Italy - Marche (Chiaravalle, Ancona)
Transcritical CO₂ industrial refrigeration system for frozen food storage room
In the Italian Marche region, in Chiaravalle (Ancona), a logistics platform has been completed for the storage of frozen products, equipped with a cutting-edge transcritical CO₂ industrial refrigeration system. Designed to manage high loads and intense product flows along the entire cold chain, the system ensures thermal stability, energy efficiency and operational reliability.
The requirement: industrial refrigeration systems for large volumes and high throughput
The platform is designed to handle large numbers: a large -25°C freezer room and a 0°C cold area for loading and unloading operations. At full capacity, the facility can hold thousands of pallets, totalling over 1,400 tons of product.
Handling more than 128,000 kg of incoming goods and operating across a 12-hour daily throughput cycle, the system must maintain consistent thermal stability despite frequent door openings and fluctuating loads, all while preserving the efficiency of its cooling systems.
In this context, the consultant, William Lanza of Qubo Energia, recommended a direct-expansion CO₂ system in a transcritical booster configuration, deeming it more efficient than systems using alternative refrigerants, such as synthetic refrigerants or ammonia, and highlighting its clear advantages in terms of energy consumption and sustainability.
Co₂ cooling: Stefani’s technical solution
Air evaporators for -25°C freezer rooms
Cooling power: 400 kW
In the large -25°C freezer room, cooling is provided by four GRECALE C 71 air coolers, designed to ensure uniform air distribution and thermal stability, even under variable loads and frequent door openings.
These solutions optimise heat exchange and improve the performance of industrial refrigeration systems.
The machines feature:
Air evaporators for 0°C cold rooms
Cooling power: 90 kW
Four GRECALE C 50 units are in operation in the 0°C cold room; they are designed to handle the demands of loading and unloading operations without compromising the system’s stability or the continuity of the cooling systems.
The machines feature:
Energy recovery during defrosting
A key feature of the system is the warm glycol defrosting process, in which the glycol is fully recovered by the cooling system via a dedicated heat exchanger.
This allows for the optimisation of available energy and improves the overall efficiency of cooling systems.
Adiabatic gas cooler for transcritical Co₂ system
Power exchanged: 1,100 kW
The transcritical cycle control system is supplemented by the SCIROCCO C 63, which provides interstage desuperheating, and by the OSTRO-L C 90 gas cooler, the core component of the heat exchange during the condensation phase. Equipped with high-efficiency EC fans and an adiabatic panel, the OSTRO is a gas cooler designed to maintain high performance even under the most demanding climatic conditions, thus contributing to the stability and energy efficiency of the entire system.
The OSTRO gas cooler features:
Sustainable industrial refrigeration for the future of cold chain logistics
The Chiaravalle systems is a concrete example of how transcritical CO₂ industrial refrigeration systems can meet the demands of modern food logistics: handling of large volumes, fast-paced operations, energy efficiency, and a focus on environmental sustainability throughout the entire cold chain.
The collaboration between the consultant, William Lanza, the contractor, Frigoriferi Industriali, and the manufacturer, Stefani, has resulted in the development of a truly integrated solution, in which every stage – from design and equipment selection through to testing and commissioning – has been undertaken with a common goal: to ensure operational continuity, consistent performance and long-term reliability.
The result is a system that successfully combines technology, sustainability and teamwork, offering the end customer a platform that is efficient today and ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s cold-chain logistics.
Italy - Marche (Chiaravalle, Ancona)
Transcritical CO₂ industrial refrigeration system for frozen food storage room
In the Italian Marche region, in Chiaravalle (Ancona), a logistics platform has been completed for the storage of frozen products, equipped with a cutting-edge transcritical CO₂ industrial refrigeration system. Designed to manage high loads and intense product flows along the entire cold chain, the system ensures thermal stability, energy efficiency and operational reliability.
The requirement: industrial refrigeration systems for large volumes and high throughput
The platform is designed to handle large numbers: a large -25°C freezer room and a 0°C cold area for loading and unloading operations. At full capacity, the facility can hold thousands of pallets, totalling over 1,400 tons of product.
Handling more than 128,000 kg of incoming goods and operating across a 12-hour daily throughput cycle, the system must maintain consistent thermal stability despite frequent door openings and fluctuating loads, all while preserving the efficiency of its cooling systems.
In this context, the consultant, William Lanza of Qubo Energia, recommended a direct-expansion CO₂ system in a transcritical booster configuration, deeming it more efficient than systems using alternative refrigerants, such as synthetic refrigerants or ammonia, and highlighting its clear advantages in terms of energy consumption and sustainability.
Co₂ cooling: Stefani’s technical solution
Air evaporators for -25°C freezer rooms
Cooling power: 400 kW
In the large -25°C freezer room, cooling is provided by four GRECALE C 71 air coolers, designed to ensure uniform air distribution and thermal stability, even under variable loads and frequent door openings.
These solutions optimise heat exchange and improve the performance of industrial refrigeration systems.
The machines feature:
Air evaporators for 0°C cold rooms
Cooling power: 90 kW
Four GRECALE C 50 units are in operation in the 0°C cold room; they are designed to handle the demands of loading and unloading operations without compromising the system’s stability or the continuity of the cooling systems.
The machines feature:
Energy recovery during defrosting
A key feature of the system is the warm glycol defrosting process, in which the glycol is fully recovered by the cooling system via a dedicated heat exchanger.
This allows for the optimisation of available energy and improves the overall efficiency of cooling systems.
Adiabatic gas cooler for transcritical Co₂ system
Power exchanged: 1,100 kW
The transcritical cycle control system is supplemented by the SCIROCCO C 63, which provides interstage desuperheating, and by the OSTRO-L C 90 gas cooler, the core component of the heat exchange during the condensation phase. Equipped with high-efficiency EC fans and an adiabatic panel, the OSTRO is a gas cooler designed to maintain high performance even under the most demanding climatic conditions, thus contributing to the stability and energy efficiency of the entire system.
The OSTRO gas cooler features:
Sustainable industrial refrigeration for the future of cold chain logistics
The Chiaravalle systems is a concrete example of how transcritical CO₂ industrial refrigeration systems can meet the demands of modern food logistics: handling of large volumes, fast-paced operations, energy efficiency, and a focus on environmental sustainability throughout the entire cold chain.
The collaboration between the consultant, William Lanza, the contractor, Frigoriferi Industriali, and the manufacturer, Stefani, has resulted in the development of a truly integrated solution, in which every stage – from design and equipment selection through to testing and commissioning – has been undertaken with a common goal: to ensure operational continuity, consistent performance and long-term reliability.
The result is a system that successfully combines technology, sustainability and teamwork, offering the end customer a platform that is efficient today and ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s cold-chain logistics.
