Pratts Bananas Limited

Installation of Seven 36 Pallet Pressurised Fruit Ripening Rooms

In October 2006, MTX completed the installation of seven 36 pallet pressurised fruit ripening rooms at Pratts Bananas.  This was an extension to the current facility which is already the largest ripening facility within the United Kingdom.

New chambers were constructed using 100mm PIR composite panel.  Each room was installed with a complex steelwork arrangement, giving a 36 tonne pallet capacity.

The existing chilled water system, installed by ourselves, was able to be extended to serve the new rooms due to the design and sizing of the existing system to accommodate future ripening rooms within the depot.

Each ripening room was installed with an inverter drive to control fan speed by linking the inverter to a set pressure reading to which the fans would maintain.

By reducing fan speed, the client has reduced the power input per fan which has resulted in significant energy reductions and cost savings.

The rooms were installed and commissioned within programme and alongside a fully operational depot.