163.

pdf

A SunCam online continuing education course

Heat Load Calculations for

Refrigerated Spaces
by

Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E.

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

Date: January 30, 2013

Name : Joe Cool
REFRIGERATED SPACE HEAT LOAD ESTIMATE Company : XYZ Cold Storage
CAUTION: USE ENGINEERING JUDGEMENT- GOOD DATA=GOOD ESTIMATE From : Pete Caliente
Room Temperature -10 o
F Ref : Main Freezer Whse

Ver. 1.0
TRANSMISSION LOAD
Wall Length/Height Insulation Material Thickness K-Value Outside Temp Solar Factor  T Heat Transfer
( ft ) ( in ) BTU-in/hr-ft2-F (F) (F) (F) BTU/day
North 200 Polyisocyanurate 4 0.19 95 0 105 718,200
East 225 Polyisocyanurate 4 0.19 95 4 109 838,755
South 200 Polyisocyanurate 4 0.19 95 2 107 731,880
West 225 Polyisocyanurate 4 0.19 95 4 109 838,755
Ceiling 30 Polyisocyanurate 5 0.19 40 20 70 2,872,800

Location Area Construction Material Thickness F-Factor Ground Temp Solar Factor  T Heat Transfer
( ft2 ) ( in ) BTU/hr-ft 2-F (F) (F) (F) BTU/day
Floor 45,000 8" Concrete & 6" Exp. Styrene - 0.84 45 - 55 2,079,000
Total Transmission Load 8,079 kBTU/day 28.05 Tons 30%

INFILTRATION LOAD
Properties of Moist Air Temperature Rel. Humidity Enthalpy Specific Vol.
( oF ) % BTU/lba ft3/lba
Infiltrated Air 45 70 15.558 12.812
Refrigerated Room Air -10 80 -2.012 11.343
Average Door Opening Time 23.148 min/hr
Heat Removed per Cubic Foot of Air 1.371 BTU/ft3
Number of Air Changes per Day 1.456 #/day
Total Infiltration Load 2,695 kBTU/day 25.71 Tons 27%

PRODUCT LOAD
Product Name or Description Chicken
Product Loading Rate per Day 1,000,000 lbs/day
o
Entering Product Temperature 0 F
o
Final Product Temperature -10 F
Specific Heat above and below Freezing 0.8 BTU/lb-F 0.42 BTU/lb-F
Number of Day(s) / Hr(s) for Pulldown 1.00 days 24 hrs
Room Volume 1,350,000 ft3
Product Loading Density 15 lbs/ft3
No Product Respiration Heat 0 BTU/24-hr
Total Product Load 4,200 kBTU/day 14.58 Tons 16%

MISCELLANEOUS LOAD
Number of People in Room 2 -
Equivalent Heat per Person 34,178 Btu/24-hr
Lighting Load 1 Watts/ft2 3,685,111 BTU/day
Number of Forktrucks in Room 2 -
Horsepower per Forktruck 10 HP
Miscellaneous Motor Load in Room (not air units) 0 HP
Approximate Fan Horsepower from Air Units 25.000 HP
Motor Load Equivalency 3,329 BTU/hr-HP
Total Miscellaneous Load 7,315 kBTU/day 25.52 Tons 27%

TOTAL LOAD 93.87 Tons

10% Safety Factor + Total Load 103.25 Tons

Cubic Foot per Ton of Refrigeration 13,074 ft3/Ton
Square Foot per Ton of Refrigeration 436 ft2/Ton

Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E WelchEngCorp.com

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 2 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

Overview of This Course

The intent of this course is to provide the background knowledge required to calculate
the heat load of a refrigerated space (typically between 40⁰F to -40⁰F).
It will break the heat load into four components:

Transmission Load –sensible heat gain through the floor, walls and roof from the
temperature difference across these surfaces.

Infiltration Load –sensible and latent heat that carried into the refrigerated space from
the air exchange through the door openings.

Product Load –heat removal required to lower the incoming product to the space
temperature in a given amount of time.

Miscellaneous Load –load from lights, people and equipment in the space.
A spreadsheet will be provided with the course that will have a tab covering each of
these components along with a summary tab that makes a concise presentation of the
calculation results.

While the techniques in this course and the accompanying spreadsheet are used daily
by refrigeration professionals, the user of these materials should seek guidance and/ or
confirmation of the calculated results from an experienced professional.

Background and Need

Ever since Clarence Birdseye watched the Eskimos preserve their foodstuffs in the
Arctic ice, refrigerated or frozen foods have become part of our daily life. A quick trip
through today’s supermarket will quickly show the importance that refrigeration has by
observing the amount of lineal feet of refrigerated display cases. Refrigerated
temperatures range from a high of 45⁰F for fresh produce to -40⁰F for sushi grade tuna
and many temperature levels in between. What the retail consumer sees in the
supermarket is supported by a network of refrigerated trucks, refrigerated distribution
centers and food processing plants, all of which require refrigeration.

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 3 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

While refrigeration is a similar science to air conditioning, temperatures in the

refrigerated domain are much colder and require specialized construction, equipment
and design calculations. The basis of all refrigeration designs starts with the heat gain
into the refrigerated space. Once this heat load is established, the appropriate
refrigeration system can be designed.

Establish the Design Temperatures

Inside Temperature
The starting point for a refrigerated space design is the required temperature. As
referenced in the above paragraph, this may range from a high of 45⁰F to a low of -40⁰F
or below. The table below offers guidance for the ideal storage temperatures for a
variety of products.

Temp,
Room Type ⁰F
Candy Storage 65
Process Areas 35-45
Coolers, General 35
Coolers, Milk 32
Coolers- Meat & Poultry 28
Shipping & Rec. Docks 35-45
Ice Storage - Non Bag 35
Ice Storage - Bag 10-20
Freezers - General -10
Freezers - Ice Cream -15
Blast Freezers -30

Outside Temperature
Refer to published local climatic data to establish the design outside ambient
temperature and humidity conditions. There are many sources such as; ASHRAE,
NOAA, Weather Underground, the Weather Channel and others. A quick search on the
internet will generally provide data for the locale in question or a nearby city with similar
weather.

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 4 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

Determining the Size

In most instances, the client has a storage requirement in pallets or, at the least, a
square footage requirement. This is then factored by the room height and the possibility
of tiered racking. These considerations along with an allocation for aisle space will
determine the width, length and height of the refrigerated space.

Walk in Cooler or Freezer No Racking – Floor stacking only

Distribution Center with Multi-tiered Pallet Racks

The above two photos represent the extremes of sizes that refrigerated spaces may be.

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 5 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

Determining the Ambient Solar Exposure

Refrigerated spaces may be as small as the 200 ft2 stand-alone cooler that is found
behind any fast-food restaurant, or as large as a 100,000 ft2 free standing distribution
center to something in between such as a 10,000 ft2 refrigerated cooler within a
building. In two of these examples, the solar load will have an impact. The third example
will not. The East, South and West facing sides along with the roof will be affected by
solar loading. The spreadsheet allows the user to account for this.

North 

Transmission Load Calculations

With the building envelope size and exposure established, the transmission load can be
determined.
The insulation requirements of refrigerated spaces are much greater than the
requirements of air conditioned spaces. This is primarily due to the greater temperature
difference across the wall, roof and floor. It is also driven by the higher energy cost of a
low temperature refrigeration cycle. Additionally, this greater temperature difference
also creates more vapor pressure drive. This means that the water vapor pressure in
the ambient air outside of the refrigerated space is much greater than the water vapor
pressure inside the refrigerated space. This creates a large moisture driving force that
requires a substantial vapor barrier that is much greater than the “tar paper”, poly wraps
or foil insulation facing used in residential or commercial construction.

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 6 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

H2O 
Vapor,  Pressure Ratio 
Air 
Temp, 
Psia  ⁰F  95  70  32 
0.825  95 1
0.363  70 2.3 1
0.089  32 9.3 4.1 1
0.019  1 43.4 19.1 4.7
0.01  ‐11 82.5 36.3 8.9
0.001  ‐50 825.0 363.0 89.0 

The walls of most insulated spaces today are constructed of interlocking insulated
panels. These panels are constructed as a sandwich of metal – foam insulation – metal.
The seams are interlocking and caulked to retard vapor flow. Smaller buildings may
use interlocking panels for the roof as well.

Insulated Panel Wall Section

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 7 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

Larger structures will simply use un-faced sheets of foam insulation between the steel
roof decking and the water tight roofing system.

Blue Sky Roofing Membrane &

Roof Section Vapor Retarder

Insulation
Roof Decking

Bar Joist

Refrigerated Space

The floor in a high temperature cooler may be an uninsulated concrete slab. Lower,
below freezing, room temperatures require insulation under the finished floor slab. In
addition to insulation and a poly vapor retarder, there is a need for underfloor heat. The
purpose of this heat is to ensure that the soil under the freezer floor does not freeze.
The thermal conductivity of the soil alone is not sufficient to offset the heat loss through
the freezer floor, resulting in ever colder temperatures over time. It is not the soil that
freezes, but rather, the water in the soil. Water expands when it freezes. This expansion
force is enough to buckle the floor and raise the concrete. The author has seen floors
that were heaved up in excess of 6” due to a lack of underfloor heat.

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 8 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

55⁰F to 60⁰F is a commonly used soil temperature range under a floor slab. If the floor
slab has underfloor heating, then the soil temperature is kept between 40⁰F to 45⁰F.
This is warm enough to stay above freezing for a few days heating system loss, yet cold
enough to minimize heat transfer through the floor. This heat may be supplied with
heating cables inserted in buried pipes or warm glycol circulating though loops of poly
tubing. A less dependable and therefore, less popular way is for 4” PVC air ventilation
pipes spanning the building underground to allow the ambient air to be drafted or forced
through them.

Typical Freezer Floor Construction

Finished Floor Slab

Insulati
Insulation Vapor Retarding Film

Heating Pipes
Floor Slab

Compacted Soil

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 9 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

Insulation Materials

The most commonly used insulation materials used in refrigerated space construction
are:
 Polyisocyanurate foam (commonly referred to as urethane, it is a light brown,
open cell foam)
o Insulating value R=5.3 per 1” of thickness
 Extruded Polystyrene (typically a blue, open cell foam)
o Insulating value R=5.0 per 1” of thickness
 Expanded Polystyrene (a white, beaded, closed cell foam, similar to a coffee
cup)
o Insulating value R=4.8 per 1” of thickness

In the past, a variety of insulating materials have been used for cold storage
construction. These include, saw dust filled walls, cork sheets and fiberglass batts.
These choices quickly failed because they had insufficient vapor retarders and quickly
saturated with water, destroying their R value

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 10 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

The Load Estimating Spreadsheet

The spreadsheet opens on the “Cover Sheet” tab which is a one page summary of the
other tabs. It also has a place (the blue cells) to enter the people and project for this
particular calculation.

Date: January 30, 2013

Name : Joe Cool
REFRIGERATED SPACE HEAT LOAD ESTIMATE Company : XYZ Cold Storage
CAUTION: USE ENGINEERING JUDGEMENT- GOOD DATA=GOOD ESTIMATE From : Pete Caliente
o
Room Temperature -10 F Ref : Main Freezer Whse

Ver. 1.0
TRANSMISSION LOAD
Wall Length/Height Insulation Material Thickness K-Value Outside Temp Solar Factor  T Heat Transfer
( ft ) ( in ) BTU-in/hr-ft2-F (F) (F) (F) BTU/day
North 200 Polyisocyanurate 4 0.19 95 0 105 718,200
East 225 Polyisocyanurate 4 0.19 95 4 109 838,755
South 200 Polyisocyanurate 4 0.19 95 2 107 731,880
West 225 Polyisocyanurate 4 0.19 95 4 109 838,755
Ceiling 30 Polyisocyanurate 5 0.19 40 20 70 2,872,800

Location Area Construction Material Thickness F-Factor Ground Temp Solar Factor  T Heat Transfer
( ft2 ) ( in ) BTU/hr-ft2-F (F) (F) (F) BTU/day
Floor 45,000 8" Concrete & 6" Exp. Styrene - 0.84 45 - 55 2,079,000
Total Transmission Load 8,079 kBTU/day 28.05 Tons 30%

INFILTRATION LOAD
Properties of Moist Air Temperature Rel. Humidity Enthalpy Specific Vol.
( oF ) % BTU/lba ft3/lba
Infiltrated Air 45 70 15.558 12.812
Refrigerated Room Air -10 80 -2.012 11.343
Average Door Opening Time 23.148 min/hr
Heat Removed per Cubic Foot of Air 1.371 BTU/ft 3
Number of Air Changes per Day 1.456 #/day
Total Infiltration Load 2,695 kBTU/day 25.71 Tons 27%

PRODUCT LOAD
Product Name or Description Chicken
Product Loading Rate per Day 1,000,000 lbs/day
o
Entering Product Temperature 0 F
o
Final Product Temperature -10 F
Specific Heat above and below Freezing 0.8 BTU/lb-F 0.42 BTU/lb-F
Number of Day(s) / Hr(s) for Pulldown 1.00 days 24 hrs
Room Volume 1,350,000 ft3
Product Loading Density 15 lbs/ft3
No Product Respiration Heat 0 BTU/24-hr
Total Product Load 4,200 kBTU/day 14.58 Tons 16%

MISCELLANEOUS LOAD
Number of People in Room 2 -
Equivalent Heat per Person 34,178 Btu/24-hr
Lighting Load 1 Watts/ft2 3,685,111 BTU/day
Number of Forktrucks in Room 2 -
Horsepower per Forktruck 10 HP
Miscellaneous Motor Load in Room (not air units) 0 HP
Approximate Fan Horsepower from Air Units 25.000 HP
Motor Load Equivalency 3,329 BTU/hr-HP
Total Miscellaneous Load 7,315 kBTU/day 25.52 Tons 27%

TOTAL LOAD 93.87 Tons

10% Safety Factor + Total Load 103.25 Tons

Cubic Foot per Ton of Refrigeration 13,074 ft3/Ton
Square Foot per Ton of Refrigeration 436 ft2/Ton

Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E WelchEngCorp.com

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 11 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

Click on the “Transmission Load” tab. This tab allows the user to place all of the
temperature and size information gathered above into one place then performs the
requisite math. All of the yellow cells with red text in the spreadsheet require user input.
The green cells are drop-down lists, which limit the available choices.

TRANSMISSION LOAD Ver. 1.0 Date: January 30, 2013

Name : Joe Cool
Room Temperature ( F ) -10 Company : XYZ Cold Storage
From : Pete Caliente
Ref : Main Freezer Whse
WALL CALCULATIONS
Description North Wall East Wall South Wall West Wall Units
o
Outside Temperature 95 95 95 95 F
Wall Surface Type - LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT -
o
Solar Radiation Temp Allowance 0 4 2 4 F
o
 T Across the Wall 105 109 107 109 F
Wall Height 30 30 30 30 ft
Wall Length 200 225 200 225 ft
Area Normal to Heat Flow 6000 6750 6000 6750 ft 2
Isulation Material Polyisocyanurate Polyisocyanurate Polyisocyanurate Polyisocyanurate -
K-Factor 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 BTU-in/ft 2-hr-F
Insulation Thickness 4 4 4 4 in
Transmission Loads ====> 718,200 838,755 731,880 838,755 BTU/24-hrs
Sum Total of Wall Loads 3,127,590

CEILING CALCULATIONS
Description Ceiling Units
o
Outside Temperature 40 F
Ceiling Surface Type DARK -
o
Solar Radiation Temp Allowance 20 F
o
 T Across the Ceiling 70 F
Area Normal to Heat Flow 45000 ft 2
Isulation Material Polyisocyanurate -
K-Factor 0.19 BTU-in/ft2-F-hr
Insulation Thickness 5 in
Transmission Load ====> 2,872,800 BTU/24-hr

FLOOR CALCULATION
Description Floor Units
o
Underfloor Temperature 45 F
o
 T Across the Floor 55 F
Area Normal to Heat Flow 45000 ft 2
Building Material 8" Concrete & 6" Exp. Styrene
F-Factor 0.8 BTU/ft 2-F-24hr
Transmission Loads ====> 2,079,000 BTU/24-hr

TOTAL TRANSMISSION LOAD 8,079,390 BTU/24-hr

TOTAL TRANSMISSION LOAD 28.05 Tons

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 12 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

The heat transfer through the wall, roof and floor is calculated with the following
equation:
∆
Where:
Q = Heat transfer quantity or load, BTU/hr
U = Overall heat transfer coefficient, BTU/hr ft2 ⁰F
A = Floor, wall or roof area perpendicular to the heat flow, ft2
∆T = Outside temperature minus the inside temperature, ⁰F
The total heat load is calculated in BTU/hr. however, most refrigeration equipment sold
in North America is rated in Tons. A ton of refrigeration is 12,000 BTU/hr which is the
amount of refrigeration required to make a ton (2,000 lb) of ice in 24 hours.

2000   144
1 12,000  /
24

While the heat load for a Ton of refrigeration will always be 12,000 BTU/hr. An
equipment rating in Tons ALWAYS must be accompanied with a set of operating
temperatures to accurately define the actual capacity. This is because the base capacity
of all equipment is proportional to the air flow, the refrigerant mass flow, or the cooling
fluid flow rates, all of which change with the operating temperature.
The overall U factor is the inverse of the sum of the individual conductance values. The
equation for a built up wall is:

1 1 1

Where:
hi = Inside still air film coefficient, BTU/hr ft2 (1.6 in the example below)
Xm = Metal facing thickness, ft (0.1” in the example below)
Xins = Insulation thickness, in (4” in the example below)
Km = Metal thermal conductivity, BTU ft/hr ft ⁰F (26.2 in the example below)
Kins = Insulation thermal conductivity, BTU in/hr ft ⁰F (0.19 in the example below)
ho = Outside turbulent air film coefficient, BTU/hr ft2 (6.0 in the example below)

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 13 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

Working through a typical wall panel:

0.1 0.1
1 1 12 4 12 1
21.8
1.6 26.2 0.19 26.2 6.0

0.0457

For heavily insulated structures, this equation is generally reduced to the insulation
value only. The following example shows the calculation of U without the metal facings
and air films.
1 4
21.05
. 19

0.0475

In this example for a 4” isocyanurate panel wall, the difference is less than 4% in the
conservative direction.

It should be noted at this point that R, the total resistance of a wall panel is the inverse
of U, the total conductance.
1

Solar gains, if applicable, are accounted for by a simple elevation of the outside surface
temperature. This correction factor is based upon the direction the wall is facing and the
color of its surface. Darker surfaces will have a greater correction factor. These
correction factors can range from 2⁰F for a light colored South facing wall to 20⁰F for a
black tarred roof. The correction factors are preloaded into the spreadsheet.
For insulation materials, there are a variety of types listed, some of these are no longer
used, but may be of value when analyzing older, existing buildings. A direct input of the
wall’s R value may also be entered. In which case, the thickness is defaulted to 1.

Because of the solar loads, exposed roofs generally have an inch or two of extra
insulation
Insulation guidelines are historically represented by the following formula, which should
be higher in areas with a high energy cost or where the owner is striving for a high
efficiency building.

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 14 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

.3∆ 3.5
Where:
R = Wall insulation, 1/BTU/hr ⁰F ft2
∆T = Design outside ambient temperature minus the inside room temperature, ⁰F
Infiltration Load

As discussed above, there is a large water vapor pressure drive from the outside
ambient to the inside of a refrigerated space. In addition, when the door is closed and
the internal air is cooled, it will decrease in volume. This creates a lower pressure in the
refrigerated space, increasing the importance of tightly sealed construction with a
proper vapor retarder.
When the door is opened to a refrigerated space, the cold dense air in the space literally
flows out the lower half of the door opening and warm outside air flows in through the
upper half of the door opening to replace the exiting cold air.

Air Exchange
Across a Door Opening

Outside Inside Cold

Warm Air Air
To Ti
h

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 15 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

This interchange is proportional to the temperature difference and the door opening
size. One simple, empirically derived formula to represent this is:

4.88√ √∆

Where:
V = Average velocity through the upper or lower half of the door opening, ft/min
h = Door opening height, ft
∆T = Temperature outside the door opening minus the inside room temperature, ⁰F

Other, more complex formulas have been developed to predict the amount of air
exchange in a door opening and are used in the spreadsheet. Strip curtains, air curtains
and vestibules will slow the full development of this air exchange.
From these velocity equations and the size of the door opening, an instantaneous air
volume exchange rate can be calculated, which, when multiplied by the amount of door
opening time, will produce the volume rate of air exchange.
This can be expressed with the equation:

2
Where:
W = Volume flow rate of air entering the refrigerated space, ft3/min
h = Door opening height, ft
w = Door opening width, ft

The spreadsheet uses psychrometric property equations to calculate the air properties
on each side of the door opening. Refrigerated spaces typically have a relative humidity
range of 70-80%. If the infiltrating air is ambient, refer to the historical local climate data
to establish the dry bulb temperature and relative humidity. If the refrigerated space
opens to another room, enter the air temperature and relative humidity for that room. It
should be noted, that the colder and drier, the infiltrating air is, the lower the infiltration
load will be.

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 16 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

The product loading and unloading rate is directly proportional to the amount of door
open time. There is no difference between 2 doors opening frequently or 10 doors
opening at 1/5 of that rate, so the spreadsheet does not ask for a door count.
The spreadsheet then breaks the loading rate into trips, with each round trip comes a
calculated amount of air exchange. The psychrometric properties of the two air streams
are then used to calculate the daily heat load. Both sensible and latent heat
components are included in this calculation.
With the volume flow rate, the air conditions and door open time known, the heat gain
can be calculated with the following formula:

Where:
Q = Heat transfer quantity or load, BTU/hr
W = Volume flow rate of air entering the refrigerated space, ft3/min
ρca = Density of the cold air, lb/ft3
to = time of door opening, min/hr
∆ha = enthalpy of the warm air minus the enthalpy of the cold air, BTU/lb

In the refrigeration industry, there are many historical “Rules of Thumb” that are used to
spot check detailed calculations. One of those is the number of air changes per 24
hours in a refrigerated space. The spreadsheet allows a choice between the calculated
or rule of thumb method. The number of air changes per 24 hours can range from 20-30
for a small, 1,000 ft3 walk in cooler to less than 1 for a large, 250,000 ft3 distribution
center. The addition of vestibules and the layout of shipping and receiving docks can
have a significant impact on the amount of infiltration.

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 17 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

INFILTRATION LOAD Ver. 1.0 Date: January 30, 2013

Name : Joe Cool
Company : XYZ Cold Storage
From : Pete Caliente
Ref : Main Freezer Whse
PROPERTIES OF ROOM AIR PROPERTIES OF OUTSIDE AIR
o o
Room Air Temperature, Ta -10 F Outside Air Temperature, To 45 F
Room Air Pressure, P 14.697 PSIA Outside Air Pressure, P 14.697 PSIA
Water Saturation Pressure, Ps 0.01083 PSIA Water Saturation Pressure, Ps 0.147553 PSIA
Relative Humidity,  80 % Relative Humidity,  70 %
Humidity Ratio, + 0.000367 lbw/lba Humidity Ratio, + 0.004402 lbw/lba
Specific Volume, v+ 11.343 ft3/lba Specific Volume, v+ 12.812 ft3/lba
Enthalpy, h+ -2.012 BTU/lba Enthalpy, h+ 15.558 BTU/lba
o o
Dew Point Temperature, Tdp -15.17 F Dew Point Temperature, Tdp 35.82 F

Height of Doorway 8 ft
Width of Doorway 7 ft
Area of Doorway 56 ft2
3
Volumetric Air Flow through Doorway 65.236 ft /sec
Mass Flow Rate through Doorway 5.751 lb/sec
Doorway Flow Factor, Df 0.8 - ( Percent of Fully-Developed Flow )
Heat Removed per Cubic Foot of Air 1.3713 BTU/ft 3

Pounds/Day of Product Turn Around 1,000,000 lb/day

Pounds/Hr of product Turn Around 41666.67 lb/hr
Pounds per Forktruck Load 1200 lb
Number of Trips (in + out) of Room 1666.7 trips/day
Average Door Opening Frequency 20 sec/trip ( 15-25 sec is about average )
Door Opening Time Factor, Df 0.38580 -
Average Door Opening Time 23.148 min/hr

Room Volume 1350000 ft3

3
Volumetric Air Flow through Doorway 3914.18 ft /min
Number of Air Changes per Day 1.456 -

Total Infiltration Load 2694799 BTU/day

Total Infiltration Load 9.357 Tons

To adjust the number of air changes per day, choose YES or NO. --> NO

Adjusting the Number of Air Changes

Enter the Number of Air Changes per Day 4 -
Average Door Opening Time 63.611 min/hr
Total Infiltration Load 7405277 BTU/day
Total Infiltration Load 25.713 Tons

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 18 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

Product Load

Temperature Reduction
All refrigerated spaces have a turnover of stored product. It may be as infrequently as
once every 9 months for seasonal operations, such as storing up turkeys for the
Thanksgiving rush or every 12 hours for a blast freezer or a distribution center that
consolidates and picks products for daily store deliveries.
In most cases, the incoming product arrives at a higher temperature than the
refrigerated space. This may be by design if the product came from a production facility,
or inadvertently if the delivery truck has refrigeration issues. The cooling load of this
warmer product must be incorporated into the overall load calculation.
Cooling food products or other materials in a cooler that operates above freezing is
represented with the following equation:

∆
Where:
H = Heat removal, BTU
M=Product loading, lbs
CpA = Specific heat of the product above freezing, BTU/lb ⁰F
∆T = Incoming product temperature minus the cooler temperature, ⁰F

If the incoming product to a freezer is already frozen, then there is no latent load and
the equation that expresses this is:

∆
Where:
H = Heat removal, BTU
M=Product loading, lbs
CpB = Specific heat of the product below freezing, BTU/lb ⁰F
∆T = Incoming product temperature minus the freezer temperature, ⁰F

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 19 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

Product Freezing
In many instances, product is placed in a room specifically to be frozen. These rooms
are typically called blast cells. Their design is very compact with an extremely high air
velocity that is directed through the product for rapid heat transfer. There are some
instances where a slower freezing time is acceptable or preferred.
To freeze a product is a 3 step process
1. Removing the sensible heat above freezing
2. Freezing or crystallizing the product, which is removal of the latent heat
3. Removing the sensible heat below freezing.

The equation that calculates this is a combination of the above two equations plus the
latent heat of freezing:

∆ ∆

Where all of the terms are as above plus:

L = Latent heat of freezing, BTU/lb

The spreadsheet has a drop down list of the most common foods and their thermal
properties. A portion of that list is shown below. For different foods or materials, the
thermal properties can be estimated with the percent water content, if known. Reference
cell M42.

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 20 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

It may have been noticed that the above equations provided a heat value in BTU.
However, the heat transfer rate must have a time coefficient. To convert the above
change in heat content to a load in BTU/hr, the time required to cool the product must
be determined. For a blast freezer this time may be a defined period such as 12, 20 or
30 hours. Cased product that is sitting on a pallet in a refrigerated warehouse, may take
48 or 72 hours to equalize to the room temperature. The spreadsheet requires this
estimated time. Judgment is required.

For a steady flow of product with a slight amount of temperature drop, the above heat
content change divided by the cooling time will suffice for an average load.
For high instantaneous loading rates or batch operations such as a blast freezer which
is quickly loaded then left to freeze the product, an average calculation will
underestimate the peak load. A safety factor of up to 50% may be required to ensure
that the refrigeration system can cope with the initial higher loads
The following plot shows the peak loads and the effect of diversity if there are multiple
freezers.

Sequential Batch Cooling
300

250

200 Batch A
Tons

150 Batch B

100 Batch C
Batch D
50
Total
0
‐100 0 100 200 300
Time, Min

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 21 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

Respiration Heat
Fresh fruits and vegetables are living things and when stored at above freezing
temperatures, they respire, producing a heat load. This load is reflective of the total
amount of product stored, not the loading rate. The spreadsheet allows for estimating
the amount of product stored, if not known.
This is a snap shot of the Product load tab in the spreadsheet.
PRODUCT LOAD Ver. 1.0 Date: January 30, 2013
Name : Joe Cool
Company : XYZ Cold Storage
o
Room Temperature -10 F From : Pete Caliente
Ref : Main Freezer Whse

Product : Chicken
Product Loading Rate 1000000 lb/day 41666.67 lb/hr
o
Incoming Product Temperature 0 F
o
Final Product Temperature -10 F
o
Product Freezing Temperature 27 F
Product Specific Heat Above Freezing 0.8 BTU/lb-F
Product Specific Heat Below Freezing 0.42 BTU/lb-F
Product Latent Heat of Fusion 106 BTU/lb

Number of Day(s) for Pulldown 1.0000 day(s) 24 hr(s)

Product Loading Daily Rate 1000000 lbs/24-hr

Heat Removed above Freezing, Qabov e 0 BTU/24-hr
Heat Removed during Freezing, Qf reeze 0 BTU/24-hr
Heat Removed below Freezing, Qbelow 4200000 BTU/24-hr

Product Load per Day 4200000 BTU/24-hr 14.58 Tons

To Account for Respiration Heat

Room Volume 1350000 ft 3
Percent Loading Capacity of the Room 75 %
Loading Density 15 lb/ft 3
Pounds of Product Respiring 15187500 lb
Product Respiration Heat 0 BTU/lb-24hr

Respiration Heat per Day 0.00 BTU/24-hr 0.00 Tons

Total Product Load 4200000 BTU/24-hr 14.58 Tons

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 22 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

Miscellaneous Load
In addition to product, all refrigerated spaces will have lights, people and equipment in
them. These too, add to the overall heat load.
People give off heat. The harder they work, more heat is given off. This can range from
300 BTU/hr at rest to 1,200 BTU/hr for brisk walking. It is also influenced by the room
temperature. The spreadsheet uses the following equation to estimate the heat load:

1295 11.5

Where:
Q = Load, BTU/hr
T = Room temperature, ⁰F

Since there are rarely windows in refrigerated spaces, they always require lights. 1 W/ft2
is generally a sufficient allowance. High efficiency lighting, especially LED lighting, may
be less. The spreadsheet allows this value to be changed. It then factors this into the
floor area for a load.
Larger warehouses will use fork trucks and pallet jacks to move product in and out of
the refrigerated spaces. They give off heat from the drive motors to the space. A typical
sit down, 5,000 lb rated fork truck will have 20 HP of electric drive and steering motor
capacity. This needs to be factored by the amount of time the fork trucks are actually in
the freezer. 50% of the time would reflect a 10 HP estimate for the spreadsheet.
Many refrigerated spaces may have food processing equipment such as grinders,
cookers and motorized conveyor belts. When determining the heat load from a motor,
bear in mind that the full power load of the motor must be taken into account. For
instance a 5 HP motor with an 85% efficiency rating is represented with the following
formula:

2545
3412

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 23 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

Where:
Q = Load, BTU/hr
BHP = Nameplate power of the motor
eff = motor efficiency expressed as a decimal
kW = Electric Heater rating

Once the gross Q is determined from above, a decision must be made on how much of
this heat remains in the refrigerated space. For instance a motorized conveyor
overcomes friction and all of the motor energy is eventually dissipated into the space as
heat. Whereas a grinder may only liberate 50% of its power as heat to the room, while
the remainder of the motor’s work goes into the product which may leave the room
before liberating it’s heat. Remember, energy is neither, created or destroyed. It is the
design engineer’s place to determine what fraction of that energy remains in the
refrigerated space!

These loads must be approximated and entered in cell D20.

Typical refrigerated food processing room with motorized conveyors

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 24 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

Finally, all refrigerated spaces are cooled with a fan and coil evaporator. The capacity
ratings of these units do not take the fan power into account. The manufacturers publish
a gross, rather than net, capacity rating. Therefore the fan power must be added to the
space load.

Typical Ceiling Hung Fan & Coil Evaporator

Fan Motors

Arriving at the correct fan power value is an iterative process, as the total space load
must be determined in order to select the evaporators, then the fan power must be
adjusted top match. A good starting point is to estimate 0.25 HP/Ton.

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 25 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

MISCELLANEOUS LOAD Ver. 1.0 Date: January 30, 2013

Name : Joe Cool
Company : XYZ Cold Storage
From : Pete Caliente
Ref : Main Freezer Whse
o
Room Temperature -10 F

Number of People in Room 2 -

Average Heat per Person 1424.1 BTU/hr 34178 Btu/24-hr
Occupancy Load 0.237 Tons

Enter the Light Load 1 Watt/ft2

Load due to Storage Room Lighting 3.412 BTU/hr-ft2
Room Area 45000 ft 2
Total Load due to Lighting 153546 BTU/hr 3685111 BTU/day
Total Load due to Lighting 12.796 Tons

Number of Forktrucks 2 -
Motor Horsepower per Forktruck 10 HP
Other Motor power (heat) to the room 0 HP
(not including air units ) - -
Total Air Unit Fan Horsepower 25.00 HP
Average Motor Efficiency, all Motors 85 %
Connected + Motor Load Equivalency 3329 BTU/hr-HP
Total Motor Load in the Room 149824 BTU/hr 3595765 BTU/day
Total Motor Load in the Room 12.49 Tons

Total Miscellaneous Load 7315054 BTU/day 25.52 Tons

This completes the calculation process and the spreadsheet has already reflected all of
these calculations to the “Cover” tab. The four load segments are totaled and a safety
factor is applied.

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 26 of 27

 163.pdf

Heat Load Calculations for Refrigerated Spaces

A SunCam online continuing education course

At this point, it is time for one more Rule of Thumb gut check. These typical estimated
values for ft2/Ton are provided.

Estimated*
Room Type
Ft2/Ton
Candy Storage 400
Process Areas 100-125
Coolers, General 250-350
Coolers, Milk 200-300
Coolers- Meat & Poultry 250-300
Shipping & Rec. Docks 125-150
Ice Storage - Non Bag 300
Ice Storage - Bag 300
Freezers - General 250-400
Freezers - Ice Cream 200-350
Blast Freezers Calc.

* These are estimated ranges. There are many site specific details that could
dramatically change these ranges. Such as front and rear shipping docks, large
processing equipment loads, unknown construction details, etc.

www.SunCam.com Copyright 2013 Jeffrey K. Welch, P.E. Page 27 of 27