By Eamonn Ryan
EP delivers a future-ready plant for Lactalis Clayville.At Lactalis’ Sanulac Clayville Nutritionals facility, it was specified that the refrigeration system met
all strict global standards for manufacturing infant nutrition products while introducing forward-thinking innovations.
selected on level efficiency. © Cold Link Africa
Infant milk powder is one of the most demanding food products to manufacture. Not only must the process meet the strictest hygiene standards, but it also requires absolute control over temperature, humidity and air quality. For Lactalis, the French dairy giant that acquired Aspen’s infant milk business, upgrading its Sanulac Clayville facility in Midrand was about more than compliance – it was about building a sustainable, future-proof foundation.
At the heart of that foundation lies refrigeration. While air handling units (AHUs) and ducting distribute conditioned air, it
is the new ammonia refrigeration plant, designed and built by Energy Partners Refrigeration (EPR), that supplies the chilled and hot water streams essential for the system’s performance.
WHY AMMONIA, WHY NOW
Choosing the refrigerant was a pivotal decision. EPR and Lactalis opted for ammonia, a natural refrigerant with an Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) and Global Warming Potential (GWP) of zero.
“Ammonia is highly efficient at higher temperatures compared to CO₂ and other natural refrigerants. For this application, it gave us the environmental benefits alongside the performance,” explained EPR engineer and project manager Manie Magnus. The ammonia plant was engineered with a critical charge design, minimizing the amount of refrigerant in circulation while maintaining reliability and safety. This approach reduced environmental risk while still offering the energy efficiency Lactalis required.
The plant produces 2°C ice water without glycol as the secondary refrigerant. While unconventional, this choice was made to meet the strict dehumidification requirements of infant formula production.
“We needed very low supply air temperatures to hit the client’s relative humidity targets. So, 2°C water gave us that precision without introducing glycol into the system,” said Magnus. This not only improved heat transfer but also simplified
water treatment and reduced contamination risks – an essential consideration in high- care dairy environments.
INTEGRATING HEAT RECOVERY
Beyond chilled water, the plant also provides hot water through a heat recovery system. By piggybacking on the client’s existing UHT process cooling towers, EPR installed a new plate heat exchanger to reclaim waste heat before water reached the tower.
The recovered energy now supplies hot water for the facility, with steam available as a backup. This design significantly reduces energy consumption, a benefit magnified
in energy-intensive industries like dairy processing.
South Africa’s water-scarce environment means every drop must count. To address this, EPR integrated adiabatic condensers into the refrigeration system. Magnus explains that supplier simulations indicated significant water savings compared to conventional evaporative cooling, although
collected. For Lactalis, the move represents both a sustainability win and an operational cost reduction.
One of the standout features of the refrigeration plant is its 50% built-in spare capacity. While current HVAC and process needs are met comfortably, Lactalis plans to expand production at Clayville in the future.
By oversizing the system upfront, EPR ensured that capacity bottlenecks would not hinder growth. The plant is also designed
to eventually take over duties currently handled by legacy Freon-based chillers, phasing out synthetic refrigerants entirely.
SUPPORTING A WORLD-CLASS HVAC UPGRADE
While refrigeration was the hero of the project, its impact is also visible in how it empowered the HVAC upgrade.
The new ammonia plant feeds chilled and hot water to German-supplied pharmaceutical- grade AHUs, which in turn regulate temperature, humidity and air pressures throughout the facility. Stainless steel and textile ducting distribute conditioned air into production zones, while dampers and sensors maintain strict pressure cascades.
“The refrigeration plant is really the backbone. It creates the conditions the HVAC system needs to perform at world- class levels,” Magnus observed. Without the 2°C ice water, the AHUs could not achieve the required dehumidification. Without hot water from heat recovery, energy efficiency would falter. In short, the HVAC system is only as strong as the refrigeration plant feeding it.
Delivering such a complex refrigeration system required meticulous planning. Because the facility’s existing infrastructure was at capacity, a new plant room was built on-site. Located on what had been a grass patch, the room required significant civil works due to dolomitic soil conditions.
Foundations were dug out to depths of up to two metres and replaced with raft
foundations, ensuring stability for the heavy compressors and condensers.
Construction coincided with the region’s rainy season.