Archives for June 2019

Server Room Cooling

Brooke Loeffler · Jun 10, 2019 ·

Save Your Data And Beat The Heat

Server rooms and data centers are the lifeblood of any technology company. The equipment in these rooms generate very high levels of heat and must be carefully climate controlled. Excessive heat in a server room damages valuable equipment, jeopardizes communication networks, and causes data loss and costly downtime.

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According to IBM, the recommended temperature for a server room is 72° F, with 45% relative humidity. Servers can tolerate temperatures in a range outside that goal (60° – 90° F), however operating with those optimum conditions in mind keeps you better prepared for unintended heat spikes.

Calculating Heat Load:

North Slope Chillers infographic depicting server room calculation steps

The amount of heat a server generates is known as heat gain or heat load. The heat load inside a server room is influenced by 5 different factors:

The floor surface area
The size, position, and coverings of the windows
The number of room occupants
The heat generated by equipment
The heat generated by lighting

You can pull together a reasonable estimate of your cooling needs by using the following calculations.

Floor Surface Area

Length (m) x Width (m) x 337 = Room area BTUs

Window Size and Position

If there are no windows in your server room, proceed to the next calculation.

For Southern Hemisphere, reverse the formulas.

South facing window length (m) x south facing window height (m) x 870 = south facing window BTUs

North facing window length (m) x north facing window height (m) x 165 = north facing window BTUs

If the windows have no coverings multiply the window BTUs by 1.5

Add the window BTUs together:

South facing window BTUs + North facing window BTUs = Window BTUs

Occupants

Number of occupants x 400 = Occupant BTUs

Equipment

The wattage listed on a piece of equipment is its maximum power output, but it is better to overestimate rather than under estimate.

Add together the wattage for every piece of equipment: servers, routers, etc.

Total wattage for all equipment x 3.5 = Equipment BTUs

Lighting

Add together the wattage for every light fixture.

Lighting wattage X 4.25 = Lighting BTUs

Total Heat Load = room area BTUs + window BTUs + occupant BTUs + Equipment BTUs + lighting BTUs

These calculations can give you a rough guide to your cooling needs. A cooling audit of your server room will provide you with the most accurate information.

Keeping Your Server Room Cool

Residential AC units generally cannot run 24/7/365 without breaking down, and are not a reliable solution for server room cooling.

Re-designing the layout of your server room to accommodate bulky, built in cooling units is expensive and disrupts the usability of your servers. Strategically placing portable server coolers is an easy way to remove heat exactly where it needs to be removed.

North Slope Chillers Solutions

Portable server coolers from North Slope Chillers have a wide range of cooling capacities.

(866) 826-2993 [email protected]

Food and Beverage Chilling

Brooke Loeffler · Jun 10, 2019 ·

Highway through the “Danger Zone”

Temperature storage zones preserve the flavors, colors, freshness, and health benefits of the food and drinks we all enjoy. The best way to keep food and beverages out of danger is to use industrial food chillers.

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The Food Cooling Process

Some foods are either heat-treated or pre-cooked before storage and transportation. For example, dairy is heat treated during the pasteurization process to kill harmful pathogens. These foods must be cooled down quickly to get past the “danger zone” (between 40° F and 140° F). Cooling food down quickly is critical to keep these harmful pathogens from growing. Industrial food chillers help food and beverages pass through the danger zone quickly.

Types of Bacteria Growth

According to the USDA there are 2 main types of bacterial growth in perishable food products: pathogenic bacteria and spoilage bacteria.

Pathogenic Bacteria

Pathogenic bacteria grows rapidly in the “danger zone” between 40°F – 140°F. This type of bacterial growth is hard to detect because it does not generally affect taste, smell, or appearance.

Spoilage Bacteria

Spoilage bacteria grows slowly in the refrigeration zone and gradually affects the smell, appearance, and taste of food. Refrigeration greatly slows this growth but cannot stop it entirely, which is why refrigerated foods still have expiration dates.

Importance of Refrigeration

Storing perishable food below 40° F slows down bacteria growth and extends food’s shelf life. Storing and transporting foods at the correct temperatures does more than just slowing the growth of harmful pathogens. Color, texture, viscosity, and flavors are also preserved when foods are stored at their correct textures.

Different Food Groups Have Different Needs

Every food group has different temperature storage and shipping needs. There is no 1 temperature fits all approach to food storage.

North Slope Chillers infographic depecting food groups sorted into proper food storage temperatures: room temperature zone, refrigeration zone, and freezer zone

About 40% of food products rely upon refrigeration in a well-maintained cold chain through the production, packing, storage, and transportation process. The other 60% need to be stored at either freezer temperatures or at room temperature to preserve their freshness.

Organizing and storing food and beverages according to temperature zones saves energy and keeps the cold where it is most needed. Portable food chillers provide the flexibility and reliability needed to preserve those temperature zones and give you peace of mind.

(866) 826-2993 [email protected]

Types of Fermentation

Brooke Loeffler · Jun 5, 2019 ·

A Scientific Art

The chemical process of fermentation is relatively consistent no matter what is being fermented: starches are converted into sugars, sugars are consumed by yeast, and at certain temperatures yeast will create alcohol and carbon dioxide. While the science of fermentation may be the same, the art of fermentation creates a bouquet of flavors, aromas, colors, and alcohol levels. The art and science of fermentation uses a language all of its own.

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Selection of alcoholic drinks, brewed and distilled

North Slope Chillers infographic of a fermentation glossary with common fermentation terms and their meanings

Types of Fermented Drinks

Beer

There are 2 main families of beer: ales and lagers. The type of yeast culture and the fermentation temperature affects whether a beer becomes an ale or a lager. Ales are fermented at higher temperatures and lagers are fermented at cooler temperatures. Flavors and aromas are cultivated by a variety of starches that are malted, mashed, and then fermented within their respective temperature ranges. Those specific temperature ranges preserve the colors, flavors, and aromas enjoyed in a well-brewed beer.

Wine

Grapes provide the sugar supply for the fermentation process of wine-making. White wines are fermented at cooler temperatures while red wines are fermented at warmer temperatures. These temperature ranges preserve, color, acidity, tannin levels, and the flavors expected of each family of wines.

Sake

Calling sake “rice wine” is a bit of a misnomer. The rice grains used to ferment sake are more like the starches in beer making, and must be converted from starch to sugar before being fermented. The sugars that feed wine yeast naturally exist in the grapes. Sake fermentation should occur at lower temperatures to slow the fermentation process.

Spirits

For clear fermented drinks, distillation must be used. The fermented mash is boiled and the flavor infused alcohols evaporate before the water, and are condensed in another vessel.

Kombucha

Kombucha is a fermented drink of SCOBY, tea, sugar, and yeast. Other ingredients such as ginger and fruit can be added to change flavors, acids, and aromas. Maintaining warm fermentation temperatures keeps acid levels steady, reduces mold growth, and encourages yeast activity.

Yeast’s Happy Place

For all these fermented drinks, fermentation is triggered by a happy, comfortable environment for yeast to grow. Temperature is the most important component in this environment and must be carefully maintained.

Put total temperature control at your fingertips for every drink you ferment. Fermentation chillers and Fluxwraps from North Slope Chillers keep your fermentation environment happy and healthy.

Contact us to find the right fermentation temperature solution for your needs at (866) 826-2993 or by email at [email protected].

A Crash Course on High-Quality CBD Extraction

Emma Pollock · Jun 5, 2019 ·

Increased research on the potential benefits of cannabidiols (CBD and THC) extracted from cannabis plants has led to growing popularity in CBD and THC oils. These high-value extracts require careful extraction methods to go from cannabis plant to oil. Here are a few of the most common CBD and THC extraction methods.

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CBD vs. THC- What’s the Difference?

THC and CBD are the two main cannabinoids extracted from cannabis plants. Marijuana has a higher percentage of THC while hemp has a higher percentage of CBD. Put simply, THC has the psychoactive properties associated with getting “high” while CBD is said to have more calming, medicinal properties.

Common Extraction Methods

Solvent Extraction

This simple extraction method works by using ethanol as a solvent to remove extracts from cannabis plant trimmings. It usually looks something like this:

Ethanol is added to trimmings and mixed for a couple of minutes to allow the ethanol to dissolve extracts from the plant materials.
The ethanol is strained from the trimmings.
The ethanol/extract mixture is slowly heated until all ethanol evaporates and only the plant extracts remain.

Solvent Extraction Pros:

Inexpensive- This method doesn’t require any fancy machinery.
Simple- This method is pretty straightforward and can even be done at home.

Solvent Extraction Cons:

Dangerous- Ethanol is extremely flammable.
Could Damage CBD/ THC- Ethanol could potentially denature the CBD or THC if overheated or overmixed.

CO2 Extraction

The CO2 Extraction method uses supercritical carbon dioxide to pull phytochemicals from cannabis plants. Supercritical materials are not quite a liquid but not quite a gas and possess the properties of both. This state is ideal for plant extraction because supercritical CO2 can move through materials like gas and dissolve materials like a liquid.

CO2 extraction typically follows these steps:

The CO2 is prepared in a compression chamber. First, CO2 gas is turned into a liquid; this is done by dropping the temperature to under -69°F and increasing the pressure to over 75 psi. Next, the the temperature and pressure are both raised until the liquid becomes supercritical.
The supercritical CO2 passes through cannabis trimmings in an extraction chamber where it dissolves and collects extracts from the plants.
The CO2 / extract solution then enters a lower-pressure separator chamber. The lower pressure causes the CO2 and plant extracts to separate. The CO2 returns to the CO2 chamber and the cannabis oil is drained from the separator.

CO2 Extraction Pros:

Safe when done by professionals- CO2 is used in countless food products and is perfectly safe for consumption
Yields high-quality CBD- machines leave very little room for error

CO2 Extraction Cons:

Very expensive- setup costs start at approximately $40,000
Not for novice chemists- it’s best to leave this method to the professionals

Ice Water Extraction

Ice water extraction creates a powdery resin extract often referred to as “hash” or “bubble hash.” There are several variations to this method, but they all follow these general steps:

Finely-chopped plant trimmings are mixed with either ice or dry ice. This step is supposed to help separate extracts from the plant material.
Water is added to the ice and trimmings and the entire mixture is strained through a mesh bag. (Often, the mixture is strained multiple times through progressively smaller-micron mesh bags until the purest-possible extracts are obtained)
The extracts settle at the bottom of the strained mixture. The excess water is drained from the top and the extracts are left to dry until they become powdery.

Ice Water Extraction Pros:

Inexpensive- Again, no fancy machinery needed!
High Yield- If done correctly, this method produces a relatively large amount of plant extract.

Ice Water Extraction Cons:

Not always practical- This method can be labor intensive and time consuming.

Temperature Control During Extraction

Regardless of the method used, careful temperature is control is an important element of high-quality yield in CBD and THC extraction. Extreme temperatures damage cannabinoids. Additionally, many processes need specific, extreme temperatures to be effective; if ideal temperatures are not maintained, the extraction process could completely flop. North Slope Chillers’ extraction chillers offer precise temperature control at sub-zero temperatures. Give us a call at
(866) 826-2993 and we’d be happy to tell you more about our products.

Dairy and Milk Coolers

Adam Jacobs · Jun 4, 2019 ·

Process cooling has a place in many industries, and is no stranger in the world of dairy production. What role do dairy and milk coolers have in getting milk ready for consumption?

Process Cooling in the Dairy Industry

The dairy industry is massive, with $38.1 billion of milk produced in the United States alone in 2017. As a part of that industry, pasteurization is critical to producing milk for consumer use. Pasteurization kills and removes harmful bacteria from milk liquids. Process cooling controls temperatures during and following pasteurization procedures.

Bacteria

As it leaves the animal, milk is inhabited by harmful pathogens, and is generally unsafe to consume. According to Milk Facts, some of these bacteria include:

E. coli: One of the most infamous bacteria, E. coli in most of its strains is harmless and used by the human digestive system. However, E. coli strain O157:H7 is a different matter. This particular strain produces toxins that can make humans sick, even leading to death in some cases. Thankfully, pasteurization kills the O157:H7 strain.
Listeria monocytogenes: This bacteria can infect nearly anyone and is regularly found in unpasteurized milk. Symptoms found in humans that have contracted Listeriosis range from fever and muscle aches to stillbirths and death. Though pasteurization kills Listeria, it can grow in refrigerated temperatures if the milk becomes recontaminated.
Salmonella: If you’ve ever had food poisoning, you probably have Salmonella to thank. While not usually life threatening, Salmonella can cause intestinal issues resulting in vomiting and diarrhea. It is not uncommon to find strains of this bacteria in raw milk, but they are not found in properly pasteurized milk.

HTST vs UHT

Having killed off these harmful bacteria, pasteurized milk is globally considered safe to consume. However, different countries have different ways of pasteurizing.

Milk in the United States and Canada is pasteurized via High-Temperature, Short-Time (HTST) The milk is heated to a lower temperature (about 165°F) than milk in Europe. The milk is kept at this temperature for about 15 seconds before process cooling kicks in and the temperature is gradually reduced to refrigeration levels. As a result, milk has a shorter shelf life and needs to be refrigerated for maximum storage. Most often, dairy coolers or milk coolers are used to stabilize temperatures.

European dairy producers require much higher temperatures, utilizing a pasteurization process called Ultra-High Temperature (UHT). The temperature of milk is heated much higher than milk processed in the United States, to about 191°F. Unlike HTST, milk is only heated that high for a few seconds. This method allows for milk to be stored without refrigeration and giving it a longer shelf life. The downside is that the milk has a different taste, with some calling it a “cooked” flavor.

Keep it cool

Regardless of pasteurization preference, milk needs to be cooled after being pasteurized so as not to burn the milk into something unfit for consumer tastes. Milk coolers from North Slope Chillers offer temperature control solutions that dairy producers need to lower temperatures after pasteurization and ready milk for market or further processing. Contact North Slope Chillers for the best milk coolers in the dairy industry at (866) 826-2993 or by email at [email protected].