Cold storages, which are used in many businesses, especially in the food sector, need to be maintained and cleaned at regular intervals. It is recommended to carry out the necessary maintenance procedures to ensure that the cold storage is working properly every year, especially in order not to cause huge costs and losses. Regular maintenance practices ensure that the cold storage life is longer and at the same time, the operating costs are kept at a low level. Therefore, it is important to carry out such maintenance and cleaning operations with expert cold storage personnel.
Cold Storage Devices Maintenance
Although they have panels of different brands and models, some operations are basically carried out in the periodic maintenance of cold storage devices. In this process, in which the working system of the cold storage is examined and the performances of the equipment are checked in periodic maintenance applications, the following operations are carried out:
- Commissioning of the cooling device
- Minor and major maintenance of the cooling device
- Turning off the cooling device
- Major maintenance of specified cooling units
- Periodic maintenance operations
- Proactive (preventive) maintenance practices
The periodical maintenance schedule recommended to cold storage owners and users is 4 times a year. In the spring and autumn seasons, 2 heavy maintenance is carried out as it is a seasonal transition, and the other 2 maintenance is applied at standard times.
It consists of rooms in cold stores and proactively as well as in the place to be reviewed, which have different brands and models in the air:
1- gas leak control
2- Refrigerant voltage control
3- Cleaning the condensers
4- condenser fan control
5- Control of device interior and exterior sheet panels
6- Controls of copper pipes and systems
7- expansion control
8- Evaporator water control
9- Power and control cable control
10- Temperature, sensors control pressure
11- Install – Uninstall Control
12- oil temperature control
13- Compressor and fan contactor control
14- High Pressure and Working Pressure, setting level
15- Freeze Interrupt control
16- Separator oil level control
17- Condenser, oil, suction control
18- Oil, suction line and suction saturation and environmental control
19- Motor amp and compressor load control
20- System and fan Start/Shutdown control
21- Liquid subcooling and suction superheat control
22- humidity control
23- Total runtime control
In the food and storage sector, the selection of the device to be used in the cold storage is of great importance. It is determined how the cooling devices will be selected based on the temperature range in which the cold storage will mostly operate. Since the calculations made in this field will be the result of engineering calculations, the selection should be made under the supervision of experienced experts. In order to determine the working regime, the temperature suitable for the product to be placed in the warehouse should be determined. Cold storage cooling device is designed in 4 different regimes according to the temperature. It is possible to list these cooling regimes as follows:
1- Medium high return pressure
2- Low return pressure there
3- Low return pressure
4- Ultra-low return pressure and double-stage freezing units
Therefore, in the selection of all devices to be used in the cold storage, it is important to choose the cooling regimes and criteria of the products. The practical selection tables used in the selection of the chiller for the cold storage, which people who will choose the device in this area, usually look at first, can be misleading. Therefore, it is recommended to take the necessary actions for the selection of the right device with engineering work.
Cold Storage Cooling Load Calculation
In the selection of the necessary device for the product to be stored in the cold storage to be cooled down to the targeted temperature without any problems and to keep it at this temperature, the calculation of the cooling load must also be carried out. Therefore, the cooling load calculation, which is an important criterion, aims to consider and calculate the heat generated in the cold storage and coming from the outside together.
At this stage, the calculation of all temperatures such as crates, pallets, parcels, shelves, walls, floor concrete, warehouse personnel, forklifts, machines, fans, motors, heat flow from the door is done at this stage. Therefore, the size of the device to be used in the cold storage is determined according to these criteria. However, it should not be forgotten that the calculation of the cooling load in the cold storage is an engineering calculation that requires an expert point of view. Therefore, the standards are not just a fixed formula, but may differ according to experience and other variables.
Cold Storage Technical Maintenance and Cleaning
In the cleaning and maintenance operations of cold rooms or cold storages, especially dirty condenser and evaporator cleaning is important. In addition, it is also important to check the oil and gas system, especially the electrical connections, in the cold storage. Experts state that if the cold storage is used in a clean and hygienic manner in accordance with the instructions for use, the electricity consumption will also decrease. Therefore, attention should be paid to periodic maintenance and cleaning in order to provide more affordable costs and long-term use of cold storage.
