Cold Food Storage Facility | CO2 Transcritical Refrigeration

Cold Storage CO2 Case Study

Comprehensive Services for Transcritical CO2 Cold Storage and Freezer Facility

A pet food manufacturer faced a storage space shortage for both raw materials and finished products at one of its U.S. manufacturing plants. To address this, the company opted to build an 824,000-square-foot distribution and CO2 cold storage facility nearby.

The Problem

The pet food manufacturer faced three primary challenges:

They needed help designing and managing the distribution and cold storage facility‘s 120,00 square-foot freezer, with space for nearly 15,000 pallets, and a 12,000 square-foot refrigerated cold dock.
The project had to meet federal, state, and local regulations, adhere to AIB food standards, and conform to FM Global design guidelines.
Implementing energy-efficient measures and selecting refrigerants with a low global warming potential (GWP) was imperative to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, supporting the company’s ambitious objective of slashing emissions by 50% by 2030.

The Objective

Design and manage the construction of a 120,000-sq-ft freezer and 12,000-sq-ft refrigerated dock, delivering a refrigeration solution that reduces energy consumption, enables in-house maintenance, and meets strict food safety compliance requirements.

The Solution

In-House Expertise

CoolSys leveraged its teams of professional engineers, program managers, sustainability experts, and system installation, startup and maintenance teams to tailor a comprehensive solution that solved each of the customer’s problems. CoolSys also managed the refrigeration system startup, overseeing the commissioning and warranty processes.

Custom Freezer & Cold Dock Design

CoolSys Energy Design (CED) engineered the freezer and cold dock to safely move and store raw materials and finished products while maintaining a temperature in the freezer space. The team’s comprehensive engineering drawings satisfied stringent safety design standards for the facility and enabled maximum racking and pallet positions.

Equipment Procurement

CoolSys Management team successfully conducted the equipment RFP for the client, overseeing procurement, delivery and installation of the transcritical CO2 systems, adiabatic gas coolers and advanced control systems. Despite facing delays from other trades, the team adeptly rearranged non-essential construction tasks, ensuring the project’s timely completion.

Controls Integration & Energy Optimization

CoolSys Energy Solutions installed and tested the controls and set the alarm parameters to ensure that the overall refrigeration system’s energy consumption could be initially and continuously optimized, while safety systems and alarming could continue to be supervised, as required.

CoolSys Teams Engaged

Turnkey Refrigeration and Controls Design

Freezer Slab Frost-Heave Prevention Design

End-to-End Project Management

Startup, Testing and Commissioning

Ongoing Preventative Maintenance

CO2 System Specs

CED’s design incorporated a CO2 refrigeration system—a natural refrigerant solution that satisfies the customer’s operational requirements and environmental goals. System specifications included:

Two packaged CO2 refrigeration systems with minimal footprints, providing close-coupled systems to handle the required refrigeration load while minimizing pipe run lengths. The refrigeration system installation utilized stainless steel refrigeration piping and polyiso insulation.
Large-capacity transcritical reciprocating compressors and variable frequency drives for capacity control.
An integrated central control system with distributed evaporator control panels, enabling advanced control integration and remote interfaces to enhance operability and visibility.
Two industrial CO2 outdoor packaged systems (120/90 bar design) and two adiabatic gas coolers (one per rack), providing approximately 400 tons of refrigeration.
A freezer slab frost-heave prevention system utilizing heat recovery from the CO2 discharge gas, as opposed to a more energy-intensive boiler-based system.

The Impact

CoolSys provided a one-stop source for a broad array of services the pet food manufacturer required to complete its design-build project, executing all tasks within the agreed-upon time and budget. CoolSys’ team of expertly trained CO2 technicians continues to provide preventative maintenance and repair for the systems to guarantee peak performance, easing the workload of the customer’s in-house technicians.

The pet food manufacturer, impressed by CoolSys’ work, is now considering utilizing CoolSys’ comprehensive solutions to upgrade its manufacturing facilities across the U.S.

Project Highlights

Freezer Space

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Cold Dock Space

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CO2 System Total H.P.

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Evaporator Coils

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Ready to Discuss Your Next Project?

Contact CoolSys to see how our integrated design-build approach can move your project forward.

Cold Storage CO2 Case Study

The Problem

The Objective

The Solution

In-House Expertise

Custom Freezer & Cold Dock Design

Equipment Procurement

Controls Integration & Energy Optimization

CoolSys Teams Engaged

CO2 System Specs

The Impact

Project Highlights

Ready to Discuss Your Next Project?

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Energy Savings Opportunities in Cold Storage & Refrigerated Warehouses

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