Cooling Load Calculation

12/19/21, 8:57 PM Cooling Load Calculation - Cold Room - The Engineering Mindset
Cooling Load Calculation – Cold Room

How to calculate
By Paul Evans - Dec 26, 2017
Cooling Load Calculation
Cooling Load Calculation for cold rooms. In this article we’ll be looking at how to calculate
the cooling load for a cold room. We’ll first look at the heat sources and then we’ll look at a
worked example of how to perform a cold room cooling load calculation in a simplified
example. Scroll to the bottom to watch the video tutorial.
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What is a cold room?

A cold room is used to store perishable goods such as meat and vegetables to slow down
their deterioration and preserve them as fresh as possible for as long as possible. Heat
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accelerates their deterioration so the products are cooled down by removing the heat.
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To remove the heat we use a refrigeration system as this allows accurate and automatic
control of the temperature to preserve the goods for as long as possible.
Refrigeration system – Cold Room
To remove the heat we need to know what the cooling load will be. The cooling load varies
throughout the day so in most cases the average cooling load is calculated and the
refrigeration capacity is calculated to suit this.
Cold Room Heat Sources

Where does all the heat come from that we need to remove?
Transmission load
Typically 5-15% is through transmission loads. This is the thermal energy transferred
through the roof, walls and floor into the cold room. Heat always flows from hot to cold and
the interior of the cold room is obviously a lot colder than its surroundings, so heat is
always trying to enter the space because of that difference in temperature. If the cold store
is exposed to direct sunlight then the heat transfer will be higher so an additional correction
will need to be applied to allow for this.

Product Load
Then we have Product loads which account for typically 55-75% of the cooling load. This
accounts for the heat that is introduced into the cold room when new products enter. Its
also the energy required to cool, freeze and further cool after freezing. If you’re just cooling
the products then you only need to consider the sensible heat load. If you’re freezing the
product then you need to account for the latent heat also as a phase change occurs. During
this time energy is used but you will not see a temperature change while the product
changes between a state of liquid and ice. There is additional energy required to further
chill this food down below the freezing point which is again sensible heat. You also need to
account for the packaging as this will inherently be cooled also. Lastly if you’re cooling fruit
and vegetables then these products are alive and they will generate some heat so you’ll
need to account for the removal of this too.
Internal load
The next thing to consider is the internal loads which account for around 10-20%. This is
the heat given off by people working in the cold room, the lighting and equipment such as
fork lifts trucks etc. So for this you’ll need to consider what equipment will be used by the
staff members in order to move the products in and out of the store, how much heat will
they and the equipment give off and the daily duration.
Equipment Load
Then we need to consider the refrigeration equipment in the room which will account for
around 1-10% of the total cooling load. For this we want to know the rating of the fan
motors and estimate how long they will run for each day, then we want to also account for
any heat transferred into the space from defrosting the evaporator.
Infiltration heat load
The last thing we need to consider is infiltration which again adds 1-10% to the cooling
load. This occurs when the door opens so there is a transfer of heat into the space through
the air. The other consideration is ventilation. Fruit and vegetables give off carbon dioxide
so some stores will require a ventilation fan, this air needs to be cooled down so you must
account for this if it’s used.
Cooling load calculation – Cold room worked example

Lets consider a simplified example of a cooling load calculation for a cold room. Now If
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such as the Danfoss coolselector app for speed and accuracy. Download here –
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Transmission load
The dimensions of our cold store are 6m long, 5m wide and 4m high.
The ambient air is 30°c at 50% RH, The internal air is 1°C at 95% RH
The walls, roof and floor are all insulated with 80mm polyurethane with a U value of
0.28W/m2.K
The ground temperature is 10°C.
Just to note the manufacturer should tell you what the u value is for the insulation panels, if
not, then you will need to calculate this.
To calculate the transmission load we will be using the formula
Q = U x A x (Temp out – Temp in) x 24 ÷ 1000.
Q= kWh/day heat load
U = U value of insulation (we already know this value) (W/m2.K)
A = surface area of walls roof and floor (we will calculate this) (m2)
Temp in = The air temperature inside the room (°C)
Temp out = The ambient external air temperature (°C)
24 = Hours in a day
1000 = conversion from Watts to kW.
To calculate “A” is fairly easy, its just the size of each internal walls, so drop the numbers in
to find the area of each wall, roof and floor.
Side 1 = 6m x 4m = 24m2
Side 2 = 6m x 4m = 24m2
Side 3 = 5m x 4m = 20m2
Side 4 = 5m x 4m = 20m2
Roof = 5m x 6m = 30m2
Floor = 5m x 6m = 30m2
Then we can run these numbers in the formula we saw earlier, you’ll need to calculate the
floor separately to the walls and roof as the temperature difference is different under the
floor so the heat transfer will therefore be different.
Walls and roof


Q = U x A x (Temp out – Temp in) x 24 ÷ 1000
Q = 0.28W/m2.K x 113m2 x (30°C – 1°C) x 24 ÷ 1000
Q = 22 kWh/day
[113m2 = 24m2 + 24m2 + 20m2 + 20m2 + 30m2 + 30m2 ]
Floor
Q = U x A x (Temp out – Temp in) x 24 ÷ 1000
Q = 0.28W/m2.K x 30m2 x (10°C – 1°C) x 24 ÷ 1000
Q = 1.8 kWh/day
If the floor isn’t insulated then you will need to use a different formula based on empirical
data.
Total daily transmission heat gain = 22kWh/day + 1.8kWh/day = 23.8kWh/day
Remember if your cold room is in direct sunlight you’ll need to account for the suns energy
also.
Product load – Product exchange

Next we will calculate the cooling load from the product exchange, that being the heat
brought into the cold room from new products which are at a higher temperature.
For this example we’ll be storing apples, we can look up the specific heat capacity of the
apples but do remember if you’re freezing products then the products will have a different
specific heat when cooling, freezing and sub cooling so you’ll need to account for this and
calculate this separately, but in this example we’re just cooling.
There are 4,000kg of new apples arriving each day at a temperature of 5°C and a specific
heat capacity of 3.65kJ/kg.°C.
We can then use the formula
Q = m x Cp x (Temp enter – Temp store) / 3600.
Q = kWh/day
CP = Specific Heat Capacity of product (kJ/kg.°C)
m = the mass of new products each day (kg)
Temp enter = the entering temperature of the products (°C)
Temp store = the temperature within the store (°C)
3600 = convert from kJ to kWh.


Calculation
Q = m x Cp x (Temp enter – Temp store) / 3600
Q = 4,000kg x 3.65kJ/kg.°C x (5°C – 1°C) / 3600.
Q = 16kWh/day
Product load – Product respiration

Next we calculate the product respiration, this is the heat generated by living products such
as fruit and vegetables. These will generate heat as they are still alive, that’s why we’re
cooling them to slow them down their deterioration and preserve them for longer.
For this example I’ve used 1.9kJ/kg per day as an average but this rate changes over time
and with temperature. In this example we’re using a rules of thumb value just to simplify
the calculation since this cooling load is not considered critical. If you were to calculate for a
critical load you should use greater precision. In this example the store maintains a hold of
20,000kg of apples.
To calculate this we’ll use the formula
Q = m x resp / 3600
Q = kWh/day
m = mass of product in storage (kg)
resp = the respiration heat of the product (1.9kJ/kg)
3600 = converts the kJ to kWh.
Q = m x resp / 3600
Q = 20,000kg x 1.9kJ/kg / 3600
Q = 10.5kWh/day
For the product section we’ll sum together the product exchange of 16kWh/day and
respiration load of 10.5kWh/day to get a total product load of 26.5 kWh/day.
Internal heat load – People

Next we’ll calculate the internal loads from people working in the cold room, as people
generate heat and we need to account for this.
We’ll estimate 2 people working in the store for 4 hours a day and we can look up and see
at this temperature they will give off around 270 Watts of heat per hour inside.
We’ll use the formula:
Q = people x time x heat / 1000

Q = kWh/day
people = how many people inside
time = length of time they spend inside each day per person (Hours)
heat = heat loss per person per hour (Watts)
1,000 just converts the watts into kW
Calculation:
Q = people x time x heat / 1000
Q = 2 x 4 hours x 270 Watts / 1000
Q = 2.16 kWh/day
Internal heat load – Lighting

Then we can calculate the heat generated by the lighting, this is fairly simple to do and we
can use the formula
Q= lamps x time x wattage / 1000
Q = kWh/day,
lamps = number of lamps within the cold room
time = hours of use per day
wattage = power rating of the lamps
1000 = converts the Watts to kW.
If we have 3 lamps at 100W each, running for 4 hours a day, the calculation would be:
Q= lamps x time x wattage / 1000
Q= 3 x 4 hours x 100W / 1000
Q= 1.2kWh/day
For the total internal load we then just sum the people load (2.16 kWh/day) and lighting
load (1.2kWh/day) to get a value of 3.36kWh/day.
Equipment load – fan motors

Now we can calculate the heat generation of the fan motors in the evaporator. For this we
can the use the formula of:
Q = fans x time x wattage / 1000

Q = kWh/day
fans = the number of fans
time = fan daily run hours (hours)
wattage = the rated power of the fan motors (Watts)
1000 = convert from watts to kw.
In this cold room evaporator we’ll be using 3 fans rated at 200W each and estimate that
they will be running for 14 hours per day.
Calculation:
Q = fans x time x wattage / 1000
Q = 3 x 14 hours x 200W / 1000
Q = 8.4kWh/day
Equipment load – fan motors

Now we will calculate the heat load caused by defrosting the evaporator. To calculate this
we’ll use the formula:
Q = power x time x cycles x efficiency
Q = kWh/day,
power = power rating of the heating element (kW)
time = defrost run time (Hours)
cycles = how many times per day will the defrost cycle occur
efficiency = what % of the heat will be transferred into the space.
In this example our cold room uses an electric heating element rated at 1.2kW, it runs for
30 minutes 3 times per day and the estimate that 30% of all the energy it consumes is just
transferred into the cold room.
Q = power x time x cycles x efficiency
Q = 1.2kW x 0.5hours x 3 x 0.3
Q = 0.54kWh/day
The total equipment load is then the fan heat load (8.4kWh/day) plus the defrost heat load
(0.54kWh/day) which therefore equals 8.94 kWh/day
Infiltration load
Now we need to calculate the heat load from air infiltration. I’m going to use a simplified
equation but depending on how critical your calculation is then you may need to use other
more comprehensive formulas to achieve greater precision. We will use the formula:
Q = changes x volume x energy x (Temp out – Temp in ) / 3600
Q = kWh/d
changes = number of volume changes per day
volume = the volume of the cold store
energy = energy per cubic meter per degree Celsius
Temp out is the air temperature outside
Temp in is the air temperature inside
3600 is just to convert from kJ to kWh.
We’ll estimate that there will be 5 volume air changes per day due to the door being open,
the volume is calculated at 120m3, each cubic meter of new air provides 2kJ/°C, the air
outside is 30°C and the air inside is 1°C
Q = changes x volume x energy x (Temp out – Temp in ) / 3600
Q = 5 x 120m3 x 2kJ/°C x (30°C – 1°C ) / 3600
Q = 9.67 kWh/day
Total cooling load

To calculate the total cooling load we will just sum all the values calculated
Transmission load: 23.8kWh/day
Product load: 26.5 kWh/day

Internal load: 3.36kWh/day
Equipment load: 8.94 kWh/day
Infiltration load: 9.67 kWh/day
Total = 72.27 kWh/day
Safety Factor
We should also then apply a safety factor to the calculation to account for errors and
variations from design. Its typical to add 10 to 30 percent onto the calculation to cover this,
I’ve gone with 20% in this example so well just multiply the cooling load by a safety factor
of 1.2 to give us our total cooling load of 86.7 kWh/day
Refrigeration cooling capacity sizing

The last thing we need to do is calculate the refrigeration capacity to handle this load, a
common approach is to average the total daily cooling load by the run time of the
refrigeration unit. For this I’m estimating the unit to run 14 hours per day which is fairly
typical for this size and type of store. Therefore our total cooling load of 86.7kWh/day
divided by 14 hours means our refrigeration unit needs to have a capacity of 6.2kW to
sufficiently meet this cooling load.
Paul Evans
http://www.TheEngineeringMindset.com


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12/19/21, 8:57 PM Cooling Load Calculation - Cold Room - The Engineering Mindset

Cooling Load Calculation – Cold Room

Want free cold room calculation design software?

Download Coolselector®2 for free -> Click here

Learn more about Cold Room solutions here

What is a cold room?

Refrigeration system – Cold Room

Cold Room Heat Sources

wish. Accept Read More 

Infiltration heat load

Cooling load calculation – Cold room worked example

wish. Accept Read More 

The ground temperature is 10°C.

To calculate the transmission load we will be using the formula

Q = U x A x (Temp out – Temp in) x 24 ÷ 1000.

Q= kWh/day heat load

U = U value of insulation (we already know this value) (W/m2.K)

Temp in = The air temperature inside the room (°C)

Temp out = The ambient external air temperature (°C)

1000 = conversion from Watts to kW.

Walls and roof

wish. Accept Read More 

Q = U x A x (Temp out – Temp in) x 24 ÷ 1000

Q = 0.28W/m2.K x 113m2 x (30°C – 1°C) x 24 ÷ 1000

[113m2 = 24m2 + 24m2 + 20m2 + 20m2 + 30m2 + 30m2 ]

Q = U x A x (Temp out – Temp in) x 24 ÷ 1000

Q = 0.28W/m2.K x 30m2 x (10°C – 1°C) x 24 ÷ 1000

Total daily transmission heat gain = 22kWh/day + 1.8kWh/day = 23.8kWh/day

Product load – Product exchange

We can then use the formula

Q = m x Cp x (Temp enter – Temp store) / 3600.

CP = Specific Heat Capacity of product (kJ/kg.°C)

m = the mass of new products each day (kg)

Temp enter = the entering temperature of the products (°C)

Temp store = the temperature within the store (°C)

3600 = convert from kJ to kWh.

wish. Accept Read More 

Q = m x Cp x (Temp enter – Temp store) / 3600

Q = 4,000kg x 3.65kJ/kg.°C x (5°C – 1°C) / 3600.

Product load – Product respiration

To calculate this we’ll use the formula

m = mass of product in storage (kg)

resp = the respiration heat of the product (1.9kJ/kg)

3600 = converts the kJ to kWh.

Q = 20,000kg x 1.9kJ/kg / 3600

Internal heat load – People

We’ll use the formula:

Q = people x time x heat / 1000

wish. Accept Read More 

people = how many people inside

heat = heat loss per person per hour (Watts)

1,000 just converts the watts into kW

Q = people x time x heat / 1000

Q = 2 x 4 hours x 270 Watts / 1000

Internal heat load – Lighting

Q= lamps x time x wattage / 1000

lamps = number of lamps within the cold room

time = hours of use per day