Why a Drycooler → Chiller Cascade Cut K’Len’s Costs
“K’Len: Furniture, high technology and sustainable production
K’Len” is one of the leading Ukrainian manufacturers of furniture and wooden components with more than twenty years of experience. The company forms a complete production cycle: from wood harvesting and drying to the production of finished furniture and interior solutions.
The range includes bedrooms, living rooms, wardrobe systems, chests of drawers and products for the DIY segment. “K’Len” has a stable presence in the Ukrainian furniture and DIY market, providing regular deliveries through its own showrooms and partner channels. This makes the company a reliable partner for retailers, interior designers and end B2C consumers.
K’Len’s strength is its flexibility and ability to adapt to partner requirements. The company co-operates with both furniture distributors and contractors in the heating and energy sectors, which allows it to innovate and strengthen its business model.
Environmental strategy is key: wood waste is recycled in pyrolysis plants, turning it into gas and coal for later use in energy or industry. This approach reduces operating costs, minimises environmental impact and creates an additional revenue stream.
The company’s philosophy is based on 3 principles – reliability, environmental friendliness and modern design. Due to this, K’len is perceived by the market not only as a furniture brand, but also as a production complex with a long-term development strategy.
Pyrolysis gas processing: Innovative technological approach
A cooling cascade with a temperature accuracy of ±2 °C and an optimum CapEx/OpEx ratio has been implemented for the safe injection of pyrolysis gas into the transport tanks. The system is designed for year-round operation at outdoor temperatures from -10 to 35 °C and can scale up to 120 % of the feed gas volumes.
– Hot line: the gas flows from the pyrolysis plant into the gas/liquid heat exchanger at a temperature of 300-350 °C and a pressure of 1.5-3 bar. The primary heat load is 250-270 kW. The construction of the heat exchanger is made of stainless steel “AISI 316” and can withstand temperature changes of up to 50 °C in 1 minute, providing protection against thermal shock.
– Cold line: the coolant is circulated through a closed circuit with a flow rate of 12-15 m³/h. Pre-cooling is carried out by a Güntner GFDC-FD-080-1-12 45-98 kW drive cooler, which relieves up to 70 % of the peak load. Pre-cooling is carried out by a 22 kW MTA TAEevo Tech 081 chiller, which brings the coolant up to the setpoint of 18-20 °C. The cooled coolant is returned to the heat exchanger, stabilising the gas temperature at 25-28 °C. The system is equipped with temperature (±0.5 °C), pressure (±0.05 bar) and flow sensors, emergency interlocks and automatic regulation to maintain process stability in the event of outdoor temperature fluctuations and gas volume changes of up to ±30 %.
Cascade cooling “K’Len”: Stages and electrical challenges
A cascade cooling scheme combining a drycooler and a chiller was used for the K’Len facility. This solution allows to evenly distribute the heat load, reduce energy costs and ensure the stability of parameters in case of external temperature fluctuations.
– Pre-cooling: In the first stage, the gas flow is stabilised through a Dry-Cooler Güntner ABC-AB-080-1-12 with a heat output of 45-98 kW at an outside temperature of 25 °C. The output varies depending on the conditions: at 35 °C the output is around 70 kW, at 15 °C it is 95 kW. The fan group of the drycooler is equipped with frequency control, allowing the airflow to be adjusted between 2,500 and 7,800 m³/h. This is the second drycooler at the facility: previously a CIAT Opera DMN9043 with a capacity of 250 kW was installed. The system has been in operation for more than 5 years, and in addition the availability rate is above 98 %, which confirmed its reliability and became the basis for the extension of this project according to the same scheme.
– Aftercooling: Aircooled Chiller MTA TAEevo Tech 081 in a closed circuit with a heat transfer medium based on a Freon/glycol mixture performs the final temperature adjustment. The nominal cooling capacity is 22 kW at ΔT = 5 °C and an ambient temperature of 30 °C. At loads below 50 %, the chiller operates in economy mode with a power consumption of only 6-7 kWh, which significantly reduces costs. The system is equipped with: temperature sensors with an accuracy of ±0.5 °C; fluid flow sensors 50-120 l/min; emergency interlocks for pressures above 3.5 bar or overheating above 40 °C.
The drycooler and chiller cascade ensures a stable reduction of the gas temperature from 300 °C to a safe range of 25 … 30 °C, allowing precise process control even with outdoor temperature fluctuations from -20 to 40 °C. The system is energy efficient with an EER of up to 3.1, with redundant components and scalability for increased processing volumes, making it a reliable and flexible tool for process control of pyrolysis gas production at K’Len.
Energy efficiency of cascade cooling
The drycooler in the cascade scheme relieves the upper part of the heat load: at an outside temperature of 5-15 °C, it can dissipate up to 70 % of the heat flow, reducing the gas temperature to a safe level before the compressors are switched on. The airflow of the fan group is 2,500-7,800 m³/h and the hydraulic circuit is designed to circulate between 80-120 l/min, allowing most of the heat to be recovered naturally with minimal energy consumption by the air fans.
The chiller performs precise parameter adjustment: after passing through the drycooler, the coolant enters the compressor-condenser unit, where it is adjusted to a setpoint of 25 ±2 °C. The unit has a nominal cooling capacity of 22 kW with a coolant flow rate of 60-90 l/min, ensuring a stable gas temperature. At outdoor temperatures below 5 °C, the chiller operates in partial capacity mode with a consumption of 6-7 kWh or goes into standby mode, reducing the total number of working hours of scroll compressors.
The annual balance shows that the operation of one 100 kW stand-alone chiller would require up to 210 MWh of electricity. A cascade scheme with a drycooler reduces the total consumption to 60-65 MWh, providing savings of over 70 per cent. In addition, the hydraulic load is reduced: at a design flow rate of 100 l/min, the pressure drop in the circuit does not exceed 0.3 bar, which has a positive effect on the life of pumping and hydraulic equipment.
Cost-effectiveness and risk minimisation
The application of the cascade scheme allowed to significantly reduce capital and operating costs. Refusal to install a single chiller for 100-120 kW, the cost of which with pipework would have been about 120-140 thousand € – and the transition to a module with a capacity of 22 kW (~35 thousand €) in combination with a dricooler (~25 thousand €) – provided savings on “CapEx” about 25-30 %, including installation and commissioning. Additionally, the connected electrical capacity was reduced from 130 kVA to 45 kVA, which reduces the grid tariff by 18-20 thousand € per year.
The difference in operating costs is even more impressive: a single 100 kW stand-alone chiller in year-round operation would consume 210 MWh of electricity (≈35-40 thousand € per year at a rate of 0.18 €/kWh), whereas a drycooler chiller cascade consumes only 60-65 MWh/year, which reduces payments to 11-12 thousand € and provides annual savings of more than 70 %. The payback period does not exceed 2.5-3 years, which makes the project as attractive as possible from a financial point of view and thus increases the credibility of Evroprom.
The system is designed with a high reliability margin: the working range of pressure sensors is 0-6 bar, the coolant flow rate is 90-120 l/min, the pumps are designed for a service life of >40,000 hours, the drycooler fans – up to 60,000 hours. An integrated bypass and automatic self-diagnostics every 15 s minimise the risk of process shutdown (<1 % per year), while gas cooling to 25 … 30 °C guarantees safe filling and storage according to the standards “DSTU EN 746-2:2010” and “PED 2014/68/EU”. High savings combined with reliability make cascade cooling a strategic tool for running a profitable business.
Logistics and commissioning
The implementation of the cascade system at the K’Flax site followed a clear process flowchart with precise calculations. At the first stage, selection and testing of equipment at the “Evroprom” plant included checking hydraulics (coolant flow rate 90-120 l/min, pressure drop ≤0.3 bar), electrical loads (chiller consumption 6-22 kW, drycooler 2.5-7.8 thousand m³/h of air) and temperature range ( 25… 300 °C), with logging of results for each technical unit.
Then the preparation for shipment took place: calculation of optimal weight and dimensions of frame mountings (drycooler ~1.8 t, chiller ~0.9 t), packaging, labelling and wiring diagrams. Delivery from the Evroprom warehouse in Poland to the facility in Ukraine took into account the lifting capacity of the equipment, the size of openings and passageways, the agreed place of installation in the workshop.
At the commissioning stage the circuit was flushed (water/glycol flow rate up to 120 l/min, volume 1.5 m³), temperature and pressure settings were adjusted (±2 °C, ≤3.5 bar), sensors and automatic interlocks were checked every 15 seconds. Personnel were trained and all data sheets and manuals were handed over to the customer. This approach ensures system stability and allows immediate energy savings of up to 70% compared to a stand-alone 100 kW chiller.
Why choose Evroprom?
– The selection of drycoolers and chillers is based on real heat loads, coolant properties, climatic conditions and dynamics of production cycles, not on a catalogue;
– The system integrates units of the best world brands with a unified component base, which ensures maximum maintainability and decades of stable operation;
– Evroprom provides a full cycle of work: engineering calculations, design, supply, installation, commissioning and service support at the highest level;
– Warranty and post-warranty support is backed up by critical spare parts warehouses in Poland and Ukraine, minimising risks;
– Logistics is performed with full customs coverage and mandatory testing of the equipment for 8 key fluid parameters including temperature, pressure, pH, hardness and conductivity.
The cascade cooling scheme saves tens of thousands of Euros annually in energy and operating costs, while the modular structure allows for easy scalability as production volumes grow.
Built-in safeguards minimise risks, making the system a strategic asset: the synergy of quality, efficiency and long-term support guarantees growth and static development for any company.
Author of the article:
Svyatoslav Ovcharenko, Sales Manager
8.10.2025