Industrial refrigeration system is the combination of cooling equipment that serves production and storage at plant scale — different from domestic air conditioning in capacity, in refrigerant and in the way it is operated. Tan Long designs, manufactures the equipment and installs turnkey industrial refrigeration systems for seafood, food and beverage processing plants and logistics cold stores — 29 projects delivered since 2005.
What an industrial refrigeration system is made of
A complete industrial refrigeration system has four functional groups. Missing one, or sizing one wrongly, is the most common reason a system never reaches its design temperature.
| Cluster | Function | Main equipment |
|---|---|---|
| Compression group | Compresses the refrigerant from low to high pressure — the heart of the system | Screw compressors, reciprocating compressors |
| Condensing group | Rejects heat to the environment | Evaporative condenser, cooling towers |
| Expansion and receiver group | Drops the refrigerant pressure, stores it and separates liquid | Expansion valves, pressure vessel, refrigerant pumps |
| Evaporating group | Absorbs heat — where the usable cooling is actually produced | Condenser, IQF conveyor, contact freezer, wind tunnel |
Beyond these four groups there is the control system (electrical cabinet, SCADA), pipework, valves, and the insulated envelope (cold storage panel, cold storage door).
Classified by refrigerant
The refrigerant determines the efficiency, the running cost and the safety requirements of the whole system. It is the most important technical decision in the investment.
| Medium | Suited to | Key characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| NH3 (Amoniac) | Large plants running continuously | Highest efficiency, lowest running cost, needs a dedicated machine room and safety procedures |
| Freon (R404A, R507) | Small and medium stores, stand-alone units | Simple to install, no dedicated machine room needed, higher refrigerant cost |
| CO2 (R744) | Very low temperature ranges, cascade systems | Very high working pressure, safer than NH3 in occupied areas |
| Glycol | Indirect cooling loads, workshop air conditioning | A secondary heat transfer fluid, not a primary refrigerant |
Many plants use a combined multi-refrigerant system to optimise cost across each temperature band. Tan Long has delivered a combined CO2, NH3 and R404 configuration at Lotte F&G Vietnam.
Classified by application
| System type | Operating temperature | For use with |
|---|---|---|
| Individual quick freezing (IQF) systems | -35°C to -40°C | Freezing shrimp, fish and vegetables individually in 8–15 minutes |
| Air blast freezing tunnels, contact plate freezers | -35°C to -40°C | Block and tray freezing |
| Frozen storage | -18°C to -25°C | Storing finished frozen product |
| Cool storage | 0°C to +5°C | Storing fresh raw material, vegetables and dairy |
| System flake ice machine | — | Supplying ice to preserve raw material at intake and pre-processing |
| Workshop air conditioning | +12°C to +18°C | Keeping the processing area within food hygiene conditions |
| Water cooling system | — | Chilling wash water and process water |
A typical seafood processing plant runs four to six of these at the same time, all served by one central compressor pack. Zoning the cooling load sensibly is what decides the electricity bill later on.
Three common mistakes when investing in an industrial refrigeration system
Across 29 projects, these are the three errors that cost investors the most — and all three happen before the contract is signed.
- Sizing the load by floor area instead of by processing capacity. Two rooms of the same size but with different throughput and different incoming product temperature need very different cooling capacity. Get this step wrong and everything downstream is wrong with it.
- Comparing quotations that do not cover the same scope. A cheaper quotation has usually cut the safety scope, cut the control scope, or specified lower-capacity equipment. Ask for an itemised breakdown so the comparison is like for like.
- Leaving no room for expansion. It is normal for a plant to raise output after two or three years. If the compressor pack and the pipework leave no headroom, adding capacity later often costs more than the original investment.
What Tan Long's scope covers
Tan Long delivers the whole package, without separating design from execution:
- Site survey and load calculation based on the plant's actual processing capacity
- System design — selecting the refrigerant, the compressor configuration, the cooling load zoning and the machine room layout
- Equipment manufacturing at the plant in Duc Hoa 1 Industrial Park, Tay Ninh (formerly Long An): IQF freezer conveyors, contact plate freezers, air blast freezers, flake ice machines, evaporative condensers
- Supply of imported equipment — Mycom compressors, Güntner air coolers, Danfoss valves
- Installation, commissioning and acceptance
- Scheduled maintenance and fault rectification, including systems installed by other companies
Manufacturing its own equipment is the main difference from the trading contractor model. At Kyokuyo Vina Foods, 17 of the 33 main equipment sets were built by Tan Long itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is industrial refrigeration system?
An industrial refrigeration system is the combination of cooling equipment serving production and storage at plant scale, made up of four main groups: compression, condensing, expansion and evaporation. Unlike domestic air conditioning, an industrial refrigeration system uses refrigerants such as NH3 or CO2, has a capacity from several hundred kW upwards and runs continuously.
How does industrial refrigeration differ from ordinary air conditioning?
In three ways: capacity (hundreds to thousands of kW against a few kW), refrigerant (NH3 and CO2 rather than domestic refrigerant gas), and operating temperature (down to -40°C rather than +16°C). An industrial refrigeration system also needs a dedicated machine room, safety systems and a trained operating team.
Which refrigerant should a plant choose?
It depends on the size of the cooling load and on the site conditions. NH3 is the most economical for a large plant running continuously. Freon suits small and medium stores, or stand-alone units. CO2 is used for very low temperature ranges or cascade systems. Many plants use a combined multi-refrigerant system to optimise cost across each temperature band.
Which refrigeration systems does a seafood processing plant need?
Usually four to six at once: IQF quick freezing (-35°C to -40°C), air blast freezing tunnels or contact plate freezers, frozen storage (-18°C to -25°C), chiller rooms (0°C to +5°C), a flake ice plant for raw material intake, and air conditioning for the processing area. All of them run off one central compressor pack.
What determines the investment cost of an industrial refrigeration system?
Mainly the total cooling load, the required temperature range, the number of different temperature zones, the refrigerant selected and the level of automation. The load must be calculated from actual processing capacity, not from floor area — that mistake is the common reason a system never reaches its design temperature. Tan Long surveys the site before quoting.
Which industrial refrigeration projects has Tan Long delivered?
29 projects in Vietnam, covering seafood, food and beverage processing plants and cold chain logistics centres. The largest are a 30,000-pallet cold store at Meito Vietnam and a 12,000 MT frozen store at Frescol Tuna Vietnam. See the full project list.
Request advice and an industrial refrigeration quotation
Tan Long surveys the site, calculates the cooling load from actual processing capacity and quotes for the complete package. Call 0933 357 058 (Mr. Thinh) or send a quotation request.
Related technical reading
- refrigeration system schematic diagrams
- What is HVAC?
- coefficient of performance (COP)
- refrigeration system safety inspection
