Top 8 Parameters to Consider for Designing a Cold Storage

Top 8 Parameters to Consider for Designing a Cold Storage

March 31, 2020 Gubba Group

Cold storage is a facility that is commonly built for storing perishable products for a long time. Cold storage is crucial for a lot of products to maintain its shelf life and vigour. It is commonly used to store commodities like fruits, vegetables, processed food, processed seafood and meat, pharma products like vaccines, insulin and blood plasma; and vegetable seeds. There are currently 7,645 cold storages in India with a combined storage capacity of 226.7 lakh metric tonnes. Nearly 68% of the capacity is used for storing potato and only 30% is used for multi-commodity storage.

There are some parameters that must be considered before the construction of cold storage. These parameters should be precisely determined for the storage system and units to work efficiently over the years and to minimize energy consumption.

Type of cold storage: It is important to know what type of cold storage is required and for what purpose. It can be for a pre-cooling chamber, a cool room, cold chamber, frozen chamber or a blast freezing chamber.

Type of product stored: Only one type of product can be stored in each room of the facility. Different products can be stored together only when the product is in a sealed container and the temperatures match.

Temperature and RH: Different types of products have different temperature and relative humidity requirements. Selecting the incorrect temperature can lead to shorter shelf-life of the products.

Entry product temperature: It is important to determine the temperature at which the products arrive at the facility to determine the cooling capacity.

Daily entry-amount: The number of products entered daily in the cold storage facility will help in determining the number of forklifts, employees, trucks, truck parking areas, etc. required for the facility.

The number of rooms: The number of rooms can be determined according to the quantity of the products and circulation speed. The room should be neither too big or too small.

Geographical conditions: Factors such as weather conditions and the relative humidity of the area are crucial to determine the cooling load for the products to be stored.

Construction type: The cold storage facility can be constructed of either reinforced concrete or steel. The rooms must be insulated to reduce heat gain from the floor, walls and ceiling.

The design and construction of a cold storage facility require a high level of expertise and experience in the cold storage industry. Gubba Cold Infra Consulting is a wing of Gubba Cold Storage that specializes in the construction and operation of cold storage facilities. It is managed by a team of experienced professionals who have commissioned some of the best cold storage facilities in India.

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