Fresh produce & agriculture · Typical for: Middle East, Central Asia & Africa

Multi-Chamber Fruit and Vegetable Chiller Warehouse

Reference design for a fresh produce warehouse with four independent chiller chambers at 0 to +10 °C, low-TD evaporators and V-type condensers for hot sites.

Fruit and vegetable cold storage chambers with produce on pallets

The challenge

Fresh produce warehouses store crops with very different needs: potatoes and onions, citrus, leafy vegetables and stone fruit each have their own ideal temperature and humidity, and some crops release ethylene that shortens the life of others. A single large room cannot serve them all well.

Produce often arrives straight from the field at 25–35 °C, so the pull-down load is large and seasonal. In hot climates, condensers must reject heat at ambient temperatures of 45 °C or more.

The engineered solution

Independent chambers

The warehouse is divided into four chambers, each with its own condensing unit, evaporators and controller. Operators can set each chamber for a different crop, or take one offline out of season to save energy.

Humidity-friendly evaporators

DL-type air coolers selected at a 4–6 K temperature difference to limit moisture loss from produce.
Air throw along the 10 m chamber length, with space above stacks for even circulation.
Off-cycle defrost for chambers held above +2 °C; electric defrost for chambers near 0 °C.

Hot-climate heat rejection

FNV V-type condensers sized for 45 °C ambient, mounted in a shaded, ventilated area.
Compressors selected within their operating envelope at high condensing temperature.

Handling

Sliding doors sized for pallet trucks, with strip curtains to reduce infiltration.
Optional ventilation for ethylene and CO2 control in fruit chambers.

Design targets

Each chamber is designed to pull field-warm produce down to its set point within about 24 hours at the design intake and to hold 85–95% RH, helping limit weight loss and wilting.

Independent circuits are intended to let the operator match each chamber to its crop and run only the chambers in use. Capacities are confirmed from the crop mix, intake rate and site ambient for each project.

Equipment list

100 mm PU camlock wall and ceiling panels on an insulated slab
Box-type scroll or semi-hermetic condensing units, one per chamber
DL-type evaporators selected for a low temperature difference to keep humidity high
FNV V-type air-cooled condensers for compact, high-capacity heat rejection
Insulated sliding doors with strip curtains and dock-friendly openings
Individual digital controllers with temperature display and alarm

This is a reference blueprint. Final capacities and layouts are calculated for each site.