RCL Foods Warehouse

RCL Foods’ Project Gold Dust entailed the establishment of a new processing facility for a new product using flour produced by the mill. The project expands over the two existing levels within the part of the existing D-Store building.

The building required various alterations and repairs to accommodate the new processing equipment and to provide a food-safe environment to produce the new product within the existing D-Store.

The three areas that were worked on include the ground floor milling area with the cleaning room, the blower room, and the first-floor milling area.

DSP Consulting (Mechanical) was appointed to supply mechanical ventilation services required for the smooth operation of this manufacturing plant, while maintaining comfortable, clean, and healthy air quality conditions, all within the SANS and global standards and specifications.

The ground floor and first floor of the D-Store have been mechanically ventilated by filtered fresh air, supplied by an adjustable pitch axial fan on the south wall behind the cleaning room. The supply fan is complete with a VSD drive and magnehelic pressure gauge. The filter banks consist of a removable and washable primary G4 filter, and a removable and single use secondary F7 filter for the capturing of very fine dust particles. Sound attenuators are installed with the fan to reduce the noise levels caused by the system. The supply ducting is stainless steel according to SANS 1238 and to comply with food safety regulations. The cleaning room has fresh air supplied by the ground floor system and extracted through a separate grille.

On the ground floor two extraction fans (one axial fan, one tube fan) at the northern windows are installed to create a cross flow of the supplied air. On the first floor two axial extraction fans at the western windows are installed with VSD.  A nominally positive pressure is maintained in the space by extracting only 80% of the supply air. The extraction ducting isbe galvanised steel. The extraction systems are fitted with a return air grille each.

The blower has been mechanically ventilated by filtered fresh air, supplied by an adjustable pitch axial fan positioned vertically on the first floor with VSD and magnehelic pressure gauge. The fresh air outlet enters the blower room from the first floor above. The filter banks consist of a removable and washable primary G4 filter. Sound attenuators are installed with the fan to reduce the noise levels caused by the system. The supply grilles with opposed blade dampers are installed and manually adjusted to provide well spread airflow to the room. The supply ducting is galvanised steel.
An extraction fan is located in the blower room and is fitted with two sound attenuators. The extraction ducting is also galvanised steel. A manual damper has been installed.

Post-commissioning of the aforementioned systems an addition axial fan is to be installed on the first floor, with a VSD, at the risen control platform in the middle of the room, for the cooling of the operators, and the direction of dust and flour particles from the equipment away from the operator and equipment. This fan shall be fitted with a sound attenuator and four supply grilles, with two containing an opposed blade damper.