Design & Build of Walk-In Chillstore

A pharmaceutical company responsible for purchasing and importing medicines from other EU countries required a new Walk-In Chillstore for the packaging of pharmaceutical products.

Our client operates to the strict requirements laid down by Good Manufacturing and Distribution Practice (GMDP) and the Home Office Requirements for Controlled Drugs.

Our scope of works was to supply and build a new Walk-In Chillstore within first floor area of the site. Operating with a set point of 5°C, the new chillstore required a minimum and maximum range of between 2°C and 8°C.

All the old work areas were to be demolished and removed to create a clear space.

There was a requirement for the new refrigeration systems to provide a fully flexible run and standby operation and to maintain the conditions 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

Lighting and electrical mains were also required to be included within the project.

A new walk-in chillstore was built to the following spec:

Enclosure: – 5.7m x 4.5m x 3.0m (high)

Wall panels: – 100mm thick PIR core insulated panels

Ceiling panels: – 100mm thick PIR core insulated panels

All panels were finished in White FOODSAFE P.V.C coated galvanized steel to all seen areas.

The floor was manufactured from Polyurethane foam injected modular floor, reinforced with 12mm thick exterior grade plywood foamed in place to upper surface. This was then overlaid with a further layer of 15mm thick phenolic coated plywood complete with slip resistant covering with overlapping joints.

The entrance to this area was via a 1.5m x 2.1m manual sliding door on a Fermod 2150 series track with handles inside and out.

To ensure the critical temperature parameters are maintained, the door was fitted with a door switch that would alarm locally after a pre set period of time of around 30 seconds to prevent the doors being left open.

To serve the walk-in cold room we have installed two independent, direct expansion refrigeration systems, utilising fully housed condensing units and ceiling mounted evaporator coolers.

Each installed system would be capable of 5.05kw of refrigeration duty, providing a total duty of 10.10kw under the conditions specified. The two systems run together continuously, with each independently capable of maintaining the desired room temperature in the event of a failure to one of the systems or whilst the other is defrosting.

The condensing units installed are Danfoss Optyma Plus packaged units, matched to ceiling mounted coolers manufactured by Kelvion.

The systems are controlled by a bespoke control panel installed internally on the outside of the chillstore. This would indicate refrigeration system activity/status and also indicate any fault signals received.

Electrical mains requirements to the room and energy efficient LED lighting were installed by our electrical contractors E&A Electrical Ltd.

This project was run by our Head of Projects Lee Hopkins and installed by our in-house installation team lead by our onsite supervisor Daniel Bush.

The project was handed over to the client in December 2023 along with as built drawings, commissioning reports and O&M manuals.

Our scope of works was to decommission and remove and existing smaller chillstores and build a new larger one in its place, with convenient access for the drivers who collected the deliveries.

The project included the building of all insulated walls, doors and ceilings, together with the design, supply installation and commissioning refrigeration systems to provide a temperature-controlled environment of between 2°C and 8°C.

Due to the high value of the product to be stored within the chillstore, it was a requirement for the new refrigeration systems to provide a fully flexible run and standby operation, to maintain the conditions 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

LED lighting operated via PIR sensors for energy saving, and emergency lighting was to be installed within the new chillstore.

Once in operation the new chillstore was to be temperature mapped to ensure that the room temperature doesn’t to fall out of the specified parameters.

The design of this project was undertaken by our Managing Director Nick Griffiths, who surveyed the site recording the building layout, confirmed the required size of the new enclosure and confirmed details with the client such as the number of people working in the space, product type, entry temperatures, reduction times and product turnover.

Detailed heatload calculations were undertaken and adequately sized equipment was selected based the results.

The new walk-in chillstore built measuring approximately 19.7m (l) x 5.5m (w) with a height of 3.0m.

Access to the chillstore was via two 1.5m x 2.0m manual sliding doors, installed at each end of the room to allow for the input of pallets. A slam faced pedestrian door measuring 1.0m x 2.0m was also installed.

To ensure the critical temperature parameters are maintained, each door was fitted with a door switch that would alarm locally after a pre set period of time of around 30 seconds to prevent the doors being left open.

The chillstore was served by two independent, direct expansion refrigeration systems operating on R449A refrigerant, utilising fully housed packaged Danfoss condensing units and ceiling mounted evaporator coolers.

Each installed system would be capable of maintaining the desired room temperature in the event of a failure the other system or whilst the other is defrosting. This provided a fully flexible run and standby operation for the room.

The Kelvion evaporator coolers were installed at each end of the room with the Danfoss Optyma Plus packaged condensing units installed externally within a 20m pipe run..

All refrigeration pipe work was supported using standard insulated pipe clamps.

Volt free contacts were provided within our controls to interface with the clients BMS alarm system.

The energy efficient LED lighting was installed by our electrical contractors PDR Electrical and operated via a PIR sensor. Emergency lighting was also installed.

This project was run by our Head of Projects Lee Hopkins and installed by our in-house installation team lead by our onsite supervisor Daniel Bush.

The project was handed over to the client in September 2022 with as built drawings, commissioning reports and O&M manuals.

All the cold room systems were installed to the highest of standards and are performing well.

Since commissioning the cold room, we have received the following feedback from the client:

“I want to extend a special thank you to Lee Hopkins – your communication between us the client and the other contractors has been nothing but perfect! Any issue we have come across has been rectified either the next day, or the day after. The quality of work, as always, is of a very high standard and the working relationship we all have has made it fun to come into work and complete the project with a smile on our face. Thank you very much.”