contaminating the product.
Such is Wedgwood’s determination to ensure that its white china stays pure that it even filters the gas it uses as well as the water used in the manufacturing process.
Producing the china begins with the spray dryer, which forms the clay into granules.
This is then put into storage bins.
The granules are then vacuum sucked out of the bin into a hopper, then released in to the tool mechanism where the clay is pressed out into china plates.
Finally, the product is put onto a conveyor and then robotically placed onto the kiln car truck.
Being located in a high conductive unit heat expelled by the kilns is retained throughout the process and transferred to the workstations causing extremely high temperatures.
Historically, Wedgwood had used large ceiling fans, but this only recirculated the hot air.
The factory had never managed to crack the problem of providing cooling for the workstation areas where the workforce had to endure the high temperatures during long shifts.
The price of air conditioning was too prohibitive and other forms of cooling were rejected as they could result in contaminants entering the factory.
Evaporative coolers contain large filter pads, which are kept wet by a water distribution system.
Hot air is drawn through the pads by a powerful centrifugal fan and is cooled by the evaporative process.
In this way, the air is cooled without introducing any water droplets through aerosols to provide a constant flow of naturally, cooled, fresh air, without any air being recirculated.
The water scrubs out any impurities so water evaporated is pure and clean.
This method of cooling not only meet Wedgwood’s requirement for a pollutant free environment but also as the Breezair provides a gentle breeze rather than blowing cool air it would not circulate dust particles.
The five units have been strategically placed to provide cooling at each workstation reducing the temperatures by around 5øC, which has made a tremendous difference to the workforce.
‘The Breezair has worked really well and there have been some very positive benefits’, says Mark Andrew, Group Quality Improvement Manager at Wedgwood.
‘We have resolved the Health and Safety issue and although unquantified will have positive effects on absenteeism and production.’ Regarded as the most advanced evaporative cooling technology in the world, the environmentally friendly Breezair system is economic to install, cost effective to run and consumes less energy than conventional air-conditioning systems.
Far more versatile than standard cooling methods, Breezair is capable of providing sufficient cool air to overflow and prevent hot air entering a building.
Originally founded by Josiah Wedgwood in 1759, the Wedgwood name is synonymous with fine china and is renowned throughout the world.
All through the years Wedgwood has been sold to kings, queens, tsars, emperors and sultans and is universally prized and collected
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