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Cold Rooms: Uses, Standards and Construction

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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 …
Remote Cold Room Construction

Chapter 1: What is a Cold Room?

A cold room is a temperature-regulated environment designed to uphold certain temperatures using refrigeration techniques, facilitating the storage, experimentation, and preservation of food, equipment, and medical supplies. These spaces can be categorized by their temperature specifications and dimensions, from compact walk-in models to expansive warehouse-scale facilities.

Cold Storage Room

The cooling system within a cold room functions similarly to other refrigeration systems. It incorporates compressors, condensers, fans, expansion valves, and evaporators to reach and sustain low temperatures. Depending on the intended purpose and usage, cold room conditions can vary from -40°C to -2°C (-40°F to 28.4°F).

A key advantage of cold rooms is their ability to deliver precise temperature management for industrial and commercial uses, which necessitate prolonged storage of perishables. They provide an efficient method for the conservation of food items and chemicals.

Chapter 2: What are the Different Types of Cold Rooms?

Cold rooms—sometimes called cold storage rooms, walk-in freezers, or commercial refrigeration rooms—are often the preferred solution for businesses and industries that require a consistently cold environment for product preservation. These temperature-controlled storage systems play a crucial role in protecting product integrity and ensuring optimal performance, particularly in sectors such as food service, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and research. Selecting the right cold storage solution can be challenging due to the wide variety of cold room types and features available. Each type is engineered to accommodate specific operational environments and storage requirements to guarantee the safety, longevity, and quality of stored goods.

The selection process for a cold room starts with determining its required temperature range—covering everything from chilled environments (above 0°C) to deep freezing (as low as -45°C)—and its size, which is influenced by the volume and type of goods to be stored. Considerations also include energy efficiency, humidity control, and available installation space. Large cold rooms, such as those in distribution centers or warehouses, often require careful assessment and customized design to ensure seamless integration with existing workflows. Whether for bulk food storage, biomedical research, or sensitive chemical storage, the optimal cold room installation maximizes storage capacity while ensuring regulatory compliance and operational efficiency.

Remote Cold Rooms

A remote cold room—also known as a split refrigeration system—refers to a setup where core refrigeration components, such as the compressor and condenser, are placed separately from the cold storage enclosure. In this configuration, only the evaporator is situated inside the cold room, while the heavy-duty compressor and condenser are positioned externally, often on a rooftop or mechanical area. This remote design is ideal for commercial food storage, industrial refrigeration, and environments where minimizing heat and mechanical noise within the storage area is a priority.

The separation of the compressor and condenser provides substantial benefits: it mitigates the heat and noise produced within the cold room, enhances energy efficiency by reducing the cooling load, and lowers overall operational costs. Additionally, this setup maximizes usable storage space, accommodating greater inventory or bulkier products. Remote cold rooms are often favored in environments with strict temperature consistency requirements, such as pharmaceutical warehouses, large-scale food processors, and scientific laboratories.

Remote Cold Room

Saddle Mount Cold Room

Saddle mount cold rooms describe refrigeration systems either suspended from a wall or installed atop the cold storage unit before the roof panel is sealed. For wall-mounted applications, the refrigeration unit is fastened via a bracket that passes through slotted openings in the cold room’s upper panel. These plug-and-play cooling solutions—classified as modular cold rooms or walk-in cold rooms—are especially valued for their compact, integrated construction and easy installation process.

The appeal of saddle mount cold rooms lies in their single-unit, preassembled design, which simplifies setup while maintaining superior insulation and temperature control. This cold room configuration is ideal for smaller-scale operations, catering businesses, or on-site foodservice locations that require rapid deployment of cold storage without complex electrical wiring or refrigeration expertise. Key features also include integrated condensate drainage and user-friendly controls, further streamlining Cold Room operation and maintenance.

Saddle Mount Cold Room

Penthouse Cold Rooms

Penthouse cold rooms are a specialized cold storage solution similar to top-mount systems, but are uniquely engineered without an evaporator coil inside the cold room chamber itself. This innovative arrangement enhances usable storage capacity by eliminating intrusive equipment, making penthouse cold rooms a top choice for installations where maximizing internal space is essential. To safeguard products from condensation and liquid buildup, penthouse systems feature an external condensate evaporator and direct airflow management through cooling coils, louvers, and inlets for efficient heat transfer.

This cold room design is especially effective for applications where contamination risk—such as from mold, bacteria, or particulates—must be minimized. By housing evaporators in insulated cells outside the storage compartment, penthouse cold rooms reduce contamination and facilitate easy maintenance. This makes them ideal for pharmaceutical storage, biotechnology labs, or settings requiring elevated hygiene and a high level of temperature accuracy. Their design also suits facilities with limited vertical or wall space but a need for continuous, dependable refrigeration.

Penthouse Cold Room

Prefabricated Cold Room

Prefabricated cold rooms, also known as modular cold rooms, are designed for versatility, scalability, and rapid deployment. These turnkey cold storage solutions are assembled from factory-manufactured, insulated panels that lock together to form a secure, energy-efficient enclosure. Prefabricated cold rooms offer unmatched flexibility—they can be easily expanded, downsized, or even relocated as storage needs evolve.

Key advantages include customizable temperature ranges, configurable interior shelving for different goods, and the use of advanced insulating materials for consistent temperature retention. The modular structure enables businesses to upgrade or reconfigure their refrigerated storage with minimal disruption. This makes prefabricated cold rooms a popular choice for food processors, farm producers, restaurants, and pharmaceutical distributors. High-performance interlocking panels help maintain stable temperatures, minimize energy consumption, and prevent temperature leakage, which is crucial for both chilled and frozen storage. These cold rooms are ideal for environments where rapid installation, compliance with food safety standards, and easy maintenance are important.

Panels of a Prefabricated Cold Room

Skid Mounted Cold Room

Skid-mounted cold rooms are portable refrigeration units designed with robust steel frames, providing easy transportation and rapid deployment in challenging environments. Often resembling shipping containers or trailers, these cold storage modules can be lifted and moved by crane, forklift, or flatbed truck. Built with partitioned doors and customizable wall sizing, skid-mounted cold rooms serve diverse needs, from mobile food storage at events to field science and humanitarian relief operations.

Skid-mounted cold rooms are invaluable for cold storage and environmental testing in remote areas lacking infrastructure or stable electricity supplies. Many units feature self-contained diesel generators, making them reliable in off-grid locations. The sturdy construction allows them to withstand harsh weather, rough handling, and frequent relocation. Skid-mounted units offer feature-rich options such as digital temperature controls, heavy-duty shelving, integrated lighting, and tamper-resistant locks. Their scalable sizing—from compact cabinets to full trailer-length modules—makes them ideal for military, mining, scientific expeditions, and perishable food logistics operations.

Skid Mounted Cold Room with Roof Condenser

Combination Cold Room

The general definition of a cold room encompasses insulated chambers engineered to maintain stable temperatures for sensitive products, experiments, or bulk storage. For operations requiring multiple temperature zones within a single cold storage enclosure, a combination—or combi—cold room is the ideal multi-functional solution.

Combination cold rooms feature distinct, independently controlled temperature zones separated by insulated partitions. This configuration allows simultaneous storage or testing of products needing diverse temperature environments—such as pharmaceuticals, vaccines, chemicals, or different food categories—without risk of cross-contamination or temperature fluctuation. The main access leads to the warmest section, with secondary doors granting entry to colder compartments. Temperature ranges can span from -25°C to 18°C, offering flexibility for research, food safety, or logistics staging applications.

Industries that benefit from combi cold rooms include food processing, catering, biotech, healthcare, clinical research, and high-value logistics. These cold rooms are custom fabricated to optimize energy use, maximize storage efficiency, and facilitate compliance with health and safety regulations. Customizable insulation thickness, specialized racking, and secure temperature monitoring systems make combination cold rooms the superior choice for businesses with varied, demanding cold storage requirements.

Combination Cold Room

Temperature Blast Cold Room

Temperature blast cold rooms, also referred to as blast chillers, shock freezers, or rapid cooling freezer rooms, are engineered for the rapid freezing and chilling of fresh produce, meat, seafood, or prepared foods. Utilizing high-velocity air circulation and powerful compressors, these cold storage rooms lower internal temperatures quickly—typically from +70°C down to -18°C or lower in under 90 minutes—preventing microbial growth and preserving taste, color, and nutritional value.

Used extensively in large-scale food processing, catering, bakery, and seafood industries, blast cold rooms are critical for complying with food safety standards such as HACCP, which require strict temperature control during processing and transportation. These cold rooms are designed for both high throughput and efficient energy use, ensuring fast recovery times when new products are loaded. Custom options include advanced monitoring, flexible racking, and humidity control systems, making them indispensable for companies focused on freshness, quality, and regulatory compliance in food logistics.

Temperature Blast Cold Room

Walk-In Cold Room

Walk-in cold rooms are large, insulated, and easily accessible storage units purpose-built for commercial refrigeration and the preservation of perishable goods. These cold stores are an industry standard for food wholesalers, supermarkets, restaurants, catering businesses, and even pharmaceutical storage. Walk-in cold rooms offer the advantage of customizable size, interior layout, and temperature settings, making them suitable for both chilled and frozen storage applications.

While there is overlap between walk-in cold rooms and clean rooms—used in pharmaceutical or electronics manufacturing—cold rooms focus primarily on consistent temperature, humidity, and airflow rather than particulate cleanliness. Walk-in rooms are rigorously designed to provide easy access, optimal racking, and efficient airflow, ensuring quick product retrieval and minimal temperature fluctuation. Markets that benefit from walk-ins include hospitality, beverage distribution, floral wholesalers, and laboratory research. Modern walk-in cold rooms often feature remote monitoring, automatic door closers, and advanced safety systems to streamline operation and safeguard product quality.

Walk-In Cold Room

Solar Direct Cold Room

A solar direct cold room is an energy-efficient refrigeration solution designed for perishable storage and temperature-sensitive equipment in off-grid or power-limited locations. These sustainable cold storage systems utilize rooftop solar panels, which harness sunlight and convert it into electricity via photovoltaic (PV) cells to power the cold room’s compressor and refrigeration components.

Solar-powered cold rooms are especially advantageous in agricultural, rural, and remote medical settings where reliable electricity is unavailable or expensive. The eco-friendly operation lowers carbon emissions, operating costs, and reliance on diesel generators for backup power. Key features include battery storage options for nighttime cooling, advanced insulation for thermal retention, and smart controllers to optimize energy use. Increasingly, solar cold storage is critical for post-harvest produce cooling, vaccine and medical supply transport, and cold chain reliability in developing regions or disaster recovery scenarios.

Solar Direct Cold Room

Chapter 3: How are cold rooms classified by temperature and size?

Cold rooms, also known as walk-in cold storage rooms or refrigerated storage chambers, rely on advanced refrigeration systems to maintain controlled climatic conditions for effective product preservation and industrial process support. These temperature-controlled environments are vital in cold chain logistics, food and beverage storage, pharmaceutical manufacturing, biotechnology, and many industries where temperature-sensitive goods require precise storage. When selecting a cold room, critical considerations include its intended function (storage or freezing), internal dimensions, and required temperature range, all of which influence system selection, layout, and long-term energy efficiency.

Temperature Range

Cold rooms are primarily categorized into four types based on their operating temperature ranges: storage rooms, freezing rooms, deep freezing tunnels, and blast chillers. Understanding these classifications is essential for facilities managers, food manufacturers, and pharmaceutical companies seeking to comply with safety standards and product quality protocols.

Positive Temperature Cold Room

Positive temperature cold rooms function within a temperature range of 0°C to 18°C (32°F to 64.4°F). These rooms are used for chilled storage of fresh produce like fruits and vegetables, as well as flowers, dairy products, beverages, and medical samples such as tissue or pharmaceuticals. By maintaining constant cold storage conditions and stable humidity with superior insulation, positive temperature cold rooms protect perishable goods from spoilage and extend shelf life.

Often referred to as cold storage rooms or chilled rooms, these solutions are integral to food processing plants, supermarkets, research facilities, and medical applications. They are designed for both safe storage and streamlined manufacturing processes, equipped with temperature monitoring devices, data loggers, and advanced thermometers for precise regulation of ambient conditions.

Negative Temperature Cold Room

Negative temperature cold rooms, commonly called freezer rooms or low-temperature storage chambers, operate within a temperature range of 0°C to -28°C (32°F to -18.4°F). Achieving and maintaining these subzero temperatures requires high-performance thermal insulation, tight door seals, and efficient refrigeration equipment to minimize electricity consumption and maintain stable temperatures. These cold rooms are widely used for frozen food storage, vaccine preservation, biological sample archiving, and the long-term storage of organic materials that must remain below freezing.

Temperature regulation in negative temperature cold rooms is accomplished with robust electromechanical thermostats, integrating sensors and electric contactors to initiate on/off cycles of the compressor. When ambient temperatures rise, the thermostat activates a refrigeration cycle, ensuring reliable, uniform cold storage and continuous compliance with regulatory guidelines for frozen goods.

Negative Temperature Cold Room

Deep Freezing Tunnel

Deep freezing tunnels, also known as rapid freezing tunnels or IQF tunnels (Individually Quick Frozen), maintain temperatures from -30°C to -40°C (-22°F to -40°F). These industrial cold storage systems utilize automatic conveyor systems and high-velocity cold air circulation to rapidly freeze items as they move through the tunnel. Designed to achieve fast and uniform deep freezing of food products such as seafood, meat, pastries, and ready-to-eat meals, this tunnel technology preserves texture, nutritional value, and visual appeal.

The deep freezing tunnel process ensures continuous product flow, with goods transported on conveyor belts or racks through zones of progressively colder air. This rapid, high-efficiency method not only enhances product throughput but also prevents the formation of large ice crystals, which can degrade cellular integrity and compromise food safety and quality. Modern freezing tunnels provide customizable speed and residence time, allowing operators to optimize settings for diverse products and batch sizes.

Engineered to address challenges associated with traditional freezing, deep freezing tunnels remain indispensable in commercial food manufacturing and export facilities requiring consistent, scalable, and quality-assured freezing processes.

Deep Freezing Tunnel

Temperature Blast Chillers

Temperature blast chillers, or blast freezers, are specialized cold chamber units designed to rapidly chill hot or cooked foods from above 70°C (158°F) to below 3°C (37.4°F) within a short time frame, significantly reducing the risk of bacterial growth—a risk that is particularly high between 8°C and 68°C (46°F and 154°F), known as the food danger zone. Utilizing high-speed air circulation, blast chillers quickly lower core product temperature, helping food processors, caterers, and restaurants comply with strict food safety regulations (such as HACCP) while preserving taste, texture, and nutritional content.

Unlike conventional freezers, which cool at a much slower rate, blast chillers are engineered for rapid cooling and flash freezing, effectively preventing freezer burn and maintaining product integrity. This makes them invaluable for kitchens and food production environments that demand rapid cooling to facilitate efficient storage, reheating, and distribution without sacrificing food quality or extending preparation time.

Blast Chiller

Cold Room Size

Cold rooms are available in a wide array of sizes and configurations, enabling businesses and organizations to tailor their cold storage solutions to unique space and capacity requirements. The selection process should consider not only the volume of goods to be stored, but also workflow efficiency, access requirements, and energy optimization for long-term operational costs. Whether for small-scale retail storage, laboratory sample preservation, or high-volume industrial refrigeration, choosing the appropriate size ensures maximum efficiency and optimal use of resources.

Cold Room Sizes

  • Small – up to 30 m³ (1059.44 ft³) – Ideal for catering operations, butchers, ice cream parlors, florists, compact grocery stores, and specialty retailers. These cold rooms provide accessible walk-in cold storage for fast-moving perishables.
  • Medium – up to 200 m³ (7065.93 ft³) – Suitable for supermarkets, hotels, laboratories, research institutions, pharmaceutical storage, and cleanroom environments. These medium cold room solutions offer the capacity and flexibility required for diverse products with strict temperature requirements.
  • Large – up to 3000 m³ (3923.85 yd³) – Essential for large industrial facilities, logistics and distribution centers, shipping operations, bulk commodity warehousing, and food production lines. Large-scale cold rooms are designed for palletized goods, high racking systems, and seamless integration with material handling equipment.

Custom-built walk-in cold rooms and modular refrigeration systems can be engineered for specific site requirements, including explosion-proof specifications, humidity control, and multi-zone temperature chambers. Regardless of size, modern cold rooms feature energy-efficient refrigeration units, digital control panels, and remote temperature monitoring to maximize performance and reduce environmental impact.

By carefully evaluating your cold storage needs—including temperature range, interior layout, insulation performance, and monitoring options—you can select a cold room solution that ensures regulatory compliance, product safety, and operational reliability. Investing in the right cold room type and size not only optimizes storage efficiency but also plays a key role in maintaining the cold chain and supporting long-term business success.

Chapter 4: What are the components of a cold room?

Cold rooms and clean rooms share similarities in that both require precise control over airflow and temperature. However, while clean rooms must maintain an environment free from contaminants, dust, or dirt to ensure purity, cold rooms focus on maintaining very low temperatures to preserve their contents.

The structure of cold rooms varies depending on their specific use, but all cold rooms share certain fundamental characteristics, including their refrigeration systems. Despite the variety in refrigeration systems, their operation generally follows a standard approach.

Like clean rooms, cold rooms have essential components designed to maintain their required conditions, paying attention to even the smallest details.

Flooring

The choice of flooring for a cold room depends on its temperature and specific needs. Flooring must endure freezing temperatures, be easy to clean, support heavy equipment, and be slip-resistant, stainless, and non-absorptive. Polyaspartic and urethane coatings are effective as they cure quickly even in cold conditions. Additionally, if a cold room is connected to a clean room, the flooring must be seamless and tightly sealed to resist thermal shock.

Panels

Cold room panels vary depending on the temperature rating of the cold room. An essential feature of these panels is their ability to prevent leakage and ensure a tight seal to minimize energy loss. They form the walls and ceilings of cold rooms and play a crucial role in temperature control and insulation, similar to panels used in clean rooms.

Cold room panels are typically constructed with a core of either polyisocyanurate (PIR), which offers highly efficient insulation, or polyurethane (PU), made using uniform dispersion molding (UDM). These panels are designed for easy installation and transport, being manufactured in manageable sections.

In addition to PIR and PU, cold room panels may also be made from polystyrene, neopor, or compressed straw, each suited to specific cold room applications and installation methods. The key attributes of cold room panels include their lightweight nature, durability, and ease of handling.

Cold Room Panel Construction

Doors

In addition to the number of doors for a cold room, the quality and type of doors are crucial for accessing and maintaining the seal of the cold room. Several types of doors are used in cold rooms, including:

  • Horizontal sliding
  • Vertical sliding
  • Hinged
  • Service doors
  • Specialized doors
  • Fold-up

A key factor in selecting a door for a cold room is the available space and the need for shipping equipment, such as pallet jacks and forklifts, to enter the room. Vertical doors are ideal for narrow spaces with sufficient overhead clearance. Important features of cold room doors include their seal, insulation, durability, temperature resistance of their openers, and the ability to remain functional without stiffening or sticking over time.

Cold Room Refrigeration System

The temperatures in a cold room are maintained by a refrigeration system designed to meet its specific requirements. Key components of a refrigeration system include a compressor, condenser, expansion valve, evaporator coils, and circulation fans. Additionally, the system uses refrigerant gases, such as ammonia, freon, or CO2, to achieve and maintain the desired temperature.

  • 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.
Cold Room Cooling System

Refrigeration systems for cold rooms come in various configurations. Monoblock systems are compact and fit through a wall or ceiling of the cold room. Split or remote systems feature an external condenser and an evaporator located inside the cold room. The refrigeration system can be integrated into the walls, ceiling, or floor of the cold room, or be part of a larger, all-inclusive system.

Regardless of the specific type or use, essential factors for cold rooms include a tight seal, consistent temperature control, structural stability, effective insulation, and a reliable refrigeration system. Each of these elements must be meticulously planned and engineered to ensure the cold room's success.

Chapter 5: How do cold rooms compare to clean rooms?

At first glance, it might seem that cold rooms and clean rooms have little in common, given their distinct functions. Clean rooms are meticulously designed to maintain an extremely hygienic environment, preventing the intrusion of microbes, bacteria, and other contaminants. In contrast, cold rooms are engineered to ensure a steady and reliable temperature. However, both types of rooms share a key similarity: the need to control and maintain their internal conditions while protecting them from the external environment.

Cold Room Clean Room

Cold rooms and clean rooms are custom-designed to meet specific requirements and conditions dictated by their intended use. Both are manufactured to comply with industry standards and regulations, but they differ in their regulatory oversight. Unlike cold rooms, which must adhere to national guidelines but are not governed by an international body, clean rooms are subject to stringent standards set by organizations such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). These standards classify clean rooms based on their cleanliness levels and capabilities.

Constructing a clean room involves addressing a multitude of regulations, requirements, and standards developed by various national and international organizations, factors that do not apply to cold rooms. Clean rooms must adhere to these comprehensive guidelines to ensure they meet the necessary hygiene and contamination control standards.

Cold Clean Room Design

Biotech companies often require specialized environments such as purification cold rooms and tissue culture rooms for product development. During the 1980s and 1990s, the demand for biotechnology products led to the necessity of class 1000 or class 10,000 clean rooms. However, the high cost of manufacturing clean rooms that also met the stringent temperature requirements of cold rooms prompted the development of standards for "cold clean rooms," which offer a balance of performance and cost-effectiveness.

Biotech cold clean rooms typically feature high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration systems and remote refrigeration units. To ensure balanced air circulation, air balancing flow hoods are employed. Desiccant dryers are used to maintain air circulation on the coldest surfaces, promoting uniform temperatures and preventing the growth of mold and mildew.

These specialized cold clean rooms utilize fan coil units, desiccant dehumidifiers, and fan modules. This integrated design has been widely adopted by the biotech and pharmaceutical industries for decades, meeting both cleanliness and temperature control needs efficiently.

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    Chapter 6: Which industries use cold rooms?

    Cold rooms are engineered to meet the long-term storage needs of industries handling perishable goods or sensitive equipment. Each industry selects a cold room tailored to its specific requirements and specifications. The need for cold storage spans a diverse range of industries, each with distinct standards and applications.

    Commercial Cold Rooms

    Commercial cold rooms are designed for caterers, retail outlets, and small businesses. These versatile units can be adapted to a variety of applications and business needs. Depending on the investment, commercial cold rooms can be customized to meet the specific requirements of each business or enterprise.

    Vegetable and Fruit Cold Rooms

    Vegetable and fruit cold rooms and freezers are among the most common applications for cold storage, designed to keep produce fresh and minimize losses. Given their widespread use, there are numerous models available, each offering various refrigeration methods and atmospheric controls. These cold rooms come in a range of prices to suit different business budgets.

    Florist Cold Rooms

    Cold rooms for flowers are designed to be highly adaptable to meet the specific needs of different plant species. They aim to extend the freshness of flowers by slowing their metabolism and delaying the aging process. Options for florists include walk-in cold rooms, mobile units, and various types of display cases.

    Meat Freezer Cold Rooms

    The meat industry relies heavily on cold rooms, starting from slaughterhouses and extending through storage, logistics, and sales. Every stage of meat handling necessitates cold rooms to preserve the flavor, texture, and appearance of the meat. Any lapse in this process can lead to significant losses. Types of cold rooms used in the meat industry 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

    In research and experimentation, precise temperature control is crucial to prevent environmental factors from affecting results. Precision-designed cold rooms with flexible temperature controls are essential in laboratories across various fields, including chemical, biological, physics, electronic engineering, environmental science, and pharmaceuticals. These cold rooms ensure optimal conditions for developing and testing new products and theories. Due to the nature of the work, laboratory cold rooms often feature explosion-proof designs, precision instrumentation, low oxygen controls, and ultra-sensitive temperature controls.

    Pharmaceutical Cold Rooms

    To ensure that vaccines and medicines maintain their efficacy, they must be stored under precise and stable temperature conditions. Cold rooms, with their tightly sealed construction, are commonly used to preserve pharmaceutical products and medications, providing the necessary environmental controls to maintain their intended effects.

    Automobile Wind Tunnel Testing

    A unique application of cold rooms is in wind tunnel testing for automobiles, where temperatures can drop to -30°C (-22°F) and wind speeds can reach 130 km/h (80 mph). Known as climate tunnels, these specialized wind tunnels are designed to replicate various weather conditions, including extreme cold, to test the performance and durability of vehicles under simulated environmental stresses.

    Chapter 7: What are the benefits of cold rooms?

    Cold room systems are highly efficient solutions for cold storage across industrial, retail, and commercial applications. Unlike standard refrigerators, cold rooms are designed for more substantial and long-term cold storage, offering durability and stability. Commonly referred to as freezers and chillers, cold rooms provide a level of performance and reliability that cannot be matched by other types of equipment.

    Internal Volume

    The most distinguishing feature of cold rooms compared to refrigerators or freezers is their large internal volume, making them ideal for storing bulk quantities of perishable goods. This capability is a key reason for their widespread use across various industries.

    Economical

    The operating system of a cold room is precisely controlled to maintain a stable and consistent temperature. This meticulous control helps prevent fluctuations, minimizing energy waste and reducing electricity and power consumption.

    Flexibility

    With adequate space and power, cold rooms can be installed almost anywhere. Their diverse sizes and footprints allow them to fit into both narrow, restrictive spaces and expansive areas. Essentially, there is a cold room solution for any industry requiring cold storage.

    Cold rooms can be designed as chillers, freezer rooms, or ambient areas depending on the required temperature ranges. For instance, walk-in freezer rooms can maintain temperatures from 0°C to -40°C (32°F to -40°F). The versatility and ease of use make cold rooms ideal for a variety of conditions.

    Product Protection

    The tightly sealed construction of a cold room allows it to maintain low temperatures for extended periods, even during power outages. With the addition of remote controls, backup generators, and emergency power systems, cold rooms can continue to function effectively, even in the event of a prolonged power interruption.

    Reduction of Spoilage

    The consistent and stable temperature of a cold room ensures that stored items are maintained at a uniform temperature over extended periods. This steady environment, coupled with the refrigeration system's control of moisture, helps extend the shelf life of stored products.

    Organization

    The organizational features of cold rooms facilitate easy inventory control and access to products and materials. With shelves, wall units, and other organizational tools, products can be efficiently positioned and retrieved, simplifying counting and usage.

    Chapter 8: How to Choose a Cold Room?

    The appeal of cold rooms makes them a highly attractive investment for operations requiring cold storage. Despite their many benefits, it's crucial to select a cold room that aligns with the specific requirements and applications of a business to avoid unnecessary waste and expense. Manufacturers provide criteria that customers can use to identify the appropriate type and nature of cold room they need. Purchasing a cold room marks the beginning of a long-term relationship between the manufacturer and the customer, where ongoing support, guidance, and advice are provided.

    Stored Materials

    The quantity of products stored in a cold room directly impacts its temperature. Larger items and those requiring more space further influence the temperature. Selecting a cold room involves planning its placement and organizing the stored items. Shelving and racking systems are typically used for convenience and easy access. Since some metals are prone to rust, shelving is often made from PVC or anodized aluminum, which are corrosion-resistant and durable.

    Temperature

    Despite the variety of cold rooms available, it's essential to determine the precise temperature requirements for the items to be stored. Fragile and delicate items necessitate a more controlled environment compared to sensitive equipment or more robust items. Much of the selection process revolves around the required storage temperature. As temperatures decrease, the cold room must be more robust, durable, and able to withstand lower temperatures.

    The ambient temperature surrounding the cold room must also be considered, as it affects the cold room's operation. This factor is important when establishing the cold room's placement.

    Power Supply

    Industrial cold storage typically requires 380V or three-phase electricity. It is important to position the cold room close to the electrical supply to prevent draining power from other equipment. A constant, uninterrupted power supply is essential for optimal performance.

    Ventilation

    Like all storage solutions, cold rooms need adequate ventilation to facilitate air circulation and remove any odors from long-stored products. Effective ventilation helps maintain consistent temperatures and preserves the quality of stored items.

    Cold rooms require ample space around them to allow heat dissipation. Indoor installations should be planned to ensure that the heat released by the cold room does not affect nearby equipment and tools. For safety reasons, cold rooms should not be placed in confined areas that restrict ventilation.

    Available Space

    During the initial phase of purchasing a cold room, customers typically assess the size of the space intended for its installation. Manufacturers assist by offering options that align with the available space.

    Maintenance

    Regardless of a cold room's quality and specifications, regular maintenance and cleaning are essential for optimal performance. Cold rooms are complex industrial systems that require the same level of care as other equipment. A monthly maintenance log should be kept to track cleaning and performance monitoring.

    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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      Table of Contents

      What is a Cold Room?

      Types of Cold Rooms

      Cold Rooms Classified by Temperature and Size

      Components of a Cold Room

      Cold Rooms Compare to Clean Rooms

      Industries That Use Cold Rooms

      Benefits of Cold Rooms

      How to Choose a Cold Room

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      Climate Chambers

      Climate Chambers

      A climate chamber is an enclosed space that provides a controlled set of circumstances for testing the impact of various environmental and climatic conditions on industrial goods, commercial products, electronic devices, materials, and biological matter...

      Environmental Chambers

      Environmental Chambers

      An environmental chamber is an enclosure used to test the effects of a variety of conditions on a product, component, part, or assembly. These highly technical pieces of equipment are capable of simulating the types of conditions a product may face while in use...

      Humidity Chambers

      Humidity Chambers

      A humidity chamber is a mechanism that examines how products react when exposed to variations in humidity. This type of environmental testing is used by manufacturers to test the various parameters of their products in the harshest of conditions...

      Stability Chambers

      Stability Chambers

      Stability chambers and rooms are climate-controlled environments that provide stable conditions for testing and storage. These specialized environmental chambers offer a precise, raised temperature or humidity to ascertain whether a...

      Temperature Chambers

      Temperature Chambers

      A temperature chamber is a controlled environment capable of producing conditions that a product will encounter during its use. These highly controlled technical tools are able to produce the types of hazards, uses, and atmospheres a product may endure...

      Test Chamber

      Test Chamber

      A test chamber is a managed and controlled environment used to test the endurance, stability, and practicality of equipment, products, and chemicals. They are a controlled enclosure that mimics the effects of environmental conditions that a product may encounter during its usage...

      Thermal Shock Chambers

      Thermal Shock Chambers

      Thermal shock chambers are climatic chambers for thermal shock testing that are utilized to put the material to serious shocks. This is accomplished through the repeated and sudden passage to low temperature areas from...

      Vacuum Chambers

      Vacuum Chambers

      A vacuum chamber removes air and pressure from a confined enclosure to test the effects of a vacuum on parts, materials, components, and assemblies. It can also be used to test the performance of applications for manufacturing operations...

      Types of Environmental Test Chambers

      Types of Environmental Test Chambers

      The purpose of an environmental testing chamber is to examine the effects of a variety of climactic, physical, and other unique conditions on a product. They are designed to create environments that a product may encounter during its use...

      Cleanrooms

      Cleanrooms

      A cleanroom is a specially designed enclosed space where airborne particulates have been limited or removed by a highly sophisticated filtration system. They are used by industries that require a highly controlled and monitored environment for the production...

      Cleanroom Products

      Cleanroom Products

      Cleanroom products are specially designed and engineered to prevent the contamination and pollution of highly sensitive cleanroom environments. For a cleanroom to receive its level of classification, it is required to be cleaned, constructed, and sanitized to meet a list of qualifying conditions and standards....

      HEPA Air Filters

      HEPA Air Filters

      A HEPA filter is a high efficiency pleated air filter capable of capturing extremely small particulate matter down to particles that are the size of a micron (µ), or a micrometer, which is 1/1000th of a meter...

      Modular Buildings

      Modular Buildings

      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

      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

      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

      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

      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

      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

      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...

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