Daikin Applied UK had the pleasure of supplying two food production AHUs across two separate phases for Vitacress Salads, located in Andover, UK. Due to the primary production being salads, the AHU requirements fell under the high care category, requiring careful consideration for filtration, material choice and temperature control.

AHU construction featured Stainless Steel SS304 internals throughout, including skins, coil mounts, fan bulkhead, coil casings, filter frames and even shut-off dampers. The use of SS304 ensured a high level of corrosion resistance, mitigating the risk of bacteria growth whilst also ensuring internal surfaces are suitable for clean down - maximising hygiene considerations. External surfaces were manufactured using a food-safe precoated panel skin. Filtration included for an ePM Coarse 60% pre filter and an ePM1 95% final filter which exceeded the recommended filtration grade highlighted for high-care applications.

A pre-heat SS304 electric coil was included to temper air during winter months, whilst the main set-point for the food production space was a low temperature of only 1⁰C due to the nature of the food products being produced. Careful consideration and control of temperature had to be made to ensure food production and quality were not affected. To achieve a stable low-temperature supply, a SS304 cased chilled water-cooling coil, complete with copper tubes and aluminium vinyl fins was supplied, sized to deliver the stated set-point. The system was sized with a low flow and return temperature of -3⁰C/+3⁰C and consideration for 30% ethylene glycol.

The airflow was delivered via a high-efficiency EC Fan with an IE5 motor and complete with onboard VSD. The integrated motor and small footprint of the fan allows for ease of maintenance, whilst delivering the airflow requirements at the highest possible efficiency. The fan included a painted frame and base plate, and a composite impeller - ensuring no exposed steel that could otherwise be subject to corrosion and harbouring of bacteria. The thermal performance of the AHU was rated to T2/TB2, and L2 leakage as per BS EN 1886, a DAPUK construction standard.