INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN |
PROJECT |
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• A separate 150kW HVAC plant for office air conditioning
• Approximately 350kW of recovered heating capacity for domestic and process hot water
Pre-cooling is conducted at 5 ° C, secondary cooling at-1 ° C, and final cooling between-1.3 ° C and-1.5 ° C, depending on market requirements. Each cooling probe handles up to 20 pallets, with flexibility for overflow loads.
Each cold room and tunnel is independently regulated, capable of maintaining temperatures from-1 ° C to + 4 ° C, with strict tolerances of ± 0.5 ° C. During commissioning, late-stage operational changes required additional flexibility, including adjustments for grape handling in addition to citrus, which led to the installation of hot gas defrost and modified coil capacities.
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AFRICA’ S FIRST ULTRA-LOW SUPERHEAT CO₂ SYSTEM SETS NEW EFFICIENCY BENCHMARK
The Belcon facility marks a major milestone for African refrigeration with the installation of the continent’ s first Ultra-Low Superheat( ULS) CO₂ system, supplied by Danish manufacturer Advansor. This cutting-edge technology enables the evaporators to operate with near-zero superheat – a design approach traditionally associated with flooded ammonia systems – delivering superior heat transfer and evaporation efficiency. The result is more cooling capacity from the same compressor power and energy savings of up to 20 % compared with conventional CO₂ systems. In essence, ULS technology closes the efficiency gap between ammonia and CO₂, combining the latter’ s safety and environmental advantages
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with ammonia-level thermodynamic performance. Early results from Belcon, and a similar installation at Maersk’ s Cato Ridge facility in KwaZulu-Natal, confirm efficiency gains well above design expectations, positioning Belcon among the most energyefficient CO₂ refrigeration plants in the region.
Despite achieving cutting-edge efficiency, the project faced a series of co-ordination challenges typical of multi-stakeholder industrial builds. Integrating the refrigeration, HVAC, wet services and electrical systems within tight spatial constraints required constant site-level collaboration.
“ The biggest challenge wasn’ t the technology. It was co-ordination – ensuring every consultant and contractor understood how refrigeration integrates with the rest of the facility. A cold store isn’ t just a warehouse with chillers; it’ s a live thermodynamic system,” Carelson says. Delays in equipment delivery were mitigated through intensified labour shifts
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and on-site engineering support. The team’ s presence throughout installation was key to maintaining design integrity and performance standards.
FGN’ s involvement goes beyond consulting. Acting as both engineering designers and system integrators, the firm ensured that every subsystem – from air handling to condensate recovery – contributed to an overarching goal of efficiency and resilience. They attributed this to the fact that few engineering firms have a detailed understanding of cold stores.
“ The Belcon project showcases how CO₂ systems, when correctly designed, can meet industrial-scale performance demands while reducing carbon footprint. It’ s efficient, adaptable and sustainable – a future-proof solution for modern cold chain logistics,” says Carelson.
A key design aspect at Belcon is how FGN harnessed the plant’ s waste heat.
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