A leading fruit exporter in a key agricultural region faced a critical challenge: outdated cold storage methods were impacting product quality and operational efficiency. The traditional, simple cold rooms they used suffered from unstable temperature and humidity, high energy consumption, and short storage cycles. To maintain their competitive edge in a global market, they needed a modern, intelligent, and scalable cold storage solution.

ARTECO Refrigeration, with over two decades of expertise in refrigeration systems and a strong portfolio of successful projects worldwide, was contracted to design and build a 500-ton capacity cold storage facility. The goal was to deliver a solution that offered "efficient storage, intelligent control, and low energy consumption," helping the client extend the shelf life of their fruit, reduce waste, and increase market supply flexibility.

Project Requirements & Challenges

High Quality Standards: The client required a precise temperature range of 0–2°C and a humidity level of 90–95% to prevent moisture loss and spoilage.

Scale and Usability: The 500-ton capacity had to be designed for maximum storage efficiency while ensuring smooth operations for loading, unloading, and inventory management.

Energy Efficiency: Given the region's warm and humid climate, a low-energy solution was essential to minimize long-term operational costs.

Smart Management: The system needed real-time temperature and humidity monitoring, as well as remote control capabilities, to reduce manual inspections and provide operational flexibility.

ARTECO’s Technical Solution

ARTECO Refrigeration developed a customized, multi-zone solution to meet the client's specific needs.

Structural Components:

Walls: We used our proprietary 100mm thick polyurethane cold storage panels, which improve insulation performance by 30% compared to traditional construction.

Flooring: The floor was built with 150mm XPS extruded board and a 150mm reinforced concrete slab for superior moisture resistance, load-bearing capacity, and insulation.

Doors: Insulated sliding doors with electric anti-condensation heaters and a rapid opening/closing time of under 3 seconds were installed to minimize cold air loss.

System Design & Layout:

Main Cold Room (2,000m³): The primary storage area operates at 0–2°C with 90–95% humidity. It features pallet racks with a 3-meter stacking height, achieving an 85% volume utilization rate.

Pre-cooling Zone (200m³): A dedicated zone for rapid pre-cooling reduces fruit temperature from 25°C to 0°C in just 8–12 hours, accommodating multiple batches of produce.

Shipping Bay (150m³): Kept at 5–10°C, this area is equipped with an insulated roller shutter door and a hydraulic lift platform to speed up the loading process.

Equipment Room (100m³): All refrigeration units and control cabinets are centrally located in this dedicated room for optimal ventilation and heat dissipation.

High-Efficiency Refrigeration System:

Compressors: The core system uses a semi-hermetic screw compressor with an additional 50kW air-cooled unit for backup, ensuring stable performance even in extreme weather.

Evaporators: Top-mounted evaporators with ceiling fans maintain a gentle airflow (0.3–0.5m/s) to ensure uniform temperature distribution throughout the main cold room.

Condensers: An energy-efficient shell-and-tube water-cooled condenser, paired with a 20m³ water circulation pool, reduces energy consumption by 25% compared to air-cooled models.

Smart Controls: The system is managed by a PLC controller with temperature and humidity sensors placed every 50m³. It provides real-time monitoring and remote control via a mobile app, including fault alerts.

Project Impact

Through this tailored solution, ARTECO Refrigeration successfully addressed the client's cold storage challenges. The new facility not only ensures precise temperature and humidity control but also significantly lowers operational costs through its energy-efficient design. This project has become a benchmark for ARTECO in the fruit cold chain sector, showcasing our ability to deliver high-quality, intelligent, and sustainable refrigeration solutions to leading global partners.