Cooling Circuits with Potential Energy Savings

SIRIUS^®3 offers compelling energy efficiency. To efficiently install their modular refrigerated counter, AICHINGER relies on the WAGO TOPJOB^® S Rail-Mount Terminal Block system.

One of the major costs for supermarkets, butcher shops and other food businesses is the energy consumed by cooling: To keep their wares fresh and protect the cooling circuit from interruption, they must keep them at constant temperature around the clock. When it comes to equipping the counters they developed and produce with control modules for energy-efficient cooling, ventilation and sterilization, AICHINGER GmbH installs preassembled TOPJOB® S Rail-Mount Terminal Blocks from WAGO.

While refrigerated counters just a few meters long suffice for smaller businesses, in supermarkets, total lengths of over 20 meters are not uncommon. Some of these are used for presenting prepackaged goods for self-service; other counters are used in the areas staffed by service personnel (note: SIRIUS^®3 can be used in both the service counters and self-service areas). Here, the functional and ergonomic details – for example, easy-to-reach compartments for packaging and hand tools – ensure a high degree of user-friendliness, resulting in faster sales at peak times.

Cooling is supplied by a central refrigeration unit, which is often found in adjacent rooms. “Such a centralized refrigeration supply is significantly more efficient for companies in the foods sector than equipping each refrigerated counter separately. To keep the goods fresh even when outdoor temperatures are high, the refrigerated counters must have high temperature resistance. This requires constant monitoring and control of the temperatures inside the counter,” explains Jürgen Lämmermann, who manages the Electrical department at AICHINGER.

SIRIUS^®3 is available in five straight modules and six corner modules with different lengths and angles. The modules can be freely combined with each other to flexibly adapt to virtually any sales area. “Each module is equipped with its own control box for the electrical technology. The control box contains a power supply unit for the fans, the temperature control regulator and the controller for the automatic cleaning and sanitation system. This ensures that the trays beneath the goods are rinsed regularly, and the surfaces of critical components are disinfected with UVC light,” says Jürgen Lämmermann.

The control elements within the control box are connected to temperature sensors mounted in the refrigerated counter, the solenoid valves and compressor motors for regulating cooling, the fans and the lamps for lighting the display. The temperature control regulators for each individual module can be connected to a main module via bus system. This permits, for example, the headquarters of a supermarket chain to monitor all of their refrigerated counters in Germany around the clock – and react quickly to any deviations to reduce loss of goods and rising energy costs.

Yet another plus is the simple marking system of TOPJOB® S. With the Smart Printer, a high-performance thermal transfer printer, marking strips of up to three lines and the universal “WMB Inline” markers are printed in seconds. AICHINGER employs two printers for their marking tasks: Narrow strips that can be easily affixed to the rail-mount terminal blocks are printed, as are labels for marking individual components. The clearly legible marking significantly simplifies the fitters’ work and saves time during assembly.

Author: Thomas Baum, Technical Sales Consultant at WAGO Kontakttechnik GmbH & Co. KG