COLD STORAGE Climate Solutions for Cold Storage Applications
CLIMATE SEPARATION SOLUTIONS IN COLD STORAGE
In cold storage, temperature stability is a commercial, regulatory, and food- safety imperative. Yet the doors between chilled, frozen and ambient zones are opened constantly to move stock, and every opening lets the carefully controlled climate escape. When a cold-store door opens, the large temperature and vapour-pressure difference between the two spaces drives an immediate exchange of air: warm, moisture-laden air flows in through the top of the opening while heavy cold air pours out across the floor. That single, invisible exchange sits at the root of nearly every operational headache a cold-store manager faces — rising energy bills, iced-up floors and coils, fogging, product spoilage and refrigeration plant working harder than it should. Conventional fixes each carry a cost. Keeping doors closed cripples logistics. Strip curtains and PVC flap doors obstruct traffic, wear quickly, lose transparency and are frequently left damaged or tied back. What's needed is an invisible barrier that holds the climate line while leaving the doorway completely clear.
That is exactly what a correctly specified Biddle air curtain delivers: a laminar air stream that covers the full opening, separating the two climates without a single physical obstruction.
up to 70%
-18°C
Potential cold-air loss reduction from effective climate separation
UK legal minimum temperature for frozen food storage
COLD STORAGE| INTRODUCTION
THE HIDDEN COSTS OF THE OPEN DOOR
ICED FLOORS – A SLIP AND SKID HAZARD
Moisture that freezes on the floor around a doorway creates a serious slip-and-trip hazard for staff and a traction problem for forklifts and pallet trucks — exactly where loads are being manoeuvred. Ice build-up on door tracks and seals can also jam doors open or closed, and ice on racking and products compromises both safety and stock quality. Under HSE workplace duties, employers must actively control these ice-related risks.
Six interlinked problems define climate control in cold storage. Each one stems from the same source: uncontrolled air exchange at the doorway.
DEFROST CYCLES & ICED EVAPORATORS
When warmer, humid air enters the cold space, water vapour condenses and freezes; on floors, racking, door hardware, and evaporator coils. Frosted coils cannot transfer heat efficiently, causing refrigeration system to run more frequent defrost cycles. Each defrost cycle allows the internal temperature to rise, forcing systems to work harder once the defrost halts. More moisture ingress means more frost, more defrosts, longer compressor run-times and greater mechanical wear.
TEMPERATURE DRIFT & FOOD-SAFETY UK food law requires chilled food to be held at or below 8°C (commonly managed to ≤ 5°C) and frozen food at −18°C or colder, under HACCP-based monitoring. Persistent warm-air infiltration causes gradual temperature drift that can push a store outside its legal range – risking accelerated bacterial growth, reduced shelf life, failed audits and, in the worst case, prosecution under the Food Safety Act 1990.
LOGISTICS/CONTAINMENT TRADE-OFF Cold stores live with a constant tension: stock must move quickly and safely, but every door opening costs containment. Physical barriers like strip curtains help with infiltration but hinder traffic, reduce visibility, snag on pallets and degrade over time – so they are often removed or left damaged, defeating their purpose.
ENERGY LOSS & REFRIGERATION RUNNING COSTS Energy is one of the largest single operating costs in any cold store, and warm-air infiltration drives it upwards relentlessly. Every cubic metre of warm air that enters must be cooled back to setpoint, forcing compressors to run longer and harder. A door left open or repeatedly cycled creates a continuous conveyor of heat into the space. With energy prices volatile, uncontrolled infiltration is a cost that compounds every hour of every trading day.
CONDENSATION, FOG, AND MISTING Where exfiltrating cold air meets warm
humid air, fog forms at the warm side of the opening. Beyond being a visible symptom of energy loss, fog reduces visibility for forklift drivers and pedestrians precisely where traffic is heaviest, and the resulting condensation leaves wet, slippery surfaces around the threshold.
COLD STORAGE| INTRODUCTION
COLD STORAGE| INTRODUCTION
BIDDLE TECHNOLOGY INTELLIGENT, AUTOMATIC CONTROL Conditions at a cold-store doorway change constantly. Biddle's automatic controls — including CHIPS technology on the IndAC2 — continuously read the temperature difference, outdoor conditions and door height, then adjust fan speed and discharge in real time so the curtain always runs at the optimum setting. Once commissioned, the user never has to touch the settings. Compared with a manually-controlled conventional curtain, automatic control can increase energy savings by up to 75%.
DOUBLE RECTIFIER
A conventional air curtain without a rectifier discharges turbulent air that dissipates before it reaches the floor, leaving the lower half of the doorway uncovered and allowing infiltration, draught and energy loss. Biddle's Double Rectifier adds vertical fins on top of the horizontal fins, streamlining the discharge into a deeply- penetrating laminar air stream that covers the full height of the opening. The result: superior climate separation, lower energy consumption and fewer comfort complaints.
75%
6m 100%
Potential extra energy saving from automatic vs. manual control (IndAC2 CHIPS)
Maximum doorway height the IndAC2 can effectively cover
Clear opening with no physical obstruction to logistics
A door-contact switch can start the curtain automatically when the door opens and stop it when closed, while bespoke overrun times keep the barrier running for a set period after closure — both proven in the field on Biddle's cold-store installations. DOOR-SWITCH INTEGRATION & BESPOKE OVERRUN
COLD STORAGE| AIR CURTAINS
COLD STORAGE| AIR CURTAINS
DOORFLOW2 COLD STORE
up to 75%
AIR CURTAIN SOLUTIONS
CLIMATE SEPARATION
The dedicated solution for climate separation in cold stores requiring regular threshold throughfare, stopping warm ambient air mixing with chilled and frozen storage areas. Delivers high-performance separation at low noise levels, with minimal maintenance once installed.
Every pain point in cold storage traces back to the same cause: uncontrolled air exchange at the doorway. A correctly specified Biddle air curtain addresses all of them at once, holding the climate line while leaving the opening completely clear.
PATENTED RECTIFIER INCREASES AIRSTREAM LENGTH BY 40%
OPTIONAL OPTICAL DOOR SWITCH FOR FULLY AUTOMATIC OPERATION
FROST REDUCTION
CUTS ENERGY USAGE
By preventing warm, moist air from crossing the threshold, the air curtain removes the cause of frosting. Less moisture reaching the coils means fewer defrost cycles.
Effective climate separation can deliver up to 75% energy saving compared with an unprotected open door, while automatic controls ensure the curtain only works as hard as conditions demand.
STRAIGHT, CONVERGENT AIRSTREAM ELIMINATES CONVECTION LOSSES
VERTICAL OR HORIZONTAL INSTALLATION, FLUSH-FIT COMPATIBLE
FOG & MIST REDUCTION
SAFE & DRY FLOORS
Biddle's Double Rectifier discharge produces a stable, deeply-penetrating laminar stream
Reducing ice build-up on the floor and surrounding surfaces is a core benefit of Biddle cold-store separation – keeping access routes dry, safe and clear for fast logistics.
that keeps the two air masses apart, reducing misting and fog in the door opening.
Lengths: 150 / 200 / 250 cm | Door Height 2–2.5m | Vertical or horizontal | 230V supply
COLD STORAGE| AIR CURTAINS
COLD STORAGE| AIR CURTAINS
ISOLAIR 2
INDAC 2
The ideal solution for internal climate separation where no heating is required, such as chilled rooms in production companies, distribution centres and small cold stores in supermarkets. Its slim profile suits smaller openings, and it maintains room temperature without the need for a strip curtain or roller-shutter door.
The heavy-duty solution for factories, warehouses, logistics centres and cold-store loading bays. Available as an ambient model for internal climate separation or with water/electric heating for openings to outside. Proven on demanding cold-chain applications with large temperature differences, including freezer-to-chiller thresholds.
HIGH-EFFICIENCY BACKWARD-CURVED EC FANS WITH VARIABLE SPEED CONTROL DOUBLE RECTIFIER DISCHARGE FOR DOWNWARD AIR FLOW PENETRATION
AUTOMATIC TWO-POSITION CONTROL VIA ROOM THERMOSTAT & DOOR SWITCH MODULAR DESIGN LINKS UNITS TOGETHER TO COVER WIDER OPENINGS
PATENTED DOUBLE RECTIFIER FOR HIGH SEPARATION EFFICIENCY
CHIPS AUTOMATIC CONTROL – UP TO 75% MORE SAVING VS. MANUAL
HIGH-PERFORMANCE STEPLESS EC FANS; BMS/ MODBUS READY
OPTIONAL SIDE SHIELDS TO MINIMISE LATERAL AIR INFILTRATION
Lengths: 150 / 200 / 250 cm | Door Height up to 4m | One Control Box covers up to 5m door width | 230V supply
ST: door heights 3–6 m | MX: 5–8 m | Ambient, water (H1/H2) or electric heating | b-touch touchscreen control
COLD STORAGE| AIR CURTAINS
COLD STORAGE| AIR CURTAINS
CASE STUDY ALDI COLD STORAGE
SUPPORTING REGULATION Cold storage operators carry overlapping legal duties across food safety, workplace health & safety and energy efficiency. Climate separation supports compliance on every front.
Aldi experienced condensation plumes entering a freezer space, creating temperature fluctuations that threatened operational efficiency and food safety. The freezer entrance, a substantial 3 m × 3 m opening between chilled and freezer environments, created a large interface for warm-air and moisture ingress. Key priorities were minimising warm-air infiltration and moisture ingress, maintaining stable freezer temperatures, and reducing the risk of surface icing.
Requirement
What It Means
How Biddle Helps
Food Safety Act 1990 & Food Safety (England) Regs 2013 (retained Reg EC 852/2004
Chilled food ≤ 8°C; frozen food −18°C or colder, under HACCP monitoring Cold storage is a defined CCP; temperature must be controlled & recorded
Stable separation helps hold critical temperature limits and prevent drift Reduces infiltration-driven fluctuations that cause excursions
SOLUTION
Following an extensive site survey, Biddle supplied the IndAC2 air curtain, capable of protecting openings up to 6m high.
HACCP critical control points
Employers must control slip, ice and cold-exposure hazards
Reduces floor icing, fog and wet surfaces around doorways
HSE workplace duties
Side shields were fitted on both sides to minimise lateral infiltration and improve containment, alongside a customised software configuration set freezer-specific temperature setpoints and bespoke overrun times.
Lower refrigeration demand, fewer defrost cycles, less plant wear
Energy & sustainability (e.g. ESOS / net-zero goals)
Pressure to cut refrigeration energy & emissions
Note: Biddle products support compliance by stabilising the storage environment; they are not a substitute for a complete food-safety management or refrigeration system. Specific duties vary by nation (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) and application.
CONCLUSION During commissioning, thermal imaging clearly showed the IndAC2 creating a barrier that prevented heat transfer across the threshold; holding the freezer at −18.2°C against −3.0°C in the adjacent chiller room. The installation delivered elimination of visible condensation plumes, improved energy efficiency through reduced cold-air loss, enhanced staff safety around the entrance, and maintained storage temperatures for food quality and compliance.
WHY BIDDLE SOLUTIONS? EASY ACCESS & FAST LOGISTICS, CLEAR OPENINGS FOR EFFICIENT MOVEMENT OF GOODS
CONSTANT CLIMATE IN COLD AREAS, STABLE CONDITIONS FOR STORED PRODUCT
PERFECT CLIMATE SEPARATION, PRECISE CONTROL BETWEEN TEMPERATURE ZONES
APPLICATION-SPECIFIC ENGINEERING, BESPOKE SOFTWARE & SIDE SHIELDS WHERE NEEDED
COLD STORAGE| REGULATION
COLD STORAGE| CASE STUDY
BIDDLE CLIMATE CONTROL SOLUTIONS Every Biddle product is designed to work together as part of a complete, integrated climate system. No two retail environments are the same, and no Biddle solution is the same either. We approach every project fresh, combining the right products in the right configuration to solve each client's specific challenges.
PROTECT THE COLD CHAIN
Every cold store is different. Biddle's team carries out an extensive site survey to capture your precise operational requirements and physical conditions, then designs a climate- separation solution tailored to your openings, temperature deltas and traffic.
ISOLAIR AIR CURTAIN 2
Slim, energy-efficient climate separation for internal chilled rooms and smaller cold stores. Maintains temperature without heating, strip curtains or roller shutters — keeping doorways clear for fast, unobstructed logistics between zones.
INDAC AIR CURTAIN 2 Heavy-duty climate separation for large freezer and loading-bay openings up to 8 metres high. Handles substantial temperature deltas, with CHIPS automatic control and optional side shields for demanding cold-chain applications.
Biddle Air Systems Ltd St. Mary's Road, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, CV11 5AU, United Kingdom
APPLICATION-BASED ENGINEERING
Every cold store is unique. Biddle's team conducts an extensive site survey to capture your openings, temperature deltas and traffic, then engineers a tailored solution — bespoke software and side shields included.
☎️ 02476 384233 📧 sales@biddle-air.co.uk 🌐 www.biddle-air.co.uk
COLD STORAGE| CLIMATE CONTROL SOLUTIONS
COLD STORAGE| CLIMATE CONTROL SOLUTIONS
BIDDLE AIR SYSTEMS
St. Mary’s Road Nuneaton Warwickshire CV11 5AU
T 024 7638 4233 E sales@biddle-air.co.uk www.biddle-air.co.uk
Every effort has been made to ensure descriptions are correct at the time of print. Errors and omissions excepted. COLD STORAGE |V 1 |0 6 |202 6
Page 1 Page 2-3 Page 4-5 Page 6-7 Page 8-9 Page 10-11 Page 12-13 Page 14-15 Page 16Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs