Building and Operating a Cold Storage Facility: A Comprehensive Overview

A refrigeration system is used in a cold storage facility to help maintain the right temperature and atmosphere for each item being stored.

Food items that have a short shelf life and are prone to spoilage under regular circumstances are stored in cold storage facilities. These could consist of meat, fish, veggies, fruits, etc. These foods are kept at the ideal temperature, which is usually low, in a humid environment, according to the needs of each food item. These characteristics are almost always pre-configured depending on what is being stored in cold storage rooms. Certain cold rooms are designed with movable components.

Building and Working of a Cold Storage Facility

A refrigeration system is used in a cold storage facility to help maintain the right temperature and atmosphere for each item being stored. The principal elements of a cold storage room are as follows:

Compressor:

It is the primary part that powers the cold room. The only gadget that requires energy to operate is this one. In a chilly environment, the compressor uses nearly all of the power. It is employed to increase the refrigerant vapor's temperature and pressure as it exits the Evaporator. The boiling point rises with increasing pressure, allowing the compressor to condense the refrigerant (such as ammonia) at the condenser's temperature.

Condenser:

The refrigerant and the flowing water must be completely cooled. Under high pressure and temperature, it performs the condenser's phase change from gas to liquid. The cold storage plant's efficiency is based on the condenser's heat exchange efficiency, which serves as a heat sink.

Receiver:

This is where the high-pressure liquid condensate is kept. Here, the condenser's phase change is followed by the refrigerant. The liquid refrigerant travels to the expansion valve to lower the temperature and pressure after it reaches the receiver component.

Expansion Valve:

By means of a throttling device, the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant are lowered. The refrigerant's temperature and pressure change as a result of friction, which causes the throttling process. The pressure inside the Evaporator varies with that of the Receiver.

Evaporator:

This is where the cyclic process that lowers the stored things' temperature occurs. It absorbs heat from the ambient or storage compartment that is meant to be cooled. The liquid refrigerant is subsequently evaporated using this heat. The food is chilled and preserved in this way.

Blowers:

Convection distributes the cooled air throughout the space, bringing the temperature down to the appropriate level.