Together with adesso and Microsoft, Kelvion has created a new feature in its heat exchanger configuration platform Select RT that supports customers in making the right product selection.
“Kelvion Select RT is a complex digital configuration platform for heat exchangers in refrigeration,” explains Christian Sorowik, the IT Project Lead at Kelvion. “Based on different parameters such as temperature or fluid, when using Kelvion Select RT, the right heat exchanger can be found with just a few clicks and designed according to individual operating conditions.” Now there is an important upgrade: with the Ambient Weather function, developed by the IT service provider adesso, different weather profiles and extreme weather conditions can now be predicted automatically. With the “Azure” cloud solution, Microsoft has provided the technological basis.
In Kelvion Select RT, the future location of the heat exchanger plays a decisive role when selecting and designing the product. Because the operation of a heat exchanger in the Arctic or deserts places different technical demands on the equipment – and these must be calculated in advance.
Otherwise, the efficiency of the heat exchanger can be reduced or even lead to an early breakdown. “Our customers are located in all latitudes around the world and have to anticipate different weather conditions – sometimes the weather conditions are extreme,” says Sascha Ostermann, Global Sales & Solutions Manager at Kelvion. “Furthermore, new heat records are causing uncertainty as to how these extremes affect the service life of the heat exchangers. Thanks to the data in RT Select, a data-based purchase decision is now possible that automatically takes extreme weather conditions into account during configuration.”
The annual operating costs and consumption can be determined using a similar principle. With an annual simulation, customers can compare individual products with just a few clicks and make a data-based purchase decision.
With the Ambient Weather function, adesso has created a way of automatically taking local weather conditions into account in the configuration phase. The user can use a weather table to get an overview of the climatic conditions in a city. If the heat exchanger is to be used in Las Vegas, USA, the extreme temperature ranges from -6 to 46°C must be taken into account. But Kelvion RT Select goes even further. The tool also saves a weather history that goes back up to ten years.
With Azure, Microsoft has provided a cloud-based solution that is easy to use and can be configured according to individual requirements. The integrated Azure cloud services help with collaboration and support the continuous development of the platform. Forward planning and close cooperation between Microsoft and Kelvion were key to success. So, Kelvion made an early decision to replace its existing, self-operated application lifecycle management tools with Azure DevOps Services.
