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Introduction
This article contains everything you need to know about cold rooms and their use.
You will learn:
What is a Cold Room?
Types of Cold Rooms
The Structure of Cold Rooms
Cold Rooms Compared to Clean Rooms
And much more …
Chapter 1: What is a Cold Room?
A cold room is a temperature controlled environment that is capable, through refrigeration, to create conditions for storage, experimentation, and preservation of foods, equipment, and medical supplies. The types of cold rooms are classified by their range of temperatures and their size, which varies from a simple walk-in unit to cold rooms the size of a warehouse.
The cooling process for a cold room is similar to any form of refrigeration unit in that they use compressors, condensers, fans, expansion valves, and evaporators to create low temperatures and maintain them. Depending on the type of cold room, temperatures can vary between -40°C and -2°C (-40°F and 28.4°F) in accordance with what is stored and the use of the cold room.
The main advantage of cold rooms is their ability to provide precise temperature control for commercial and manufacturing operations that need to store perishables for long periods of time. Cold rooms are a convenient tool for preserving food products and chemicals.
Chapter 2: Types of Cold Rooms
Cold rooms are the first choice when it comes to storing products that require a stable cold environment in order to maintain the integrity and optimal performance of products. The difficulty in selecting a cold room is the many choices that are available since cold rooms are constructed to meet a long list of conditions and locations. Each business that uses a cold room has specific requirements to ensure the protection and safety of their products.
The selection process for a cold room begins with its temperature range and size. The temperature range is dictated by the types and number of items or products to be stored while the size is determined by the available space. Large warehouse size cold rooms fit into the various categories but are a special case that necessitates planning, preparation, and special designs.
Remote Cold Rooms
The term remote cold room refers to the placement of the components that provide refrigeration, with remote meaning away from the cold room and not connected to it. With a remote cold room, the evaporator is located inside the cold room while the compressor and condenser are located away from the cold room. The placement of the compressor and condenser depends on multiple factors in relation to the requirements of the client and the location of the cold room.
The reason for the separation of the compressor and condenser from a remote cold room is the heat that they generate and their noise. Their removal lowers the cost of the operation of the cold room due to less heat, which lowers electricity costs. In addition, relocating of the condenser and compressor expands the accessible area of a cold room providing more storage space.
Saddle Mount Cold Room
Saddle mount cold rooms refer to the installation of the refrigeration system, which is hung over a wall of the cold room prior to the installation of the roof or placed on the roof. With over the wall mounted refrigeration units, the bracket that holds the refrigeration system goes into the cold room through slots cut on the top of the panel where the system is hung. Saddle mount cold rooms are classified as modular or walk in cold rooms due to their compact and single unit design.
The popular use of saddle mount cold rooms is their single unit design that can be quickly installed without the need of a refrigeration technician. The refrigeration system that is completely assembled is custom designed with a condensate line. Being preassembled and easily installed, saddle mount cold rooms can be up and operating quickly.
Penthouse Cold Rooms
Penthouse cold rooms are like top mounted refrigeration systems but without an evaporator coil inside. They are normally used with cold rooms that have limited space since the removal of the coil allows for more storage space. Penthouse cold rooms have a condensate evaporator that prevents liquid damage. The cooling process for a penthouse cold room is through a cooling coil. Air drawn in through louvers and inlets passes over the coils for heat transfer.
The design of penthouse cold rooms eliminates concerns about mold and bacteria for food and storage safety. This factor is due to a penthouse system not recirculating mold through the refrigeration unit. With a penthouse unit, evaporators are installed in heat insulated cells that are placed outside the storage area and flanged to the cold room using a breakthrough on the air side. This aspect of the system is another reason a penthouse cold room is ideal for use in limited space.
Prefabricated Cold Room
Prefabricated cold rooms, also known as modular cold rooms, offer versatility and scalability. They are self-contained units that can be expanded, reduced, and easily relocated, which makes them ideal for changes in the use of a cold room. Much like a clean room, prefabricated cold rooms are constructed of panels that seamlessly fit together for a tight secure fit. The panels are the aspect of prefabricated cold rooms that make them so versatile since the panels can be removed, reconfigured, and adjusted in accordance with the requirements of the cold room.
The flexibility of prefabricated cold rooms makes it possible for manufacturers to engineer variable temperatures and interiors. Again, the key feature is the interlocking panels that provide insulation and help maintain required temperatures. Although clean rooms have to be tightly sealed to prevent contamination, cold rooms need to be more tightly sealed to avoid leakage and ensure constant consistent temperatures.
Skid Mounted Cold Room
Skid mounted cold rooms are mobile units constructed with a steel base for support. The units are built to the size of a trailer with space underneath for lifting by a crane or large forklift and can be easily transported on the bed of a truck. They have partitioned walls and doors that come in different sizes. The purpose and use of skid mounted cold rooms widely varies and is dependent on the needs of the user.
One of the reasons for the development of skid mounted cold rooms was for providing cold storage and environmental testing in remote areas with limited access. The easy and convenient transport of skid mounted cold rooms provides all of the amenities of permanent cold rooms in a mobile package.
The refrigeration system for a skid mounted cold room is located inside the cold room with an outdoor condensing unit fit on the rear or roof depending on the volume. In remote areas, without a source of electricity, they are powered by diesel generators. The use of skid mounted cold rooms requires that they be exceptionally sturdy and durable to be able to withstand harsh environmental conditions and transport.
As with non-mobile, permanent cold rooms, skid mounted cold rooms are equipped with a wide assortment of features that enhance their performance including digital temperature controls, lighting, heavy duty plates and panels, and shelving where required. The dimensions of skid mounted cold rooms widely varies from ones that are a few feet square to ones the size of a semi-trailer.
Combination Cold Room
The blanket definition of a cold room gives the impression that cold rooms have a simple structure for providing low temperatures of various degrees for different products, experiments, or storage. Although this is generally true, there are instances when a single cold room has to serve multiple purposes with multiple environmental conditions in a single unit. This type of cold room is referred to as a combination or combi cold room.
Combination cold rooms come with separate temperature zones that have different temperatures for the materials being tested or stored at the same time. Their unique structure makes it possible to complete an assortment of activities without having to make adjustments to the cold room controls.
The interior design of a combi cold room includes partitioned areas that divide the interior into sections. The access door leads into the warmest section with access doors to the other sections. The refrigeration units for combi cold rooms are able to provide temperatures that range from -25°C up to 18°C (-13°F up to 64.4°F). In order to ensure the stability of the various temperature sections, combi cold rooms have high density insulation. The unusual design and function of combi cold rooms requires custom fabrication with close attention to energy consumption.
The manufacture of combi cold rooms is the result of industries that store or test diverse products but do not have the need for several cold rooms for each product. The food industry, pharmaceuticals, hospitals, R and D operations, and logistics are the industries that use these unique and unusual cold rooms.
Temperature Blast Cold Room
Temperature blast cold rooms, known as shock freezers or freezer rooms, are cold rooms that rapidly bring down the temperature for freezing products quickly for quality purposes. The blast freezing process includes the use of forced air fans that send cold air across the contents of the cold room at great speed. The process produces temperatures of -35°C down to -45°C (-31°F down to -49°F).
Cold rooms with blast chilling are industrial size freezing rooms normally used in the food industry to lengthen the viability of foods while preserving the nutritional value, smell, and quality of the food. The factors that cause the deterioration of food are the type of food, humidity, time, and temperature. Temperature blast cold rooms are able to control these factors by rapidly lowering the temperature within 90 min.
Walk-In Cold Room
Walk-in cold rooms are described as large refrigerated storage units that are designed for preserving and protecting perishable products and goods. They are used by businesses that require a large amount of space for cold storage. All of the varieties of cold rooms described above can include cold rooms that are referred to as walk-in. The classification of a walk-in cold room encompasses a wide range of refrigeration systems. The designation of a cold room as being walk-in is a reference to cold rooms that are used by retail businesses where preserving products is essential.
A crossover in the classification of cold rooms is with clean rooms that are designed to maintain a high level of cleanliness as well as control of the temperature, humidity, and pressure. A major factor in the difference between clean rooms and cold rooms is the need for clean rooms to adhere to specific standards of cleanliness to receive their classification. A factor that is not necessary for cold rooms. Regardless of that factor, cold rooms and clean rooms are customized to meet specific requirements and specifications associated with the industry where they are used.
The basic interpretation of a walk-in cold room is of a freezer room that is large enough for adults to walk in to remove merchandise but small enough to be useful for small businesses, such as grocery stores, ice cream parlors, and restaurants. The term walk-in tends to be a complete descriptor for these convenient and highly durable cool rooms.
Solar Direct Cold Room
The purpose of a solar direct cold room is the same as it is for all cold rooms in that solar direct cold rooms maintain low temperatures for storing perishable products and temperature sensitive equipment. The critical difference between solar direct cold rooms and typical cold rooms is their source of power, which comes from solar panels.
The solar panels for solar direct cold rooms convert light energy from solar photovoltaic panels into electrical energy that is used to power a cold room. They are an energy saving alternative to dependence on electrical energy and can be used anywhere there is sunlight. As with generator powered cold rooms, solar direct cold rooms can be used in remote areas where there is limited access to electrical power.
Chapter 3: Cold Rooms Classified by Temperature and Size
Cold rooms depend on refrigeration systems to create an environment with the proper climatic conditions for the preservation of products and manufacturing processes. They have become an essential part of several industries where extremely low temperatures are necessary. The classification of cold rooms can be divided into their function, size, and temperature range, each of which are deciding factors when purchasing a cold room.
Temperature Range
There are four types of cold rooms that can be defined by their temperature range, which are storage room, freezing room, deep freezing tunnel, and blast chillers.
Positive Temperature Cold Room
Positive temperature cold rooms have a temperature range of 0°C up to 18°C (32°F up to 64.4°F). They are used for preserving the quality of fruits and vegetables and sample tissue and medicines in the medical and pharmaceutical fields. Positive temperature cold rooms guarantee an appropriate environment for storing fresh food in large quantities with a constant and stable temperature and low humidity using insulating coatings with low thermal involvement.
Referred to as cold storage rooms, positive temperature cold rooms are designed for use in manufacturing and preservation. They include devices and thermometers to help control, monitor, and measure the conditions of the cold room as well as its temperature.
Negative Temperature Cold Room
Negative temperature cold rooms maintain temperatures between 0°C and -28°C (32°F and 18.4°F). The temperature range for negative temperature cold rooms necessitates high quality insulation to save on electricity and fewer openings. Negative temperature cold rooms are used for storing and freezing food, vaccines, and organic materials.
To maintain the temperature of a negative temperature cold room, the room is equipped with an electromechanical thermostat with a sensor and electric contactor that operate on an on and off basis. When the temperature in the room begins to rise, the thermostat sends a signal to the compressor to activate a refrigeration cycle.
Deep Freezing Tunnel
Deep freezing tunnels reach temperatures of -30°C down to -40°C (-22°F down to -40°F). The tunnels freeze items one by one using automatic displacement systems and cold currents as the items move through the tunnel. Freezing tunnels or tunnel freezers are designed to quickly freeze products and consist of a sealed chamber. Food that is placed in the chamber moves through the tunnel on a conveyor belt where cold air freezes the food in a short period of time.
During the freezing tunnel process, products are constantly in motion carried by a series of conveyors. The key to the process is the circulation of cold air at high speed, which cools and freezes products uniformly and rapidly. To ensure the quality of products and avoid damage, the speed and time in the tunnel is precision controlled, a factor that allows businesses to adjust conditions to the specific requirements of a product.
The development of deep freezing tunnels is in response to other methods of freezing that produced ice crystals on products, which diminished the texture and quality of products. The tunnel process, and its speed, minimizes ice crystal formation and their negative effects.
Temperature Blast Chillers
The purpose of temperature blast chillers is to cool food products very quickly to protect them from the infiltration of bacteria since bacteria grows very quickly at temperatures between 8°C and 68°C (46°F and 154°F). Temperature blast chillers function in a way that is similar to deep freezing tunnels in that cold air is blown and circulated rapidly over food products, after which the temperature continually lowers.
The key difference between a regular freezer and a blast chiller is the speed at which food is frozen. Freezers slowly lower the temperature and food in a process that does not preserve the flavor, texture, or the taste of the food. The rapid process of a blast chiller protects all aspects of food and preserves them.
Cold Room Size
The sizes of cold rooms widely vary in accordance with how they are used. Cold rooms for retail enterprises such as butchers, florists, and ice cream shops are smaller while cold rooms for laboratories and research are medium sized with room for tools and equipment. Industrial cold rooms can be massive and several thousand meters or feet.
Cold Room Sizes
Small – up to 30 m³ (1059.44 ft³) – Catering, butchers, ice cream shops, florists, and grocery stores.
Medium – up to 200 m³ (7065.93 ft³) – Supermarkets, hotels, laboratories, research facilities, and clean rooms.
Large – up to 3000 m³ (3923.85 yd³) – Large industrial operations such as logistic centers, shipping, and large item storage.
The many sizes of cold rooms make them adaptable in a wide range of conditions and environments. They can be used in any set of circumstances where low temperatures are required for the preservation of products or applications.
Chapter 4: The Components of a Cold Room
Cold rooms and clean rooms are similar in that they both require control of air flow and its temperature. With a clean room, the air must be free of contaminants and dust or dirt such that the environment is pure and exceptionally clean. With cold rooms, the maintenance of very low temperatures is a necessity for the preservation of the contents of a cold room.
The structure of cold rooms widely varies depending on their use. Regardless of these differences, there are characteristics of every cold room that are similar and consistent throughout all types including the refrigeration systems. Although the types of refrigeration systems vary, how refrigeration systems operate tends to be standard.
As with a clean room, cold rooms have a set of necessary components that enable them to maintain their required conditions. These aspects of a cold room, as with a clean room, go down to the most minute and tiniest detail.
Flooring
The temperature of a cold room determines whether it requires special flooring or can set on the foundational internal flooring. The key to the choice of flooring is the ability of the flooring to withstand the freezing temperatures, ability to be cleaned, hold heavy equipment, slip resistant, stainless, and non-absorbing. Polyaspartic and urethane coatings cure quickly in cold temperatures. Cold rooms connected to clean rooms have to be seamless and tightly sealed, which requires the floor to be resistant to thermal shock.
Panels
The types of cold room panels widely vary according to the temperature rating of a cold room. An essential aspect of cold room panels is their preventing leakage and being tightly sealed regardless of the temperature level to protect the loss of energy. Cold room panels form the walls and ceilings of cold rooms and ensure temperature control. They contribute to the insulation and seal of a cold room much like the panels of a clean room.
The insulation requirements for cold room panels requires that they be made in the same fashion as panels for clean rooms, which is a core with structural boards for support. The cores of panels are made of polyisocyanurate (PIR), a highly efficient insulation, or polyurethane (PU), which is structured by uniform dispersion molding (UDM). Panels are manufactured in small sections for easy installation and transport.
Aside from PIR and PU insulation, panels for cold rooms are made of polystyrene, neopor, and compressed straw. Each of the various types vary in accordance with the type of cold room where they can be used as well as how they are installed and designed. The key features of cold room paneling are their lightweight, durability, and ease of handling.
Doors
Aside from the number of doors for a cold room, there is the quality of the doors, which are used to access the cold room and keep it sealed. As with the types of cold rooms, there are several types of doors used in cold rooms, which include:
Horizontal sliding
Vertical sliding
Hinged
Service doors
Specialized doors
Fold-up
A key factor in the selection of a door is the available space and whether shipping equipment will need to enter the cold room such as pallet jacks and forklifts. Vertical doors are used in locations that have narrow widths with sufficient overhead room. The main features of cold room doors are their seal, insulation, ability to endure long term use, temperature resistance of their openers, and the fact that they do not stiffen or stick.
Cold Room Refrigeration System
The temperatures of a cold room are achieved through the use of a refrigeration system that can meet the requirements and design of a cold room. The components of a refrigeration system are a compressor, condenser, expansion valve, evaporator coils, and circulation fans. A necessary part of a refrigeration system is its refrigerant gas, which can be ammonia, freon, or CO₂.
Compressor – The type of compressor for a cold room is determined by the size of the cold room and its desired temperature. Reciprocating compressors use a piston to create positive displacement to move refrigerant gases at high pressure. They are used in cold rooms with a small capacity.
Screw compressors are less noisy and are used with cold rooms with a high capacity. They are smooth operating and considered to be the most reliable type of compressor.
The compressor is the heart of the refrigeration system. It compresses the refrigerant gas to increase its temperature before it enters the condenser.
Condenser – The condenser is a heat exchanger where heat from the refrigerant is transferred to a flow of water that goes to a cooling tower. In the condenser, the refrigerant is under constant pressure, which is controlled and monitored. The hot gas of the refrigerant is cooled to a liquid.
Expansion Valve – In the expansion valve, the refrigerant expands, releases pressure, and experiences a temperature drop. The refrigerant leaves the expansion valve as a liquid vapor mixture. Expansion valves maintain the pressure differential and control the amount of refrigerant that enters the evaporator.
Evaporator – In the evaporator, the refrigerant is at a lower temperature, evaporates, and absorbs heat. From the evaporator, the refrigerant enters the compressor where the process begins again.
Cool Fan – The cooling fan circulates the low temperature of the refrigerant in the evaporator into the cold room to help maintain the set temperature of the cold room. They ensure even distribution of the cold air and reduce any temperature variations.
Refrigeration systems for cold rooms take several configurations and forms. Monoblock refrigeration systems fit through a wall or the ceiling of a cold room. Split or remote refrigeration systems have an external condenser and an evaporator in the cold room. The placement of the refrigeration system can be in its walls, ceiling, the exterior floor, or be part of a larger all-inclusive system.
The key factors regarding cold rooms, regardless of their use, are their tight seal, consistency of temperature, structural stability, insulation, and refrigeration systems. Each of these has to be carefully planned and engineered to ensure the success of a cold room.
Chapter 5: Cold Rooms Compare to Clean Rooms
Upon initial examination, it may be presumed that there are little to no similarities between cold rooms and clean rooms since their apparent functions seem to be unrelated. Clean rooms are an extremely hygienically clean environment designed to prevent the intrusion of microbes, bacteria, and other contaminants while cold rooms are constructed to maintain a steady and reliable temperature. The key similarity between the two rooms is the need to control and maintain their internal conditions protected against the effects of the exterior environment.
Cold rooms and clean rooms are custom designed to meet exacting requirements and conditions. They are manufactured to meet the demands of a business or industry in regard to regulations and classifications. Unlike cold rooms, clean rooms must adhere closely to the stipulations of the International Organization of Standards (ISO), which classifies clean rooms to determine their capabilities. Cold rooms, though they have standards, do not have to answer to any international organization although they do have to follow national restrictions regarding the products they store.
Additionally, there are an endless number of factors that have to be considered when constructing a clean room that do not apply to cold rooms, which are regulations, requirements, rules, and standards that have been developed by a wide range of national and international organizations.
Cold Clean Room Design
Biotech companies require purification cold rooms and tissue culture rooms for product development. In the 80s and 90s, class 1000 or class 10,000 cold clean rooms became a necessity as the need for biotechnology products was rapidly growing. The cost of manufacturing a clean room to meet the requirements of a cold room were excessive, which led to the development of the standards for a cold clean room that achieves the necessary temperature requirements at an acceptable cost.
The resulting biotech cold clean rooms have the standard high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration system and a remote service refrigeration system. Since cold rooms require balanced air circulation, air balancing flow hoods are used. Desiccant dryers help maintain air circulation on the coldest surfaces, which allows for uniform temperatures and prevents growth of mold and mildew.
The unique design of biotech cold clean rooms has been used for decades using fan coil units, desiccant dehumidifiers, and fan modules. This unique form of cold and clean room is widely used by the biotech industry and pharmaceutical companies.
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Chapter 6: Industries That Use Cold Rooms
Cold rooms are designed to meet the long term storage requirements of industries that deal in perishable goods or sensitive equipment. Each industry that uses cold rooms carefully selects a cold room that fits their specific needs and specifications. The need for cold storage space includes a wide array of industries, each of which has specific standards and unique applications.
Commercial Cold Rooms
Commercial cold rooms refers to cold rooms for caterers, retail outlets, and small businesses. They are flexible units that can be adapted to a wide range of applications and businesses. Depending on the investment of customers, commercial cold rooms can be customized to fit the requirements of a business or enterprise.
Vegetable and Fruit Cold Rooms
Vegetable and fruit cold rooms and freezers are one of the most common uses of cold rooms for keeping products fresh and preventing losses. Due to the need and wide use of vegetable and fruit cold rooms, there are several models to choose from with different methods of refrigeration and atmosphere controls. Cold rooms for vegetables and fruits are available at prices that fit any business’ budget.
Florist Cold Rooms
Cold rooms for flowers have to be more adaptable due to the unique conditions certain plants require. They are designed to extend the freshness of flowers, slow metabolism, and delay the aging process. The types of cold rooms for florists include walk-in, mobile, and various types of display cases.
Meat Freezer Cold Rooms
The use of cold rooms for the meat industry begins with slaughterhouses and includes storage, logistics, and sales. Every step of the meat handling process requires a cold room for the preservation of the flavor, texture, and appearance of meat. Any failures in any step of the process can result in a loss. The types of meat cold rooms include:
Meat Cool Rooms for short term storage with temperatures ranging from 0°C to 5°C (32°F to 41°F).
Meat Freezers that are used for long-term storage with temperatures below -18°C (-22°F).
Blast freezers that are used for rapid freezing to preserve meat for long periods.
Logistic Cool Rooms are for short-term storage during distribution.
Laboratory Cold Rooms
Every aspect of research and experimentation hinges on precision temperature control to prevent environmental factors from influencing research results. Precision designed cold rooms with flexible temperature controls are used for chemical, biological, physics, electronic engineering, environmental science, and pharmaceutical laboratories for perfecting and testing new products and theories. Due to the nature of the work performed by researchers, laboratory cold rooms are explosion proof, have precision instrumentation, low oxygen controls, and ultra sensitive temperature controls.
Pharmaceutical Cold Rooms
For vaccines and medicines to retain their designed effects, they have to be stored in environmental conditions that have accurate and stable temperature controls. Cold rooms, with their tightly sealed construction, are widely used for the preservation of pharmaceutical products and medications.
Automobile Wind Tunnel Testing
A unique use of cold rooms is in wind tunnel testing of automobiles where temperatures are able to reach -30°C (-22°F) in hurricane conditions with winds at 130 K per hour (80 miles per hour). Referred to as climate tunnels, automobile wind tunnels are designed to simulate any type of weather conditions including extreme cold.
Chapter 7: Benefits of Cold Rooms
Cold room systems are exceptionally efficient methods for cold storage and are used for industrial, retail, and commercial applications. Although they have been mistaken for refrigerators, cold rooms are a more substantial and longer lasting form of cold storage that is durable and stable. Often referred to as freezers and chillers, cold rooms provide a service that cannot be duplicated by other pieces of equipment.
Internal Volume
The most noticeable feature of cold rooms compared to refrigerators or freezers is their internal volume, which makes them ideal for storing bulk perishable goods. This particular aspect of cold rooms is one of the main reasons for their wide use.
Economical
The operating system of a cold room is closely controlled and precise such that the temperature is not allowed to vary. The stability and consistency of temperature controls helps avoid any waste of energy, which saves on electricity and power usage.
Flexibility
If space and power are available, a cold room can be installed anywhere. The multiple footprints and sizes of cold rooms enables them to fit in narrow restrictive spaces as well as wide open areas. In essence, there is a cold room that can fit the needs of any industry that requires cold storage.
Cold rooms can be built as chillers, freezer rooms, or ambient areas depending on the range of required temperatures. Walk-in freezer rooms can store products at a temperature range of 0°C down to -40°C (32°F down to -40°F). The convenience and ease of using a cold room makes them ideal for any set of conditions.
Product Protection
The tight sealed construction of a cold room enables a cold room to maintain its low temperatures for an extended period of time, even during power outages. The addition of remote controls, backup generators, and emergency power make it possible for a cold room to endure a power outage of any length of time.
Reduction of Spoilage
The consistent and stable temperature of a cold room helps maintain stored items over a longer period of time. Items are kept at the same temperature while the refrigeration system of a cold room controls moisture, which extends the life of stored products.
Organization
The organization factor of cold rooms allows for easy inventory control and access to products and materials. Shelves, wall units, and various other organizational methods make it easy to position and place products for counting and use.
Chapter 8: How to Choose a Cold Room
The desirability of cold rooms make them a very attractive acquisition for an operation that requires cold storage. Regardless of their many advantages, it is important to choose a cold room that fits the requirements and applications of a business or company in order to avoid waste and expense. Manufacturers present a set of criteria that customers can use to determine the type and nature of cold room they require. The purchase of a cold room is the beginning of a long lasting relationship between the manufacturer and customer, where the manufacturer supports their products and provides guidance and advice.
Stored Materials
The quantity of products stored in a cold room directly affects the cold room's temperature. Larger items and products that require more space further affect the temperature. The selection of a cold room includes planning its placement and the organization of the stored items. Shelving and racking are normally used for convenience and easy access. Since certain metals rust, shelving is made of PVC or anodised aluminum, which are resistant to corrosion and strong.
Temperature
Regardless of the wide variety of cold rooms, it is important to know the exact temperature that items that will be stored in a cold room will require since fragile and delicate items require a more controlled temperature compared to sensitive equipment and more robust items. Much of the selection process hinges on the temperature that stored items will require. As the temperature lowers, the type of cold room has to be sturdier, stronger, and more durable in order to endure the lower temperatures.
The ambient temperature around a cold room has to be considered since it will affect the operation of the cold room. This aspect of the selection of a cold room is in conjunction with the establishment of where a cold room will be placed..
Power Supply
Typical industrial cold storage uses 380V of electricity or 3 phase electricity. A cold room should be placed close to the electrical supply such that it does not drain electricity provided for other equipment. Power should be constantly available without interruption for optimum performance of a cold room.
Ventilation
As with all forms of storage, cold rooms require sufficient ventilation to allow for circulation and release any odors from products stored for a long period of time. Well planned and effective ventilation helps maintain temperatures and ensures the quality of stored products.
Cold rooms require a wide area around them such that heat can be transferred to the outside. Indoor installations require sufficient room such that heat released by the cold room does not interfere with the operation of equipment and tools located near the cold room. For purposes of safety, cold rooms should not be positioned in confined areas that restrict their ventilation.
Available Space
During the initial investigation into the purchase of a cold room, customers normally determine the size of the space they wish to use for a cold room. Manufacturers assist in the process by providing options that match the space provided.
Maintenance
Regardless of the quality of a cold room and its specification, it has to be maintained and cleaned regularly to ensure optimum performance. Cold rooms are complex pieces of industrial equipment that require the same type of care that is given to any other piece of equipment. They should have a monthly log in maintenance schedule for cleaning and monitoring of performance.
Conclusion
A cold room is a temperature controlled environment that is capable, through refrigeration, to create conditions for storage, experimentation, and preservation of foods, equipment, and medical supplies.
Depending on the type of cold room, temperatures can vary between -40°C and -2°C (-40°F and 28.4°F) in accordance with what is stored and the use of the cold room.
Cold rooms are the first choice when it comes to storing products that require a stable cold environment in order to maintain the integrity and optimal performance of products. The difficulty in regard to selecting a cold room is the wide array of choices that are available since cold rooms are constructed to meet a long list of conditions and locations.
Cold rooms depend on refrigeration systems to create an environment with the proper climatic conditions for the preservation of products and manufacturing processes. They have become an essential part of several industries where extremely low temperatures are necessary.
Cold rooms and clean rooms are similar in that they both require control of air flow and its temperature. With a clean room, the air must be free of contaminants and dust or dirt such that the environment is pure and exceptionally clean. With cold rooms, the maintenance of very low temperatures is a necessity for the preservation of the contents of a cold room.
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Modular buildings are buildings made up of standardized sections, called "modules," manufactured in a controlled environment of a factory away from the building's future location. The common factory-made, standard modules include walls...
Modular Clean Rooms
A modular clean room is a prefabricated, controlled environment that is constructed to limit the presence of sub-micron particulates. These specially designed rooms are assembled using prefabricated panels inserted into a frame. They are purchased as a kit to be assembled or can be constructed by a technician...
Portable Cleanrooms
A portable cleanroom is a compact system that requires little space, provides mobility, is cost effective, and offers exceptional clean and filtered airflow to create an uncontaminated and sanitized environment. They are a modular designed room where...
Portable Offices
A portable office is a mobile workspace that can be easily assembled and placed to provide a quiet and convenient location for meetings, completing paperwork, or examining plans. They are built using...
Prefabricated Buildings
Prefabricated buildings, or prefabs, are buildings with components (walls, roof, and floor) that are manufactured in a factory or manufacturing plant. These components can be fully or partially assembled in a factory which is then transferred at the construction site...
Softwall Cleanrooms
A softwall cleanroom is a confined controlled space with a metal frame, clear panel walls, an entrance, high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, and exceptional lighting that is designed to provide a contaminant and particulate matter free workspace...
Types of Cleanrooms
A cleanroom is a specially designed and configured room that has been constructed to eliminate dust particulates and atmospheric contaminants. They are commonly used for scientific research, pharmaceutical production, and other industries that produce products that can be damaged by unsanitary or polluted conditions...