THE COLD HARD FACTS ON COLD STORAGE
If you’ve got a customer complaining that every door in their cold storage warehouse is shrouded in fog, the shelves have more frost than a dorm room freezer, and the floor can double as a skating rink—this article is for you!
It’s a common and all-to-constant battle in cold storage warehouses, where the opening and closing of the freezer doors creates some rather unpleasant conditions. The doors are sweating and covered in ice. The freezer is full of fog and there’s a constant puddle on the floor. These hazards can create unsafe conditions for workers, as well as the equipment passing through. It can also put a strain on the cooling systems and increase the facility’s energy and operational costs. These are the cold hard facts.
Fortunately, Powered Aire has the answer.
In the thermal image above, it’s easy to see the near instant infiltration of air when a freezer door is opened. The warm ambient air (as hot air does) rises and enters atop the wave of cold air as it spills out below. It’s a perfect storm for moisture that shows itself via ice, fog, and condensation buildup. With the door open and Air Curtain running, the warm air attempting to enter the top half of the freezer is entrained in a stream of air. It is then driven downward and away from the opening, thus reducing the amount of warm air entering the freezer.
A simple solution can be found through the addition of cold storage air curtains, like the Freezer Aire and Cooler Aire Air Curtains. These units, when placed on the warmer side of a cold storage door are extremely effective at mitigating excessive ice, fog, and moisture. They do this by creating a thermal barrier of air that prevents the mixing of unconditioned air from the outside with the cold, conditioned inside air.
Watch our latest video on Cold Storage Air Curtains below:
HOW CAN AIR CURTAINS HELP YOUR CUSTOMERS?
- Reduce frost buildup at the freezer door opening
- Reduce condensation/fog when the door is open
- Reduce moisture and frost that forms on high-speed fabric doors
- Help keep floors dry and safe for personnel
- Improve overall safety
- Reduce expensive door maintenance and downtime
There are estimates that cold storage space will increase by nearly 100 million square feet in the next five years, up 47 percent from the current amount of space. Food, Pharma, and increased international demand are helping to drive this growth. The Covid pandemic was also a key driver with the drastic shifts to online ordering and curbside pickup.
A key to a successful installation of a cold storage air curtain is being able to ask your customer the right questions and understanding the challenges specific to their application. Powered Aire’s sales team can provide complete support from start to finish. Want a quick lunch and learn? We can do that too!
To learn more about cold storage air curtains, visit https://poweredaire.com/air-curtain/commercial/cold-storage.