Cold Storage Air Curtains Brochure Discover how Thermoscreens air curtains help cold stores, chilled warehouses and freezer rooms reduce energy loss, minimise frost and ice build-up, improve temperature stability and maintain operational efficiency. Explore specialist solutions for cold chain environments, including slimline cold store air curtains, high-performance refrigerated area protection and real-world application examples.
SECTOR BROCHURE · COLD STORAGE
Cold storage. Air curtains engineered to keep the cold in.
Door-opening climate seperation for cold rooms, chillers, freezers and harsh-enviroment refrigerated areas - down to 25°C.
THE COLD CHAIN CHALLENGE
WHERE WE WORK
Cold chain solutions for every application .
Every open door costs you money.
Whether it is a single walk-in chiller in a convenience store or a full distribution centre with dozens of cold rooms, Thermoscreens has a doorway solution. Our cold chain range covers every common scenario:
Cold stores and freezers — ambient air curtains for chillers and sub- zero stores down to −25 ° C. Refrigerated and chilled production areas — pharmaceutical, food processing, dairy, fish and meat. Harsh, washdown-clean environments — IP66-rated cold store units suitable for food production and pharma processing. Retail back-of-house — supermarket walk-ins, food halls, butchers, fishmongers, QSR kitchens. Distribution and logistics — cold-chain warehouses, dock doors, vestibule openings.
In a modern cold store, a walk-in door can open more than 300 times a shift. Each opening is a small but expensive event — a column of cold, dense air spilling out at floor level while warm, humid air rushes in at head height. Refrigeration plant works harder, ice builds up around the door frame, evaporators frost, and product temperatures fluctuate. Thermoscreens has spent more than five decades engineering the doorway solution to that problem. Our Cold Chain range is built specifically for temperature-sensitive environments — air curtains designed to keep conditioned air where it belongs while staff, trolleys and pallet trucks move freely through.
1965
50+ COUNTRIES SERVED
−25 ° C
“The new air curtains in the freezer room have completely eliminated any ice and frost build-up around the room, including the evaporators. As the main reason for cold room failure, this will undoubtedly help to reduce costly downtime, stock loss and maintenance calls.”
UK MANUFACTURE SINCE
OPERATING TEMPERATURE
— Refrigeration Manager, leading UK supermarket
THE NUMBERS BEHIND THE DOORWAY
Where the energy hides. Refrigeration is the single biggest electrical load in most cold storage and food retail environments. The cold room is where the kWh hides — and the doorway is where the kWh escapes. The numbers below come from independent research, peer-reviewed studies, and published industry benchmarks.
up to 80 %
1–3 yrs
60–70 %
~65 % Reduction in air infiltration vs an open single door; vestibules achieve only ~23%.
Reduction in energy loss through an open doorway with a correctly specified air curtain.
Typical payback period for a cold room air curtain in UK retail conditions.
Share of electricity used by refrigeration in a typical cold storage facility.
Source: International Journal of Refrigeration / London South Bank University.
Source: independent CFD field studies, manufacturer test data.
Source: Air Movement & Control Association International (AMCA) research.
Source: Thermoscreens real-site ROI data; multi- manufacturer benchmarks.
30–40 % Energy saving achievable in a cold store through better operation, repair and doorway retrofit.
300 + Times a busy supermarket walk-in cold room door is opened per shift — each one a heat-exchange event.
~3 % Share of total UK electrical consumption from retail food outlets — cold rooms a dominant share.
−25 ° C Lowest operating temperature for the Thermoscreens CS and Slimline CS cold store air curtains.
Source: London South Bank University refrigeration research benchmarks.
Source: published retail back-of-house operational data.
Source: ScienceDirect / Tassou et al., refrigeration in food retail.
Source: Thermoscreens CS / SLCS product specifications.
Energy savings and payback are site-specific; figures shown represent typical UK retail and cold chain operating conditions. Thermoscreens can model expected savings for a specific doorway and operating profile on request.
Keep the cold air in, keep the warm air out .
How it works .
A cold room air curtain projects a high-velocity, controlled jet of air downward across the open doorway. That jet forms an invisible aerodynamic barrier between the cold room and the warmer outside space — significantly reducing the exchange of cold, dry air outwards and warm, humid air inwards, while letting people, trolleys and pallet trucks pass through without obstruction.
Open door — no air curtain. Cold dense air falls out at floor level, warm humid air rushes in at the top. A continuous, self-reinforcing exchange (the “stack effect”) costs energy every second the door is open.
Open door — with air curtain. A high-velocity downward jet creates an aerodynamic seal. Cold air stays in, warm air stays out, but the doorway remains physically clear for staff and trolleys.
In cold chain applications the unit is normally ambient (non-heated) — the goal is climate separation, not warming the doorway.
Why velocity matters .
Energy saving
Reduced ice & frost build-up
The jet must reach the floor with enough velocity to resist the pressure differential across the door. Underpowered units fail at exactly the point they are needed most. Premium cold store units use high-static-pressure fans and adjustable discharge nozzles to keep jet integrity even in busy traffic.
Product protection
Unrestricted access
✕
✓
Too weak — cold air leaks at floor level.
Correctly specified — full-height jet, intact
CHOOSING YOUR DOORWAY BARRIER
Air curtain, strip curtain or vestibule .
Cold-chain operators weigh three options for cold room entrances. Each has a role. They are not equivalent. The right choice depends on traffic volume, hygiene requirements, available space, and how much the seal really matters to refrigeration load.
RECOMMENDED
PVC strip curtains
Vestibule (lobby)
Cold room air curtain
Aerodynamic seal
Low-cost physical barrier
Physical double-door enclosure
Inexpensive to fit; immediate physical barrier.
Up to 80% reduction in doorway energy loss (correctly specified).
Effective physical separation if doors are disciplined.
✓
✓
✓
Can cut cooling cost by ~40% in low- traffic settings.
~65% air-infiltration reduction vs open single door.
Only ~23% infiltration reduction in real use (AMCA).
✓
✓
✕
Degrade, discolour and brittle within months in busy walk-ins.
Unrestricted access for staff, trolleys and pallet trucks.
Up to 10% less efficient than a properly specified air curtain.
✕
✓
✕
Staff tie them back for trolley access — seal lost.
Easy to clean; hygienic finishes available for food / pharma.
Expensive to build and rarely practical in retrofit retail layouts.
✕
✓
✕
Obstruct sight-lines; manual handling and slip risk.
Door-switch and BMS integration for measurable control.
Consumes valuable back-of-house floor space.
✕
✓
✕
Difficult to clean to BRC / SALSA food- safety standards.
Built-in frost protection on Thermoscreens cold store units.
~ Common at building entrances; less suited to cold rooms.
✕
✓
Best for: any busy retail, food, pharma or industrial walk-in. Typical payback 1–3 years.
Best for: low-traffic, low-spec walk-ins where capital cost is the only criterion.
Best for: new-build building entrances, not retrofit cold room doorways.
OUR COLD CHAIN RANGE
Engineered for temperature- sensitive environments.
Purpose-built for cold-store environments — one technical promise: keep conditioned air where it belongs. From standard cold stores to compact slimline units for restricted headroom, every Thermoscreens cold store air curtain is engineered for temperatures as low as −25 ° C.
COLD CHAIN RANGE
CS Series.
Exceptional performance for cold stores down to −25 ° C.ffflfi
Key features .
Designed and engineered to maintain climate separation in cold stores with temperatures as low as −25 ° C. The CS uses advanced EC motor technology — not only keeping the cold store cold, but keeping energy consumption to a minimum. The unit benefits from built-in frost protection to ensure unhindered access for goods. Available in two variants — the standard CS and the higher-velocity CS Max, designed for areas where greater air velocity or higher mounting heights are required. Both ship in horizontal and vertical configurations.
Built-in frost protection. Inlet grille has enlarged openings and heating elements to eliminate ice build-up around the unit. Door switch control. Fan speed increases when the door opens and reduces — or the unit turns o completely — when it closes. Hanging bracket and angled discharge allow directional air ow for optimum doorway seal.
Signi cant energy savings by stopping the waste of expensive cold air.
Anti-frost feature makes the unit the ideal solution for sub-zero temperatures. Easy access — unhindered access for goods due to the removal of doors or strip curtains. Externally mounted controls and additional BMS interface available for central control options. Horizontal and vertical units available — choose orientation to suit the doorway and surroundings
Ambient
Frost Protection
Energy Savings
ErP Compliant
Custom Paint
EC
BMS
COLD CHAIN RANGE
Slimline CS Series.
Cold store performance where space is at a premium.ffflfl
Key features .
Designed and engineered to maintain climate separation in cold stores with temperatures as low as −25 ° C , the Slimline CS Series is built for applications where there is limited headspace above the door . Compact, cost-effective, and quiet. Like the standard CS, the Slimline CS uses advanced EC motor technology to keep the cold store cold while keeping energy consumption to a minimum. It benefits from built-in frost protection and is available in horizontal and vertical configurations.
Compact, space-saving design — ideal where there is limited headspace above the door. Built-in frost protection — anti-frost feature makes the unit ideal for sub-zero temperatures.
Energy-e icient EC motors — keep the cold store cold and the running cost low.
Tangential fans deliver a powerful, uniform air ow across the full doorway width.
Hanging bracket and angled discharge for directional air ow on horizontal units.
Heated inlet grille with enlarged openings eliminates ice build-up.
Externally mounted controls and optional BMS interface for central control.
Threaded rod fasteners included — faster, cleaner installation.
Ambient
Frost Protection
Energy Savings
Custom Paint
EC Motor
Joining kits available for connecting horizontal units across wider doorways.
Horizontal and vertical units available — same performance, two form factors.
BMS Ready
IP66 PATENT-PENDING CS UNIT RATING
The brief .
CASE STUDY · COLD STORAGE
A leading UK supermarket enhances efficiency and safety.
−25 ° C
A leading UK supermarket chain sought an innovative solution to improve energy efficiency and safety within its cold stores. The retailer needed to reduce expensive cold-air loss through walk-in freezer doorways, eliminate the operational impact of ice and frost build-up around the room and evaporators, and maintain unobstructed access for staff and trolleys during peak shifts.
FREEZER OPERATING TEMPERATURE
2 yr STANDARD WARRANTY
The solution .
Thermoscreens supplied the patent-pending CS (Cold Store) Air Curtain — an industrial-grade unit engineered specifically for cold- storage environments. Featuring IP66 construction, built-in frost protection, EC motor technology, a hanging bracket for directional airflow and a heated inlet grille to eliminate ice build-up, the CS was installed across multiple freezer doorways at temperatures down to −25 ° C.
REPORTED OUTCOMES
Ice and frost build-up around the freezer room and evaporators eliminated.
Reduced refrigeration plant strain — lower defrost cycle energy.
“The new air curtains in the freezer room have completely eliminated any ice and frost build-up around the room, including the evaporators. As the main reason for cold room failure, this will undoubtedly help to reduce costly downtime, stock loss and maintenance calls.”
Reduced risk of costly cold-room failure, downtime and stock loss.
Unobstructed staff and trolley access maintained throughout trading hours.
— REFRIGERATION MANAGER, LEADING UK SUPERMARKET
GETTING IT RIGHT FIRST TIME
Specifying your cold store air curtain .
Correct sizing is the single biggest determinant of real-world performance. The most common installation mistakes are undersizing, mounting too high, and ignoring pressure differentials across the door. Use these six checks — or let our technical team confirm the specification for you.
01 · DOORWAY MATCH
02 · MOUNT HEIGHT
03 · DISCHARGE ANGLE
Match length to the full doorway width
Mount as close to the top of the doorway as practical
Aim the discharge slightly toward the warm side Typically 5–20 ° outward. This compensates for the pressure differential pushing back on the jet and keeps the seal intact.
An air curtain shorter than the door cannot seal the edges — the very point where infiltration is highest. Always match unit length to full opening width.
The higher the mount, the more jet velocity is lost before the air reaches the floor. Keep the unit as low as the structure allows.
04 · DOOR SWITCH
05 · COMMISSIONING
06 · RIGHT UNIT FOR THE DUTY
Wire to a door switch — don't run it continuously Cycle the unit with door operation. The Thermoscreens CS Series Door Switch Control raises fan speed on opening and reduces or stops it on closing.
Measure airflow at the floor, not just the discharge The floor is where the seal either works or fails. Commission against the worst-case pressure scenario, not average conditions.
Specify a cold-store-rated unit for sub- zero applications Standard commercial entrance air curtains are not interchangeable with cold room units. For freezers, choose CS or Slimline CS with built-in frost protection.
WHY PARTNER WITH US
British engineering . 50+ years of doorway expertise .
What we bring to a cold-chain project
Memberships, accreditations and standards
Application-matched specification — units engineered for the actual temperature differential, doorway dimensions, traffic profile and food-safety environment, rather than generic commercial units repurposed for cold rooms.
British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) — active member, working alongside the UK frozen food industry.
Cold Chain Federation — member, contributing to and aligned with current cold- chain best-practice benchmarks.
Hygienic, easy-clean construction — appropriate finishes, IP ratings (up to IP66) and stainless steel options for back-of-house food and pharma environments.
BSI ISO 9001 registered quality management — consistent product quality across the full range.
BMS-ready controls so retailers and operators can measure, monitor and prove the energy saving on a per-doorway basis.
ErP compliant across the air curtain range — meets EU energy-related products requirements.
In-house technical support for installers and refrigeration contractors during specification, installation and commissioning.
Patent-pending CS cold store design — advanced engineering protected by intellectual property.
UK manufacturing base in Nuneaton, Warwickshire — with quick lead times and on-the-ground service.
2-year warranty on cold chain air curtains as standard.
Custom paint and RAL match service so the unit blends seamlessly with the back-of-house environment.
3–5 working day delivery for standard air curtains. *
* Dependent on model specification.
BSI ISO 9001 Registered
Member Cold Chain Federation
Member British Frozen Food Federation
ErP Compliant Range
Thermoscreens
GET IN TOUCH
Talk to us about your cold storage project.
Whether you are specifying a new cold store, retrofitting an existing one, or trying to understand where energy is being lost across your estate, the Thermoscreens technical team can help. We can assess your doorways, model the energy and ROI impact, and recommend a specification matched to your actual operating conditions.
PHONE
ADDRESS
+44 (0) 24 7638 4646
Thermoscreens Limited St Mary's Road, Nuneaton Warwickshire, CV11 5AU United Kingdom
sales @ thermoscreens.com
ONLINE
thermoscreens.com · /cold-chain/
Yo r en ironment
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12Made with FlippingBook - PDF hosting