How should a cold storage be designed? Are there any specifications or requirements?

1. Refrigeration warehouse design schemes fail to meet the needs of market development. In recent years, with the growth of the market economy and the improvement in people’s living standards, the number and capacity of refrigeration warehouses have been increasing rapidly, which in turn has created a demand for better design solutions for such warehouses. Taking Putian City as an example, at the beginning of 1995, the total capacity of refrigeration warehouses in the city was less than 5,000 tons; this figure has now risen to 15,000 tons, three times what it was five years ago, with an average annual increase rate of 25%. Moreover, the vast majority of these warehouses are private ones designed for commercial purposes. Nevertheless, from the second half of 1999 to the first half of 2000, the dry goods cold storage facilities in the entire city were still far from sufficient to meet market demand; many dried fruits were sent to cold storage facilities in Fuzhou, Quanzhou, as well as direct sales locations such as Hangzhou and Yiwu for storage. Therefore, it is an inevitable trend to continue developing cold storage facilities in this city in the future. However, considering the development and usage of cold storage facilities over the past few years, traditional cold storage designs are unable to meet the evolving needs of the market structure. This article puts forward the following suggestions from a design perspective: 2. Suggestions for modifying the cold storage design plan. 2.1 Design of the number of floors and floor height. At present, investments in cold stores with a capacity of over 95 are primarily aimed at commercial operations; therefore, the selection of the location for such stores is particularly important. Generally, in areas with favorable geographical locations and well-developed transportation networks, land prices are high; therefore, it is more reasonable to design multi-story cold storage facilities. However, considering the increasing costs associated with the foundations and structures of multi-story cold storage facilities, as well as the convenience in terms of cooling and management in the future, it is recommended that multi-story cold storage facilities should have 3 to 4 floors, with a total height not exceeding 20 meters. In traditional cold storage designs, the height of each floor is generally around 5 meters. However, in practice, the utilization rate of such cold stores is very low; once the stacking height of goods reaches 3.2 meters, it becomes difficult to stack more items on top. The pressure exerted on these items leads to a decline in their quality, and safety is also at risk. This is especially true for items with packaging that is prone to deformation, as their packaging often breaks, causing the items to tilt or even collapse. Furthermore, commercial cold storage facilities house a variety of goods in small quantities; the stacking height is low and the floor space required is large, which poses many difficulties for the operation and management of such cold stores. To improve the utilization rate of cold storage and ensure the quality and safety of goods, in practice it is common to add intermediate shelves on each floor. However, this approach results in additional investment costs, as well as limited operating space. Therefore, I suggest that in future cold storage designs, in order to further improve the utilization rate of the cold storage, make full use of the function of the shelf layers, and reduce the overall investment in cold storage construction, the height of each floor should be increased appropriately when designing it.

For more details, please visit the following website: Standards and Specifications: http://www.cust.com.cn/detail_info.aspx?sid=41489&pages=1. Code for Design of Refrigerated Warehouses – Standard of the People’s Republic of China, GBJ72–84. Department responsible for drafting: Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China; Department responsible for approval: National Planning Commission of the People’s Republic of China. Date of implementation: June 1, 1985. Notice on the issuance of the “Code for Design of Refrigerated Warehouses”, Document No. Jibiao [1984] 2363. In accordance with the requirements set out in Document No. (78) Jianfa Shezi No. 562 issued by the National Construction Committee, the “Code for Design of Refrigerated Warehouses” was prepared by the Ministry of Commerce in collaboration with relevant organizations. After being reviewed by the relevant departments, it is now approved as a standard, namely XGBJ72–84, and shall come into effect as of June 1, 1985. This specification is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Commerce, with the Design Institute of the Ministry of Commerce responsible for its specific interpretation and related tasks. **Planning Commission, November 15, 1984. Instructions for preparation: These specifications were prepared by the Design Institute of the Ministry of Commerce, in collaboration with the Shanghai Light Industry Design Institute, Hubei Industrial Building Design Institute, Tianjin Building Design Institute, Shanghai Fisheries University, and the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, in accordance with Notice No. 562 issued by the National Housing and Construction Committee in 1978. During the preparation process, the Party’s lines, principles, and policies were followed; extensive investigations and scientific experiments were conducted, and the experience gained in building cold storage facilities in our country over the past 30 years was summarized. Opinions from relevant organizations across the country were sought on two occasions, and the final version was finalized after review by the relevant departments. This specification is divided into eight chapters and seven appendices. The main contents include general provisions, general rules for calculations, architecture, structure, refrigeration, electricity, water supply and drainage, heating, ventilation, and floor anti-freezing. The design temperature and relative humidity of the cold room, the methods for determining the total heat transfer resistance of the cold room’s enclosure structure, the seasonal correction factors, the heat transfer coefficients and conversion factors for wall-mounted and ceiling-mounted coils, as well as the average soil temperatures during the two coldest months over the years at a depth of 3.2 meters beneath the ground in major cities, are all included in the appendix. During the implementation of these specifications, if any modifications or additions are deemed necessary, opinions and relevant materials should be sent to the Design Institute of the Ministry of Commerce for reference during the revision process. Ministry of Commerce, October 1984 Table of Contents

In my opinion, insulation and sealing are the most important factors; construction is also very crucial!

The design specifications for cold storage provided on the 3rd floor are no longer in use; the latest standard is GB50072-2001