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Theory

Calculation of Cold Storage Refrigeration Load

Cold store capacity


There is no method of defining cold store capacity that satisfies the requirements of
everyone concerned with cold storage. Storage capacity based on the weight of produce
that can be stored will depend on the storage density of the products and the method of
storage.
Therefore, unless only one product is stored under closely defined conditions, this
definition is obviously unsuitable. It is generally agreed that it is more appropriate to
define storage capacity in terms of the store volume but there are a number of ways in
expressing this value.

Gross volume is the volume of the refrigerated space.


Net volume is the volume that can potentially be used for storage and is the gross
volume less the volume required for coolers, structural requirements, doorways and
other permanent features of the store.
Effective volume is the store space that can actually be utilised for storage and it takes
into account the requirements for passageways, stacking equipment etc.

Gross volume and net volume can easily be defined by devising a simple set of rules for
making these calculations. These store volumes, however, can only give a rough estimate
of storage capacity and their main use may before statistical purposes. The effective
volume can only be calculated for each particular case and to achieve any degree of
accuracy, a drawing of the store layout would be required together with full details of
the storage conditions. Store operators should therefore use general statements of store
capacity with care and when placing an order they would give full details of the products
and the storage operation to enable the supplier to provide a store to suit the operating
requirements with the maximum utilization of the gross storage volume.

Refrigeration Load Sizing For Walk-In Coolers, Freezers, & Other Boxes
In this Info-Tec, we will show how to calculate the heat load for any walk-in box. First,
well cover the long way. The long way allows you to calculate the load for any size
box, in any location, with any product load. All the data asked for in Figure 1 must be
gathered and be accurate.

This discussion will then take up the short way, or quick selection way, for small
walk-in boxes. Small will be defined as coolers up to 2,400 Cu. Ft. in size, freezers up to
1,500 Cu. Ft. in size, and no unusual loads. These small boxes comprise over 90% of the
market. Shortcut estimating methods can be used for these small boxes.

The heat gain through walls, floors, and ceilings, will vary with the type of construction,
the area exposed to a different temperature, the type of insulation, the thickness of
insulation, and the temperature difference between the refrigerated space and the
ambient air.

The basic formula for heat transfer through some heat transfer barrier is:
Q = U x A x TD

Q = Heat transfer, BTU/Hr

U = Overall heat transfer coefficient BTU/(hour)(Sq.Ft.)(F TD)

A = Area in square feet

TD = Temperature differential between sides of thermal barrier; for


example, between outside design

temperature and the refrigerated space temperature.

Q is the rate of heat flows through a medium. It can be determined after finding the
thermal resistances of the materials through which the heat flows.

Certain letter symbols are used to denote heat transfer factors. K stands for
Thermal Conductivity. It is the rate of heat transfer that occurs through one inch of a
material. Different materials offer different resistances to the flow of heat. K is
expressed in units of BTU/(Hr.)(Sq.Ft. of area)(F TD).

For example, the heat transfer in 24 hours through 2 Sq. Ft. of material, 3" thick,
having a thermal conductivity factor of .25, with an average temperature difference
across the material of 70F would be calculated as follows:

Q = .25(k) x 2 Sq.Ft. x 24 hours x 70 TD = 280 BTU

3" thickness

Since the total heat transferred by conduction varies directly with time, area, and
temperature difference, and varies inversely with the thickness of the material, it is
readily apparent that in order to reduce heat transfer, the K factor should be as small as
possible, and the material as thick as possible.

Thermal Resistivity, or r is the reciprocal of K, or 1/K. Resistance values can now


be added numerically. R total = r1 + r2 +r3, where r1, r2, and r3 are individual
resistances. Individual r-values are used in calculating overall heat transfer coefficients.

C or Conductance is similar to K, except it is an overall heat transfer factor for a


given thickness of material, where K is a factor per inch.

Thermal Resistance R is the reciprocal of Conductance, 1/C, the same way


thermal resistivity was the reciprocal of conductivity.
The U factor is the overall coefficient of heat transfer. It is defined as the rate of
heat transfer through a material or compound structural member with parallel
walls. The U factor is the resulting heat transfer coefficient after giving effect to thermal
conductivity and conductance, and is expressed in terms of BTU (Hour)(Sq. Ft. of
area)( F TD). It is usually applied to compound structures, such as walls, ceilings, and
roofs.

The formula for calculating the U factor is complicated by the fact that the total
resistance to heat flow through a substance of several layers is the sum of the resistance
of the various layers. The resistance to heat flow is the reciprocal of the
conductivity. Therefore, in order to calculate the overall heat transfer factor, it is
necessary to first find the overall resistance to heat flow, and then find the reciprocal of
the overall resistance to calculate the U factor.

The basic relation between the U factor and the various conductivity factors is as
follows:

1 X1 X 2

R total = C k1 k 2

1
U = R total

Where C is the conductance

X1 is the thickness of material one

X2 is the thickness of material two

k1 is the thermal conductivity of material one

And k2 is the thermal conductivity of material two

For example, to calculate the U factor of a wall composed of 2" of material having a
k factor of .80, and 2" of insulation having a conductance of .16, the U value is found as
follows:

1 X1

R total = C k1

1 2

= .16 .80
= 6.25 + 2.5 = 8.75

1 1
U = R total = 8.75

= .114 BTU/(Hour)(Sq.Ft.)(F TD)

Once the U factor is known, the heat gain by transmission through a given wall can
be calculated by the basic heat transfer equation.

Assume a wall with a U factor of .114 as calculated in the previous example. Given
an area of 90 square feet with an inside temperature of 0F and an outside temperature
of 80F, the heat transmission would be:

Q = U x A x TD

= .114 x 90 Sq. Ft. x 80 TD

= 812 BTU/Hr.

The entire heat gain into a given refrigerated space can be found in a similar
manner by determining the U factor for each part of the structure surrounding the
refrigerated space, and calculating as above. Most good insulating materials have a
thermal conductivity (k) factor of approximately .25 or less, and rigid foam insulations
have been developed with thermal conductivity (k) factors as low as .12 to .15.

Heat transmission coefficients for many commonly used building materials are
shown in Table 1.
Table 1.

Extensive studies have been made of weather bureau records for many years to
arrive at suitable outdoor design temperatures. Naturally, the maximum load occurs
during the hottest weather. However, it is neither economical nor practical to design
equipment for the hottest temperature, which might ever occur, since the peak
temperature might occur for only a few hours over the span of several years. Therefore,
the design temperature normally is selected as a temperature that will not be exceeded
more than 1% of the hours during the four month summer season.

For Wisconsin, the outdoor design temperatures are 90F dry bulb, 74F wet
bulb. For Minneapolis, Minnesota, they are 92F dry bulb, 75F wet bulb. For Illinois,
they are 94F dry bulb, 75F wet bulb.
If the box has any exterior walls or ceiling, an allowance for radiation from the sun
must be taken into consideration. If the walls of the refrigerated space are exposed to
the sun, additional heat will be added to the heat load. For ease in calculation, an
allowance can be made for the sun load in refrigeration calculations by increasing the
temperature differential by the factors listed in Table 2.

Table 2.

Insulation thickness must be increased as the storage temperature decreases. Table


3 lists recommended insulation thickness from the 1981 ASHRAE Handbook of
Fundamentals. The recommendations are based on expanded polyurethane, which has
a conductivity factor of .16. If other insulations are used, the recommended thickness
should be adjusted based on relative k factors.

Table 3.
Table 4 lists the approximate heat gain in BTU per 1F temperature difference per
Sq. Ft. of surface per 24 hours for various thicknesses of commonly used
insulations. The thickness of insulation referred to is the actual thickness of insulation,
and not the overall wall thickness. For example, to find the heat transfer for 24 hours
through a 6' x 8' wall insulated with 4 inches of glass fiber, when the outside is exposed
to 95F ambient temperature and the box temperature is 0F. Calculate as follows: 1.9
factor x 48 Sq. Ft. x 95o TD = 8664 BTU

Table 4.

Any outside air entering the refrigerated space must be reduced to the storage
temperature, thus increasing the refrigeration load. In addition, if the moisture content
of the entering air is above that of the refrigerated space, the excess moisture will
condense out of the air, and the latent heat of condensation will add to the refrigeration
load.

Because of the many variables involved, it is difficult to calculate the additional heat
gain due to air infiltration. Various means of estimating this portion of the refrigeration
load have been developed based primarily on experience, but all of these estimating
methods are subject to the possibility of error, and specific applications may vary in the
actual heat gain encountered.

The traffic in and out of a refrigerator usually varies with its size or
volume. Therefore, the number of times doors are opened will be related to the volume
rather than the number of doors.
Table 5 lists estimated average air changes per 24 hours for various size
refrigerators due to door openings and infiltration for a refrigerated storage room. Note
that these values are subject to major modification if it is definitely determined that the
usage of the storage room is either heavy or light. Heavy usage is usually defined as four
or more door openings per hour.

Table 5.

Another more accurate means of computing infiltration into a refrigerated space is


by means of the velocity of airflow through an open door. When the door of a
refrigerated storage space is opened, the difference in density between cold and warm
air will create a pressure differential, causing cold air to flow out the bottom of the
doorway and warm air to flow in the top. Velocities will vary from maximum at the top
and bottom to zero in the center. The estimated average velocity in either half of the
door is 100 feet per minute for a doorway 7' high at a 60oF TD. The velocity will vary as
the square root of the height of the doorway and as the square root of the temperature
difference.

For example, the rate of infiltration through a door 8' high and 4' wide, with a
100oF TD between the storage room and the ambient can be estimated as follows:

Velocity = 100 FPM x 8 x 100


7 x 60

2.83 10
100 x x
= 2,.65 87.74

= 138 FPM

Estimated rate of infiltration 138 FPM x 8 Ft. x 4 Ft. = 2210 Cu. Ft. per min.

Infiltration velocities for various door heights and TDs are plotted in Table 6.

Table 6.

If the average time the door is opened each hour can be determined, the average
hourly infiltration can be calculated, and the heat gain can be determined as above. (If
positive ventilation is provided for a space by means of supply or exhaust fans, the
ventilation load will replace the infiltration load if greater) and the heat gain may be
calculated on the basis of the ventilating air volume. This situation is very unusual
(most walk-ins are not ventilated).

Once the rate of infiltration has been determined, the heat load can then be
calculated from the heat gain per Cu. Ft. of infiltration as given in Table 7. The product
load is composed of all the heat gain occurring due to the product in the refrigerated
space. The load may arise from a product placed in the refrigerator at a temperature
higher than the storage temperature, from a chilling or freezing process, or from the
heat of respiration of perishable products. The total product load is the sum of the
various types of product load, which may apply to the particular application.

Table 7.

Fruits and vegetables are living organisms. Their life processes continue for some
time after being harvested, and as a result they give off heat. Certain other food
products also undergo continuing chemical reactions, which produce heat. This is called
heat of respiration. Meats and fish have no further life processes and do not generate
any heat. The amount of heat given off is dependent on the specific product and its
storage temperature. The heat of respiration varies with the storage temperature.

Many engineering manuals are available with the entire product data needed to
calculate product load. (These manuals have been well circulated throughout Climatic
Control Company. The Heatcraft Engineering Manual H-ENG-1 dated June 1990 is used
for this Info-Tec.)

Most products are at a higher temperature than the storage temperature when
placed in a refrigerator. Since many foods have a high percentage of water content, their
reaction to a loss of heat is quite different above and below the freezing point. Above
the freezing point, the water exists in liquid form, while below the freezing point; the
water has changed to ice. The specific heat of a product is defined as the BTUs required
to raise the temperature of one pound of the substance 1F.

Specific heats of products are listed in the manuals. Note that the specific heat
above freezing is different than the specific heat below freezing. Also note that freezing
points vary.

The heat to be removed from a product to reduce its temperature above freezing
may be calculated as follows:

Q = W x c x (T1 - T2)

Where Q is the number of BTUs to be removed

W is the weight of the product in pounds

c is the specific heat above freezing

T1 is the initial temperature, F

And T2 is the final temperature, F (freezing or above)

For example, the heat to be removed in order to cool 1,000 pounds of veal (whose
freezing point is 29F) from 42F to 29F can be calculated as follows:

Q = W x c x (T1 - T2)

= 1000 pounds x .71 specific heat x (42 - 29)

= 1000 x .71 x 13

= 9,230 BTU

Food products have a high percentage of water content. In order to calculate the
heat removal required to freeze the product, only the water need be considered. Since
the latent heat of fusion or freezing of water is 144 BTU/Lb., the latent heat of fusion for
the product can be calculated by multiplying 144 BTU/Lb. by the percentage of water
content. To illustrate, veal has a water percentage of 63%, and the latent heat of fusion
for veal is 91 BTU/Lb. 63% x 144 BTU/Lb. = 91 BTU/Lb.

The heat to be removed from a product for the latent heat of freezing may be
calculated as follows:
Q = W x h if

Q is the number of BTUs to be removed

W is the weight of product in pounds

h if is the latent heat of fusion, BTU/lb.

The latent heat of freezing of 1,000 pounds of veal at 29F is:

Q = W x h if

= 1000 lbs. x 91 BTU/lb.

= 91,000 BTU

Once the water content of a product has been frozen, sensible cooling again can
occur in the same manner as that above freezing, with the exception that the ice in the
product causes the specific heat to change. The specific heat of veal above freezing is .71,
while the specific heat below freezing is .39.

The heat to be removed from a product to reduce its temperature below freezing
may be calculated as follows:

Q = W x ci x (Tf - T3)

Q is the number of BTUs to be removed

W is weight of product in pounds

ci is specific heat below freezing

Tf is freezing temperature

T3 is final temperature

For example, the heat to be removed in order to cool 1,000 pounds of veal from
29F to 0F can be calculated as follows:

Q = W x ci x (Tf - T3)

= 1,000 lbs. x .39 specific heat x (29-0)

= 1,000 x .39 x .29

= 11,310 BTU
The total product load is the sum of the individual calculations for the sensible heat
above freezing, the latent heat of freezing, and the sensible heat below freezing.

From the foregoing example, if 1,000 pounds of veal were to be cooled from 42F to
0F, the total would be:

Sensible Heat above freezing 9,230 BTU

Latent Heat of freezing 91,000 BTU

Sensible Heat below freezing 11,310 BTU

Total product load 111,540 BTU

Note that as of now, no time limit has been imposed. The product load of 111,540
BTU is not BTU/Hr! Eventually a time factor must be taken into consideration. As an
example, if the 1,000 Lbs. of veal was the only load and the specifications are to have the
veal get to 0F in 8 hours, the hourly load is the total load divided by the number of
hours to get to 0F. 111,540 8 = 13,942.5 BTU/Hr.

In addition to the heat transmitted into the refrigerated space through the walls, air
infiltration, product load, and any heat gain from other sources must be included in the
total cooling load estimate.

Any electric energy directly dissipated in the refrigerated space such as lights,
heaters, etc. is converted to heat and must be included in the heat load. One-watt hour
equals 3.41 BTU, and this conversion ratio is accurate for any amount of electric power.

Any electrical energy transmitted to motors inside a refrigerated space must


undergo a transformation. Any motor losses due to friction and inefficiency are
immediately changed to heat energy. That portion of the electrical energy converted
into useful work, for example in driving a fan or pump, exists only briefly as mechanical
energy, is transferred to the fluid medium in the form of increased velocity, and as the
fluid loses its velocity due to friction, eventually becomes entirely converted into heat
energy.

A common misunderstanding is the belief that no heat is transmitted into the


refrigerated space if an electric motor is located outside the space, and a fan inside the
space is driven by means of a shaft. All of the electrical energy converted to mechanical
energy actually becomes a part of the load in the refrigerated space.
Reference

http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/V3630E/V3630E09.htm#TopOfPage

http://www.industrialcontrolsonline.com/training/online/refrigeration-load-sizing-wa
lk-coolers-freezers-other-boxes
Republic of the Philippines
UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
OF SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES
CDO Campus
CM Recto Avenue, Lapasan, Cagayan de Oro City

Refrigeration Systems
ME55

Performance Innovative Task


Product Load Calculation

Submitted by:
Joloyohoy,Ful Yuri A.
BSME-4A_f1

Submitted to:
Engr. Adonis A. Closas

December 13, 2017


Sample Problem

Cold store refrigeration load


Specification
Dimensions 20 m x 10 m 5 m = 1 000m3
Insulation thickness (0.25 m)
External store surface area (771.5m 2)
Maximum ambient temperature (35C)
Store temperature (-30C)
Load calculation
(1) Insulation heat leak through walls, roof and floor
Conductivity of polystyrene 0.033 0.033 kcal/h mC
Temperature difference between ambient and store 35C
and -30C = 65 degC
Thickness of polystyrene = 0.25 m
Surface area of store = 771.5 m 2
Heat leak = 771.5 x 65 0.033 0.033 = 7422 kcal/h
(2) Air changes
Average of 2.7 air changes in 24 h
Store volume = 1000m 3
Heat gain (35C and 60% R.H. air) 40 kcal/m 3
Air change heat gain = 1000 2.7 40 24 = 4500
kcal/h
(3) Lights (left on during working day)
1000W = 860 kcal/h
(4) Men working
1 man working at -30C gives off 378 kcal/h
2 men working is equivalent to 756 kcal/h
(5) Product load
5.5 kcal/kg for fish load at an average temperature of
-20C
Fish loaded per day 35 000 kg
Product load = 3500 5.5 24 = 8020 kcal/h
(6) Fan load
3 250W = 644 kcal/h
(7) Defrost heat
1 defrost of 8440 W for 1 h (recovered over 6 h) = 1
209 kcal/h
Total calculated refrigeration load (sum of Items 1 to 7)
= 23411 kcal/h
Total refrigeration requirement with allowances 23411
24 18 = 31215 kcal/h

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