How to Optimally Right Size your Cold Room like an Expert!

 


How to Select the Perfect Cold Room for Your Requirement...



"Planning to design a cold room?” 🧊❄️ Here are some of the few key factors to keep it efficient, reliable, and perfect for preserving your items:

 

1)  Purpose and Application: It is the most important factor in deciding the major factor of the Cold Room.

a.   Product: What type of Product to be preserved whether it is a Fresh Food, Processed Food, Cooked Food, Perishable Product, Pharma Product or other product that is to be stored at particular temperature. The product will decide at what temperature it should be stored, also any other factor like Humidity, Co2, etc are to be maintained.

b.  Storage Duration: Whether the product is to be stored for Short-term or long-term will affect the choice of Temperature and accordingly thickness of Insulation, Refrigeration system and other accessories.

 

2) Size and Capacity: Size and capacity of the Cold Room is majorly governed by total product to be stored and daily incoming / outgoing quantity.

a.  Product Storage: Based on the Product to be stored & its packing volume, we can calculate total storage volume of the Product. Apart from it, we will have to consider some space for walking and Air circulation.

b. Future Expansion: Considering the Future expansion plan within next 3-5 years, you can also consider some additional space.



3)  Location & Layout: Based on your product and operational requirement, you can select the Cold Room location.

a. Site Location: Ensure accessibility for loading and unloading, structural integrity for weight support, and proximity to utilities.

b. Internal Layout: Design efficient shelving and racking systems for proper airflow and space utilization.

 

4)  Insulation: The Type and Thickness optimization of the insulation is also important considering long term saving.

a. Material: Use high-quality insulation panels (e.g., polyurethane or polystyrene) to minimize heat transfer.

b. Thickness: Determine appropriate panel thickness based on temperature requirements and energy efficiency. They should be cost effective vis-a-vis Heat loss.

 

5)  Temperature and Humidity Requirements: Temperature, Humidity, CO2 Level, etc are some factors to be considered based on the Product to be stored and the storage duration.

a. Temperature Range: Define the required temperature range to be maintained in the Cold Room based on the stored product and duration. (e.g., -18 °C to -21 °C for frozen goods, +2 °C to +8 °C for fresh produce, -30 °C to -35 °C for Blast Freezing).

b. Humidity Control: Ensure proper humidity levels to prevent condensation, spoilage, or drying out of stored items.

c. Other Factors: Other factors like CO2, O2, N2, etc. levels are important in processes like Ripening, Seed Storage, CA Chambers, etc.



6) Refrigeration System: This is the most important element of the Cold Room which removes the heat from the system and maintains the required temperature in the Cold Room. If not selected properly, the Cold Room will fail.

a.  Capacity: Proper Heat Load for each requirement is necessary to ensure the proper sizing of the refrigeration unit. It should be able to maintain the desired temperature under maximum load.

b. Energy Efficiency: Choose energy-efficient systems to reduce operational costs.

c.  Defrosting Mechanism: Include automatic or manual defrosting to prevent ice build-up.

 

7)   Air Circulation: Air circulation inside the Cold Room will help to cool down the Product and maintain the required temperature in all parts of the Cold Room.

a.  Fans and Vents: Ensure proper placement of fans / Indoor Units to maintain uniform temperature distribution. Based on Cold Room dimensions, you should decide the numbers & capacity of the Refrigeration unit.

b.  Avoid Blockages: Design shelving to allow adequate airflow around stored items.




8) Flooring: Flooring of the Cold Room should be selected based on the Product to be stored and the cold room size. For Dry storage & small sized Cold Room, Floor Panels are better solutions (Pharma / Industrial application); but if the Flooring is of Big size or washing floors would be a regular activity, then Puf Slab / Puf Panel + PCC Kota / RCC is highly recommended (Kitchen / Food Processing / Ice-Cream).

a.  Material: Use non-slip, durable, and insulated flooring suitable for low temperatures (Below +15 °C).

b. Drainage: Include proper drainage systems to manage condensation and cleaning water.

 

9)  Doors & Access Points: Having sizable Doors and access Windows for easy handling and movement of product and supporting accessories in & out of Cold Room is very important to have hassle free operation.

a. Size and Placement: Ensure doors are large enough for loading product and equipment and placed for operational efficiency.

b. Automatic Closing: Install self-closing mechanisms to minimize temperature fluctuations.

c.  Sealing: Use insulated and tightly sealed doors & hatch windows to prevent air leakage inside the Cold Room.

 

10) Energy Efficiency: Electricity is the raw material for running the Cold  Room. So, using Energy efficient refrigeration system and other electrical  accessories will give a huge saving over a long term.

a. Lighting: Use LED lights with minimal heat emission. Also, if the size of Cold Room is big, you can go for motion sensor lighting to have substantial saving.

b. Monitoring Systems: Install temperature and energy monitoring systems to optimize operations.

c. Solar Power: Consider renewable energy options for powering the cold room.

 

11)  Safety Measures: These are very important and critical aspects similar to industrial safety procedures.

a. Emergency Exits: Cold Room should include emergency release mechanisms for internal doors, so that even if it gets locked from outside, it can be opened from inside.

b.  Alarms: Install temperature and door alarms to notify operators in case of any issues. Today even notifications/alarms can be conveyed via SMS to client’s team member.

c.     Pest Control: Design features to prevent pest intrusion.

 

Designing a cold room requires a comprehensive approach that balances functionality, efficiency, and safety. By carefully considering factors such as the type of stored goods, temperature and humidity requirements, insulation quality, refrigeration systems, and compliance with regulations, you can ensure optimal performance and product preservation. Attention to energy efficiency, layout, and future scalability further enhances the utility of the cold room. Following a thumb-rule or copying other cold room designs is not advisable. Proper planning and adherence to best practices not only reduces operational costs but also contributes to sustainable and reliable cold storage solutions.

 

About the Blogger



Kiran Kshirsagar
Co-Founder
FROZCULINA Tech Services



Comments

  1. FoodKEO KiranJanuary 17, 2025 at 6:39 AM

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    𝐴 10𝐹𝑒𝑒𝑑 π‘₯ 10𝐹𝑒𝑒𝑑 π΅π‘Žπ‘˜π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘¦ πΆπ‘œπ‘™π‘‘ π‘…π‘œπ‘œπ‘š (𝐢𝑅) π‘œπ‘Ÿ π‘Ž 10𝐹𝑒𝑒𝑑 π‘₯ 10𝐹𝑒𝑒𝑑 π·π‘Žπ‘–π‘Ÿπ‘¦ 𝐢𝑅 π‘œπ‘Ÿ π‘Ž 10𝐹𝑒𝑒𝑑 π‘₯ 10𝐹𝑒𝑒𝑑 π‘ƒβ„Žπ‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘šπ‘Ž 𝐢𝑅 π‘œπ‘Ÿ π‘Ž 10𝐹𝑒𝑒𝑑 π‘₯ 10𝐹𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝐢𝑅 π‘“π‘œπ‘Ÿ π‘‰π‘’π‘”π‘’π‘‘π‘Žπ‘π‘™π‘’π‘  π‘œπ‘Ÿ π‘Ž 10𝐹𝑒𝑒𝑑 π‘₯ 10𝐹𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝐢𝑅 π‘“π‘œπ‘Ÿ πΉπ‘™π‘œπ‘€π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘  π’˜π’π’–π’π’… 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆 the π’”π’‚π’Žπ’†.

    π‘‡β„Žπ‘œπ‘’π‘”β„Ž π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘‘π‘’π‘šπ‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘›π‘”π‘’ π‘šπ‘–π‘”β„Žπ‘‘ 𝑏𝑒 π‘ π‘Žπ‘šπ‘’, π‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘šπ‘Žπ‘›π‘¦ π‘šπ‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘“π‘Žπ‘π‘‘π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘  π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘ π‘ β„Žπ‘œπ‘’π‘™π‘‘ 𝑏𝑒 π‘π‘œπ‘›π‘ π‘–π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘‘ 𝑖𝑛 π‘’π‘Žπ‘β„Ž π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘žπ‘’π‘–π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘šπ‘’π‘›π‘‘.

    So it is always important to consider the major factors of the Cold Room before deciding the elements of the Cold Room.

    ReplyDelete

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