Gert-Jan van Raaij is a person, who does not like the limelight. The modest grower remains at a distance, when we come to have a look at the building of his new premises at the St.Hubertsroad in Haps. Van Raay prefers that Jos Joosten and Ranny van Raay of the firm Trintech explain. "They can do much better than I can, I am rather involved with the cultivation, that is my interest," he says. The grower walks away to continue his work. At this moment people are working hard at his new processing company, which will replace the old company in Nijmegen, from where he had to move because of the new bridge over the river Waal.
“Gert-Jan said, that he would build a new company and he said that he would look at all possibilities to make the new-built as sustainable and innovative as possible" said Jos Joosten of Trintech. Together with the grower and technical advisor Ranny van Raay we have looked at all possibilities and a sustainable concept was developed. "After looking at all the options of organic fermentation to heat pumps we studied possibilities to win back heat from storage cells with chicory roots" as per Ranny.
“This system to recover heat from roots in the cold store appeared to fit in well with the general process of the chicory cultivation. In autumn the roots are harvested and stored in the five cold stores. There the temperature is about minus 2 degrees. A quantity of low-value heat is produced. This heat can be used well in the cells, but also to heat the entire premises including the canteen and the office."
Thanks to the system the company does not need a connection to the gas network. Joosten: There is no gas connection and also no stoke installation, because thanks to the system more than enough heat is available for the entire company. As a result from now on the chicory is not only organic but also sustainable."
The chicory roots are cooled in cold stores to two degrees centigrade. Thanks to the heat re-winning installation, which has been integrated in the cooling system, surplus heat which normally is destroyed outside in the condenser, can be recovered from the cool medium. This heat is stored in a buffer vessel and used to heat water wells and the air temperature in the cells.
As the season goes on less and less cooling capacity is required for the storage of the roots, but more cooling for the water wells and the air in the cells during the summer period. The trick with this is that with one cooling installation both the storage of the chicory roots and the cooling/heating of the water wells and cells is arranged. The control of all processes is realised by client specified software.
For more information:
Trintech B.V.
10, Nijverheidsweg
6691 EZ Gendt
Tel: 0031 481 421 867
www.trintech.nl
[email protected]