IsoCool nets Saudi contract

Great Notley, UK – Process cooling company IsoCool has secured a contract with Neproplast, part of Middle East construction group IKK. The project will involve a complete upgrade of Neproplast’s existing extrusion process cooling system, using equipment manufactured in the UK and Italy.

Neproplast manufactures PVC plastic pipes and fittings for pressure and non-pressure applications in the Gulf region. Its Jeddah plant features a large extrusion facility with a material mixing and pipe production output of more than 70 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa), and an injection moulding department, with an installed capacity of 8ktpa for the production of pipe fittings.

The project will use Italian-built chillers, while system design and manufacture of the ancillary equipment - such as pump skids, heat exchanger and controls - will be completed by IsoCool at its factory in Essex.

The Neproplast plant’s cooling system is integral to the manufacturing processes, so a project to expand and upgrade the facility required IsoCool to survey the site, and provide a solution to meet various requirements and challenges posed.

For example, to counteract the corrosive effects of the coastal location and maintain performance in the high ambient temperatures, initially two Eurochiller NAX V-A-920 air cooled water chillers are to be built with fin coil protection. These will be tropicalised for ambient temperatures of up to 50°C.

Complementing the existing chiller plant, the units will combine to provide a future capacity of 5MW of cooling capacity. A bespoke water recirculation and filtration system for this will be manufactured by IsoCool in Essex.

IsoCool said it will collaborate with Neproplast and local contractors to install the system: also enabling them to have the first-hand knowledge required to operate and maintain it effectively in the future. The UK company’s personnel will also carry out full inspections of the cooling system on a regular basis.

“The plastics industry is growing at an exceptional rate in the Middle East, and established companies like Neproplast have a fantastic opportunity to capitalise on the emerging market by fulfilling market demand. But to do this, they must have … quality, high-performance systems,” said Nigel Hallett, managing director of IsoCool.

The Neproplast project, added Hallett, shows “that British companies of all sizes can expand into overseas markets and create opportunities at home as well as abroad.”