DESIGN OF COLD

STORAGE
FOR FOOD PRODUCTS
CONSTRUCTION
AND
EQUIPMENT SELECTION

INTRODUCTION:

Cold store to maintain the temperature of the previously

frozen food below a set value
Temperature depends on the type of food being stored
Temperature below -12 c avoids growth of pathogens
It limits enzyme activity
Storage lives can be as short as 3 to 4 months or can be
kept for over 2.5 years
Temperature fluctuations during frozen storage have
little effect on food

TYPES OF STORAGE ROOMS

BULK STORAGE ROOMS
JACKETED COLD STORES
TEMPERING ROOMS

BULK STORAGE ROOM:

JACKETED COLD STORES

It is a large, forced air circulation room

Enclosed space with the

minimum of air movement

Involves storage of unwrapped or non

moisture-proof
packaged
food
materials

It produces very
temperature control

Low air velocities are desirable with

wrapped products to minimize energy
consumption
TEMPERING ROOMS:
A process in which temperature is
manipulated to a value that is optimal
for the next processing stage.
Tempering, can be an alternative to
thawing which eliminates problems of
drip loss, bacterial growth, and other
adverse changes.

good

A refrigerated jacket can be

provided by :
Embedding pipe coils in the
structure
Utilizing a double skin
construction, through which
refrigerated air is circulated.

In a tempering room, the temperature of the frozen product is

raised from -18 C to the -5 C to -12 C required for further
processing

DESIGN OF FROZEN STORAGE ROOMS

There are three stages in obtaining the correct refrigeration system for
a specific process :
First is determining the process specifications
Second is converting these into engineering specifications
Third is procurement of the plant

PROCESS SPECIFICATION:
Poor design in existing frozen stores is often due to a mismatch
between original design and actual use.
First task in designing plant is the preparation of a clear specification
by the user of how the room will be use.
THROUGHPUT:
Specified in terms of the food to be stored whether it is wrapped or
unwrapped in boxes, on pallets, and so on
If more than one product is to be stored, then separate specifications
must be made
Temperature requirements
Range of temperature requirements for each product must also be
clearly stated

WEIGHT LOSS
Major factor in unwrapped or permeably wrapped foods
The rate of sublimation of ice from a frozen surface is
considerably slower than the rate of evaporation from a moist
surface, and the ability of air to hold water rapidly diminishes as
its temperature falls below 0 c
PLANT LAYOUT
Frozen storage is one in a sequence of operations
How the room is loaded, unloaded,
operations

cleaned and all other

Products must be loaded into and out of the frozen store and the
process may be continuous, batch, or semi continuous
Conditions like air temperatures, velocities, and possibly relative
humidity is to be specified

 Refrigeration loads also need to be specified.

Door openings and gaps in the structure, the use of lights, machinery
and people working in the refrigerated space, and refrigeration system
defrosts, are all under the control of the user and must be specified so
that the final design can cope with the heat load created by them
The ambient design conditions must be specified.
Conditions of the air that cools the hot, high-pressure side of the
refrigeration equipment and surrounds the frozen store on all sides.

ENVIRONMENTAL
CONDITIONS

REFRIGERATION
PLANT CAPACITY

WALLS ,CEILINGS
DOORS AND
FLOORS

ROOM
CONSTRUCTION
AND SIZE

ENGINEERING S
PECIFICATION

DEFROSTS

ENGINEERING
DESIGN SUMMARY

AMBIENT
DESIGN
CONDITIONS

REFRIGERATION
LOAD

ENVIRONMENT CONDITIONS:
Frozen store are designed to keep product at a constant
temperature
Environment conditions of storage material is maintained by slow
air movement.
Auxiliary fans may be installed within the room to generate the
required air movement over the warm product
ROOM CONSTRUCTION AND SIZE
Size of the room can be determined using throughput information
Desired racking, stacking, and loading system for the frozen store
will determine the total internal space required

FLOORS
The main components are:
Sub base to provide flexible but firm support
Base slab to provide main support for whole structure
Heaters and screed to prevent freezing below the insulation
Vapour barrier essential to prevent moisture ingress into the
insulation
Insulation to prevent heat infiltration into the room (especially from
the heaters)
Slip layer protects insulation and allows relative movement
Wear floor strong, hygienic, and wear resistant working surface
WALLS AND CEILINGS
Walls and ceilings of modern frozen stores consist mainly of insulating
panels and their supporting structures
Panels are traditionally plastic-coated steel sheets bonded to an
insulating
Core of expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, or mineral fiber
Internal protective rails are required to prevent damage to the structure

DOORS
Air infiltration through doorways into cold storage rooms during loading
and unloading is by far the largest source of heat ingress
The size of doors, their position, the length of time they are open, and
the infiltration protection fitted to them all affects the calculations.
Common method of reducing infiltration is by fitting a transparent pvc
strip curtain
REFRIGERATION PLANT CAPACITY
Capacity of the refrigeration is decided
Vestibules (air locks) and flexible, fast opening doors, often in
combination, are other methods employed to reduce infiltration
Peak product load that the refrigeration plant is expected to
accommodate should be clearly stated in the agreed engineering
specification

AMBIENT DESIGN CONDITIONS

Air outside the frozen store must be defined in the engineering
specification
Air infiltration and fabric loads are dependent on the outside temperature
Ambient temperature also affects the capacity of the refrigeration plant
because heat must be given up to this air to condense the refrigerant in a
cooling tower or condenser
DEFROSTS
The defrost events should be specified to avoid the peak heat load periods
while still ensuring that during these peak periods, the evaporator is
clear of ice

ENGINEERING DESIGN SUMMARY

The engineering specification should, therefore, include each of the items
shown below:
Store air temperature, air speed, and relative humidity for each product
specification (covering complete range) and the time that each of these
periods will be operating.
The ambient air temperature: both wet and dry bulbs.
The peak and average heat loads.
Infiltration load, that is, the number of door openings and the time they
will remain open, under what circumstances and conditions.
Evaporator and condenser temperatures.
All the conditions laid down in the engineering specification can be
measured and therefore do not depend upon variation in usage or even
abuse of the store and should therefore form the basis for a contract.

MAINTENANCE OF FROZEN STORAGE ROOM

STRUCTURE
This involves routine monitoring and checking of :
Insulating properties of the wall materials
Heater circuits in the doors and floors to reveal if any breakdowns
before serious ice buildup occurs
REFRIGERATION SYSTEM
Refrigeration plant is becoming fully automatic in operation
But still need routine cleaning of filters and strainers, attention to oil
and lubricant levels, and so on.
Correct and efficient operation of any plant requires full flow through
heat exchangers.
Finned coils on condensers and evaporators need to be routinely
cleaned

 Poor design and operation of defrost cycles can often result in coils
becoming totally blocked by ice.
MONITORING
Continuous monitoring of key temperatures is one method of maintaining
system performance and identifying potential problems before they affect
food temperatures
Sensors near the door openings will show any changes in the door opening
schedules.