Emergency Low Temperature Cooling Solution for a Frozen Food Manufacturing Facility

A large food processing facility specialising in frozen products faced an unexpected refrigeration crisis that put millions of pounds’ worth of goods at risk. In response, a rapid and innovative deployment of temporary low temperature cooling ensured business continuity and the preservation of inventory.

The Challenge

Late on a Friday evening, the site’s primary ammonia-based refrigeration equipment suffered a catastrophic condensing coil failure. The resulting loss of cooling threatened to raise the deep freeze storage temperature above safe levels. With no quick alternatives available for storing such a large quantity of frozen products, and restricted space within the facility, immediate action was necessary to prevent spoilage and significant financial loss.

The Solution

By Monday, a technical team from ICS Cool Energy were on site for a rapid assessment. Conventional options, such as external cold storage, were not feasible due to capacity and logistical constraints. Instead, two high-capacity low temperature cooling units were deployed, supported by a dedicated dry air cooler and on-site power generation. The installation leveraged air handlers placed within cleared racking inside the storage area, and a total of eight low temperature units were used—each equipped with advanced motorised valves and customised defrost controls to maintain continuous operation.

Additional measures included enhanced trace heating of coils and drains to prevent ice blockage, and comprehensive lagging of hoses and equipment to avoid excessive ice build-up. Teams worked in alternating shifts to cope with the demanding sub-zero environment, ensuring both rapid installation and ongoing safety.

The Result

The emergency solution became fully operational in less than four days. For the duration of the two-week intervention, storage temperatures remained safely below threshold, protecting all inventory. The successful resolution not only avoided a substantial loss but also demonstrated our ability to deliver effective emergency cooling for complex ammonia-based cold storage failures in the food manufacturing sector.