The food service industry relies heavily on steam for many applications. Their need for steam varies sometimes by the hour, which is why steam on-demand is such a plus for them. Hot Cuisine America, a division of the Univeg Group of Companies in Belgium, is no exception. This New Jersey-based company creates high-quality prepared meals for a range of food services and retailers, and as such they rely on boilers for everything from building heat to sanitation to driving the machinery. According to Hot Cuisine’s chief engineer Henry Kao, Miura boilers have been a great fit for their needs.
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Hot Cuisine chose to install two LX 200 boilers to meet the demands of their 16,000-square-foot facility in Swedesboro, NJ. Kao says their performance has exceeded expectations: “These Miura boilers are amazing. They reach operating high pressure in less than seven minutes and are highly efficient in terms of gas and water consumption.”
Why Miura Boilers?
Due to the unique needs of the food service industry, they don’t require a constantly high output of steam, but they need the steam quickly when the situation calls for it. Miura’s floating header design enables the boiler to go from a cold start to full steam in minutes (compared to over an hour with standard fire tube boilers). In addition, Kao names a few specific features that Hot Cuisine America finds quite useful about their LX 200 boilers.
- Reduced fuel and water consumption. Since Miura boilers produce steam on demand, they require far less water and energy to operate. They are rated to reduce energy costs by about 20 percent, but Kao believes in their case the savings are much greater. I estimate that there’s as much as a ten-to-one savings with these boilers,” he says.
- Variable load capacity. The unique design of Miura boilers, compared with their ability to connect in series, means Hot Cuisine America can turn their boilers on or off as needed, and in minutes they can always have enough steam to meet their demands during peak times. Kao also says the company can easily alternate between primary boilers from week to week with the second unit serving as backup, allowing for equal wear-and-tear on both.
- Ease of monitoring and maintenance. Miura boilers are equipped with state-of-the-art controls and monitoring that quickly identifies potential problems for quick correction, reducing the risk of high repair costs and down time. “These Miura boilers are designed like a computer,” Kao says. “They have computer sensors that constantly monitor boiler operations…No matter where you are, you can examine what the boiler is doing via the Internet.”
Hot Cuisine America is very satisfied with the performance of their Miura boilers, which have enabled them to maximize productivity while reducing costs. “Miura boilers…represent a revolution in price, convenience, and installation,” says Kao.
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