Design and simulation of a small cold storage with NH3 refrigeration system and an indirect cooling loop with CO2

In India, apples, grapes and mangoes are considered as most suitable fruits for storage in terms of season, variations in wholesale price, and shelf life. At the same time, a lack of refrigerated transport and pre-cooling are highlighted as major challenges for both the export and domestic cold chain. The Indian mandis are considered the weakest link in both chains, hence a cold storage is designed for use at mandis' or small markets. Performance of the NH3 system with and without the natural cooling loop (NCL) was modelled and evaluated in this study. Annual refrigeration loads were used to estimate the performance of both system configurations. The standard system operates with a SCOP of about 6.5, while the NCL system operates with a SCOP of about 5.6. Annual operating profits were estimated to be between 473 and 479 thousand INR depending on the configuration.