Walk In Freezer, North Wales
ICE have just complete the design and build of a walk in freezer for a pharmaceutical client in North Wales.
The work comprised of the construction of a new walk in freezer enclosure, including all insulated walls, doors and ceiling, together with all flashings, fixings and sealants.
The walk in freezer is built within an existing external coldstore and is approx. 15.80m long x 13.88m wide, with a height of 2.57m.
To form the floor to the freezer, we supplied and installed a 25mm modular heater mat with transformer controls, 100mm thickness LPC approved PIR core panel, with 12mm marine ply ready for a low temperature resin finish by others, including all necessary flashings, covings, anti-fungicidal silicone and fixings.
The main access to the walk in freezer is via a 1.0m x 2.0m pedestrian door and a 1.5m x 2.0m trolley door. The doors are operated via a Fermod auto door kit, with both horizontal and vertical safety sensors. The doors automatically close after an adjustable preset amount of time.
There is also an emergency door installed at the side of the freezer and a door switch is installed on each door to alarm locally after a pre set and adjustable period of time set to 30 seconds of any door being left open.
To serve the above enclosure are three refrigeration systems to maintain the room temperature below -25 oC.
We have selected and installed three independent, direct expansion refrigeration systems operating on R449A refrigerant, utilising fully housed packaged condensing units and ceiling mounted evaporator coolers.
Each installed system is capable of 18.18kw of refrigeration duty, providing a total duty of 54.54kw under the conditions specified.
The three systems run together with any two capable of maintaining the desired room temperature in the event of a failure to one of the systems or whilst the other is defrosting. This provides a fully flexible run and standby operation for the room.
The condensing units are manufactured by Copeland, and each contain a Copeland Stream compressor, integral condenser fans, fan speed control, filter drier, sight glass, oil separator, PRV and automatic safety controls. In the vent of a fault the condensing units send a fault signal to the internal control panel.
The condensing units were positioned externally on concrete pads in a designated plant area.
The evaporator coolers are of copper tube/aluminium fin construction and manufactured by Searle. Defrosting of the evaporators and drip trays is via electrical defrost heaters installed within the coolers.
Coolers are installed at high level at the end of the room and supported from hangers fixed to the structure of the building.
All refrigeration pipe work is supported using standard insulated pipe clamps.
All suction lines are insulated using fire retardant Armaflex.
Services are ran, fixed to equally spaced Unistrut hangers above the enclosure, before descending down to each set of coolers. Access to the void is via access hatch cut in the floor above.
Drains from each cooler are ran in insulated and trace heated copper pipe to outside.
An IP65 control panel housing ID974 Eliwell plus controllers to serve each system along with all breakers, contactors, and run/fault lamps is installed within the Airlock Area.
Energy efficient LED lighting is installed, operated via PIR sensors providing a minimum of 300 lux. Emergency lighting is also installed.
Walk in Freezer – If you have an refrigeration project that requires assistance from one of the UK’s leading specialists, contact ICE by calling 01928 568800 or fill out our online contact form.
