What Are the Daily Maintenance Methods for Controlled Atmosphere Cold Storage Equipment?

The construction cost of a controlled - atmosphere storage is relatively high. Therefore, it requires careful daily care and regular maintenance. The following maintenance plan is for reference regarding the regular maintenance of a controlled - atmosphere fresh - keeping storage.

Structure of the Controlled - Atmosphere Storage
The biggest difference between a controlled - atmosphere storage and a cold storage is that the former changes the gas composition inside the storage. That is, during the long - term storage period, the storage maintains a low - oxygen and high - carbon - dioxide environment. In this environment, humans cannot survive. So, once the storage is sealed, people are not allowed to enter for work. Even with an oxygen breathing apparatus, one can only enter for a short - term in an emergency, and it is quite inconvenient. This requires the internal structure of the storage (including concealed works and in - storage facilities) to be safe and reliable, and in - storage operations during the storage period should be avoided as much as possible. The envelope structure mainly includes the walls, ceiling, and floor of the controlled - atmosphere storage, which are all key structures of the controlled - atmosphere storage. The walls and ceiling of a prefabricated controlled - atmosphere storage are self - supporting structures, and the floor is a load - bearing structure. The requirements for the walls and ceiling are mainly airtightness, heat insulation, resistance to temperature - change stress, and stability. In addition to the above requirements, the floor must also have sufficient compressive strength to withstand the static and dynamic loads generated by fruits and vegetables, packaging, shelves, equipment, forklifts, etc. The heat - insulation facilities of the controlled - atmosphere storage not only require no cold bridges or minimizing cold bridges as much as possible but also require good thermal insulation performance.

That is, the storage body should have a large thermal inertia to reduce the temperature wave and improve the storage quality. According to the estimation of experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), for a 500 - ton controlled - atmosphere storage in China used for storing high - grade fruits, if the temperature change exceeds 1℃, the daily loss caused by the decline in fruit quality exceeds $200. This is an intangible loss that must attract the sufficient attention of the managers of the controlled - atmosphere storage.

Airtightness
A controlled - atmosphere storage must have good airtightness. If the airtightness does not meet certain indicators, it is impossible to form a controlled - atmosphere environment. The airtightness of a controlled - atmosphere storage is achieved by air - tight materials. The air - tight layer is a unique structural layer of the controlled - atmosphere storage and is usually a difficult problem in the construction of a controlled - atmosphere storage. The air - tight performance of the air - tight layer directly affects the adjustment and variation range of the gas composition inside the storage, and of course, also affects the storage quality of fruits and vegetables, and even the success or failure of controlled - atmosphere storage. The focus of storage management is the detection and leakage - repair of the airtightness of the envelope structure.

Before fresh fruits are stored in the storage every year, a comprehensive airtightness test should be carried out, and any leakage found should be repaired in a timely manner. After the leakage - repair is completed, a holistic pressure - test should be carried out on the controlled - atmosphere storage again until it is confirmed that the airtightness meets the technological requirements. Other management, such as that of the machine room, pump room, and laboratory, can be carried out according to the routine management of a general cold storage.

Safety Management
Safety management includes many aspects such as equipment safety management, water - electricity and fire - prevention safety management, storage - body safety management, and personal safety management. Here, special emphasis is placed on the safety of the storage body and personal safety. The operation of a controlled - atmosphere storage is a high - risk technological operation. The staff of the controlled - atmosphere storage must participate in the study of relevant safety regulations and effectively master the safe operation techniques.