Case of an Industrial Explosives Manufacturer. Shipment Today, Warranty from Start-Up

About the client

Explosives and cold are, at first glance, things from different worlds. But in reality, industrial safety, especially in the production of emulsion matrices, requires the same precision and reliability as controlled blasting. In Łukaszów, where the Austin Powder Polska plant has been operating since 2012, the line has a capacity of up to 60 tonnes of emulsion matrices per day. The material is chemically stable at temperatures between 5 °C and 35 °C, but exceeding the upper limit even by 3 °C can provoke accelerated degradation of active components. This means that cooling systems here are part of comfort – which are integrated into process safety.

Austin Powder Polska is the Polish division of a company founded in 1833 in the USA and one of the key producers of industrial explosive materials in Central Europe. The plant in Łukaszów has been producing up to 60 tonnes of emulsion matrices per day since 2012, equivalent to more than 21,000 tonnes per year. The products are shipped to more than 14 EU countries, 72% of which are exported. The production lines run continuously and the automated process control system monitors temperature to within 0.1 °C and maintains viscosity between 10,000-15,000 mPa-s, which is critical to the stability and safety of the final product.

The company has maintained steady growth, with revenue up 4.7 per cent, assets up 12 per cent and net profit up 0.3 per cent in 2024, despite fluctuations in raw material and transport prices. The company has a three-stage safety system in place, including daily monitoring of tank pressure (0.4-0.6 MPa), monthly testing of pumping systems and annual certification of equipment. There are more than 120 specialists on the staff, and the average length of service of employees exceeds 9 years, which directly affects the stability of quality and fulfilment of contracts on time.

The company’s industrial lines operate in continuous cycle mode, with peak power consumption of up to 42 kW for cooling systems during peak load hours. Any downtime exceeds €25,000 in losses per shift. This is why, when the need arose to install a new chiller to stabilise temperature conditions, the solution had to be quick, technically sound and with a minimal implementation window.

Technical parameters, challenges and equipment selection

The plant’s need was clearly articulated:

• A cooling capacity of at least 390 kW at a condensing temperature of 35 °C;
• Dual circuit design for power redundancy;
• Compatibility with existing hydraulic pipework with a working pressure of 6 bar;
• Noise level not exceeding 74 dB at the casing to comply with internal acoustic regulations.

DENCO HAPPEL (Climaveneta) GLAC 4141 CD2 was chosen. This model, based on screw compressors with continuously variable capacity control from 25 per cent to 100 per cent, provides 379 kW under standard Eurovent conditions.

The evaporator is shell-and-tube, with copper tubes and brass tube planks, which ensures low hydraulic resistance and efficient heat exchange even with a water temperature difference of only 5 °C.

The air-cooled condenser is V-type, with increased fin area for operation at outdoor temperatures up to 46 °C without loss of power.

Stock inspection and technical tests

Austin Powder Polska is not the kind of customer who accepts equipment blindly. The technical service team came to the warehouse to personally inspect the chiller, check the tightness of the circuits with 26 bar nitrogen pressure, assess the condition of the heat exchangers and test the starting current of the compressors.

The tests showed: compressors reach the operating frequency in 2.7 seconds, starting current – 319 A, which is 4.3% lower than the nameplate values. This means less load on the plant’s electrical network.

Schedule difficulties and a non-standard solution

The problem was that the installation at the plant was not scheduled until October. Any delivery of the equipment in July, when the warranty period from the date of handover started, would have meant the loss of part of the warranty period even before the start of operation.

This is where a non-standard offer was needed. EVROPROM proposed a scheme: the goods are shipped and paid for in July, but the warranty starts from the start-up and commissioning date, or no later than 1 November.

This approach allowed Austin Powder Polska to reserve the required model in perfect condition, avoid price fluctuations on the market, and plan the installation at a convenient time without losing the protection of the equipment.

Features of chiller application in emulsion matrix production

Cooling in this production is not about “comfortable climate”. It provides:

• Maintaining the emulsion viscosity at 10,000-15,000 mPa-s at 15 °C;
• Preventing uncontrolled crystallisation of nitrates when overheating occurs;
• Stabilising storage conditions in the finished product warehouse;
• Reduction of wear and tear on dosing line pumps due to constant medium temperature.

The operating circuit of the plant is based on a closed circuit with a buffer tank of 6 m³, circulation is via three pump groups with frequency control. The new chiller is integrated directly into this circuit and two independent refrigeration circuits provide redundancy. Even if one of them fails, the capacity drops by only 47 %, which is sufficient to maintain safe process conditions.

Engineering advantages of DENCO HAPPEL GLAC 4141 CD2

• High efficiency screw compressors with 80,000 operating hours;
• Automatic capacity adaptation depending on the heat load of the line;
• Heat exchangers with internal fluted tubes to increase the heat transfer coefficient by 12 %;
• ClimaPro control system with remote access via Modbus protocol, which allows the plant manager to monitor temperature and operating parameters 24/7.

Financial effect of the transaction

The installation of the new chiller will reduce energy consumption by 8% compared to the previous system due to higher efficiency at partial loads. This is equivalent to savings of around €14,000 per year. With a projected service life of 15 years, the savings in energy costs alone will amount to around €210,000, not including the reduction in emergency repair and downtime costs.

In addition, the introduction of a dual-circuit cooling scheme and automatic power adaptation system will reduce the frequency of emergency shutdowns by 35 per cent and extend compressor life by 12-15 per cent compared to the previous equipment. This not only has a financial impact, but also improves operational reliability, where downtime per line costs an average of €25,000 per shift.

Conclusion

The experience of working with Austin Powder Polska has proved once again: even in niches where safety comes first, there is still room for flexibility and non-standard solutions. EVROPROM was able to offer the client a scheme that took into account technological, financial and time constraints. The result – the equipment was delivered, the guarantee was maintained and the relationship was strengthened. 

The implementation of the new unit was carried out without any modifications to the hydraulics, which saved the client at least 18,000 €. This result is the result of a precise audit, advanced engineering analysis and selection of equipment with optimal pressure and performance parameters.

The Łukaszów workshops now have a chiller that works as quietly and reliably as an engineer who can read the equipment data sheet faster than Google and correct a design error before it occurs.

In the last year we have completed 37 projects with a total cooling capacity of 11.3 MW, ensuring 99.2% successful start-ups with no accidents or unscheduled shutdowns. The average time from first enquiry to contract signing is 9.4 days, and installation and commissioning time at sites across Europe is less than 15 days in 87 per cent of cases.

If you consider time and quality as a reliability factor in the industry. Working with us means getting a partner that ensures technological stability and economic efficiency for decades to come.

Author of the article:

Svyatoslav Ovcharenko, Sales Manager

19.08.2025