The first question from those managing operations when the power goes out in the refrigerator is how long a cold room can stay off before the product is at risk. The answer varies with the size of the room, the stored load, and how often the door is opened, but the margin is usually short.
You can buy time with simple precautions, like keeping the door closed, and mitigate risk with a generator sized appropriately for the compressor. Read to the end to set up your contingency plan for your plant in Cuiabá, Rondonópolis, and surrounding areas.
What happens to the cold room when the power goes out
The cold room maintains its temperature because the compressor, evaporators, and fans work continuously, removing heat that enters through the walls, the door, and the product itself. When the power goes out, this system shuts down all at once:
- The compressor stops, and the refrigeration cycle no longer removes heat from the environment.
- The evaporator fans stop, and cold air stops circulating among the pallets.
- The temperature control and alarms lose power if they don’t have their own battery.
From that moment, the temperature in the powerless cold room begins to rise, at a rate that depends on the room’s insulation and the amount of stored product. It only stops rising when refrigeration resumes.
How much time do you have before losing the product
How long the cold room can last without power varies from plant to plant, but in the refrigerators in the region we serve, the product is lost in a few hours. The timeframe shortens when the room is full or when the team needs to open the door during the outage. The difference between one room and another mainly depends on four factors:
- The working temperature, because frozen and chilled rooms have different limits for the product.
- The insulation of the walls and the condition of the door seals.
- The volume of the load and the temperature at which the product entered the room.
- The ambient temperature around the room, which accelerates heat entry.
For those responsible for quality, the room holds the product for some time, but rarely long enough to cover a prolonged outage or network maintenance that extends into the afternoon. Relying on luck during this interval puts the entire batch at risk.
Why the refrigerator in Mato Grosso can’t rely solely on the grid
In Rondonópolis, Tangará da Serra, and Primavera do Leste, we work with grain processing plants, cotton operations, and refrigerators that operate continuously. In these refrigerators, the cold room is part of the line, and production and dispatch depend on it all day long.
A power outage at the cold storage facility costs more than the stored product: the line stops, the loading is delayed, and the team waits for the network to return. If you want to put a value on this downtime, the post about how to calculate the cost of downtime shows how to do the math.
There is also the scheduled outage, common in cold storage facilities and grain industries in the region, when the plant needs to be without network power for maintenance. While the team works, the generator keeps the cold chamber running.
The food industry as a whole depends on continuous power in the same way. The article about generators in the food industry delves into the subject for other stages of the process.
How to size the generator for the compressor and the cold chamber
In the generator for cold storage, the heaviest moment is the start of the cold chamber compressor, when its motor draws a current spike to start. The calculation considers this spike, in addition to the power of each piece of equipment.
Which loads are included in the calculation
- The compressor or compressors of the chamber, with the type of start for each one.
- The fans of the evaporators and condensers.
- The internal lighting, controllers, and temperature alarms.
- Other loads you want to keep running during the outage, such as the packaging line or dispatch.
Why the calculation requires engineering
A generator smaller than necessary may not handle the compressor start, and one too large increases operation costs without providing benefits. In Mato Grosso, the calculation also considers that the cold storage operates continuously. Our engineering performs this calculation at no cost, based on the actual loads of your chamber.
When the process also depends on chilled water, the chiller is included in the planning. We serve cold storage facilities, food industries, and hospitals with temperature control solutions that work alongside the generator.
Contingency plan for the next power outage
The more things are decided before the outage, the faster the cooling returns and the lower the risk to the product. The contingency plan fits into a short list:
- List the chambers and loads that need to remain on, in order of priority.
- Determine whether the power generator for the cold chamber will start automatically or if the team will make the switch manually.
- Decide who activates the generator and who monitors the temperature of the chambers.
- Instruct the operation to keep the doors closed while the cooling is stopped.
- Schedule substation maintenance in advance, so the generator is already on-site on the day.
Backup power for slaughterhouses in the Cuiabá and Rondonópolis region
If your slaughterhouse is in Rondonópolis, Tangará da Serra, or Primavera do Leste, the distance to our unit is between 110 and 200 km. It is located in Parque Nova Esperança II, in the southern region of Cuiabá, 17 km from Várzea Grande, and also serves the capital and the Baixada Cuiabana.
After the order, the equipment is operational within 24 hours, and our 24-hour on-call service monitors your operation. Porto Esperidião, General Carneiro, and the more distant cities receive the delivery date in the proposal. Sinop and the northern region of Mato Grosso are served by our Lucas do Rio Verde unit.
To protect the cold chamber, learn about our generator rental for slaughterhouses and industries in the Cuiabá region. Send the list of loads, and our engineering team calculates the power at no cost.
Frequently asked questions
How long can a cold chamber remain off without losing the product?
It depends on the size of the chamber, the load, and the insulation, but in the slaughterhouses we serve, the cold chamber without power loses the product in a few hours. Each door opening shortens this period.
What size generator does a cold chamber need?
The size depends on the compressor’s power, how its motor starts, and the other loads you want to keep on. Our engineering team performs this calculation at no cost.
Does the generator start on its own when the grid power goes out?
If the installation has automatic transfer, the generator takes over on its own when the grid goes out. Without this feature, your plant’s team makes the switch manually.
Can I open the cold chamber while the power is out?
The best practice is to keep the door closed during the entire outage. Each opening lets heat in and shortens the time the product lasts.
