The Main Purpose and Classification of Cold Storage(Part 1)

The cold storage is mainly used for the freezing and processing and cold storage of food. It keeps a certain low temperature indoors through artificial refrigeration. The walls, floors, and flat roofs of the cold storage are covered with insulation materials of a certain thickness to reduce the heat introduced from the outside. In order to reduce the absorption of solar radiant energy, the outer wall surface of the cold storage is generally painted white or light color. Therefore, the cold storage building is different from the general industrial and civil buildings and has its unique structure.

Cold storage construction should prevent the diffusion of water vapor and the penetration of air. When outdoor air invades, it not only increases the cold consumption of the cold storage but also brings moisture into the warehouse. The condensation of moisture causes the building structure, especially the insulation structure, to be damp and freeze damage. Therefore, a moisture-proof insulation layer should be installed to make the cold storage building have a good tightness and moisture-proof performance.

The foundation of the cold storage is affected by the low temperature, and the moisture in the soil is easily frozen. Due to the volume expansion of the soil after freezing, it will cause ground cracks and deformation of the entire building structure, severely making the cold storage unusable. For this reason, in addition to an effective insulation layer, the low-temperature cold storage floor must also be treated under the insulation layer to prevent the soil from freezing.

The floor slab of the cold storage has to pile up a large number of goods, and various loading and unloading machinery and equipment must be passed, and there are also refrigeration equipment or pipelines on the flat roof. Therefore, its structure should be strong and have a large bearing capacity.

In the low-temperature environment, especially during the periodic freezing and melting cycles, the building structure is vulnerable to damage. Therefore, the building materials of the cold storage and the structure of each part of the cold storage must have sufficient frost resistance.

Generally speaking, the cold storage building guarantees the quality of the building with its strict thermal insulation, airtightness, robustness, and frost resistance.

1. According to the scale of cold storage capacity

At present, the division of cold storage capacity is not unified, generally divided into large, medium, and small. The cold storage capacity of large-scale cold storage is above 10,000t; the cold storage capacity of medium-sized cold storage is 1,000～10,000t; the cold storage capacity of small-scale cold storage is less than 1,000t.

2. According to the cold storage design temperature

There are four types of cold storage: high temperature, medium temperature, low temperature, and ultra-low temperature.

①The cold storage design temperature of general high-temperature cold storage is between -2℃ and +8℃;

②The cold storage design temperature of medium-temperature cold storage is between -10℃ and -23℃;

③Low-temperature cold storage, the temperature is generally -23℃ to -30℃;

④Ultra-low temperature quick-freezing cold storage, the temperature is generally -30℃ to -80℃.

The above information is provided by fresh-keeping cold storage factory.