Sustainability in Cold Storage: Reducing Carbon Footprint with Smarter Design
In today’s evolving landscape, energy efficiency and sustainability are essential considerations for any food and beverage manufacturing facility, particularly in industries that require extensive cooling for product preservation, such as beef packaging. At the Walmart Beef Packaging facility, we’ve harnessed a sustainable approach to design and construction, prioritizing environmental responsibility while ensuring product quality and operational efficiency.
The beef packaging facility maintains a steady temperature of around 40°F, requiring substantial energy to keep products fresh and safe. Rather than relying on conventional refrigerants like Freon, we’ve engineered the packaging plant with an ammonia-based cooling system. Ammonia is one of the most environmentally friendly refrigerants available, offering superior heat transfer efficiency and reducing the electrical power needed for cooling by minimizing energy per ton. This choice supports both our client’s sustainability goals and McCownGordon’s commitment to using the most efficient technologies.
Beyond the cooling system, the facility’s insulated materials and construction methods further reduce energy demands. We’ve carefully selected high R-value insulation and implemented precise installation standards to create an airtight seal, minimizing cool air loss. Minimizing thermal transfer means less energy is required to maintain our controlled environment, and it brings long-term savings in both energy costs and environmental impact.
One feature of the facility’s design is the innovative integration of heat recovery. Like any refrigeration system, the ammonia cold storage system generates exhaust heat on its “hot side,” typically released into the atmosphere. However, at our facility, this heat is repurposed to address another operational need: preventing the factory floor slab from freezing. The exhaust heat is captured and directed to warm the slab, eliminating the need for a separate heating system under the floor. This dual-purpose solution reduces our facility’s carbon footprint and showcases our commitment to waste reduction and sustainable design.
With each of these design choices, we’ve engineered a sustainable facility that aligns with McCownGordon’s environmental values, setting a new standard for energy-efficient food production and cold storage facilities.
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