{"id":9861,"date":"2025-06-12T19:17:28","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T19:17:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fabricair.com\/us\/?post_type=case-studies&p=9861"},"modified":"2025-10-06T09:43:42","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T09:43:42","slug":"use-case-defrost-duct","status":"publish","type":"case-studies","link":"https:\/\/www.fabricair.com\/us\/case-study\/use-case-defrost-duct\/","title":{"rendered":"Use Case: Improving Defrost Efficiency in Cold Storage with FabricAir Defrost Duct"},"content":{"rendered":"

Use Case: Improving Defrost Efficiency in Cold Storage with FabricAir Defrost Duct<\/h1>\n

Background
\nCold storage facilities play a critical role in preserving perishable goods by maintaining consistent low temperatures. These facilities often operate around the clock and rely heavily on efficient refrigeration systems. A typical medium-sized cold storage warehouse utilizes two evaporator units, each with a cooling capacity of 46,000 BTU to help ensure optimal storage conditions. However, the ongoing need to defrost these units poses a significant energy and operational challenge.<\/p>\n

Problem
\n(image \u2013 pie graph of energy distribution)<\/p>\n

According to the Energy Trust of Oregon, electric defrost can account for\u00a021% of the energy usage<\/a>\u00a0in a cold storage facility. These systems rely on high-wattage heaters\u2014often around 11kW per unit\u2014to melt ice buildup on evaporator coils multiple times per day. During the defrost cycle, not only is a large amount of electricity consumed, but some of that heat is inadvertently introduced into the conditioned space, undermining cooling efficiency. If each defrost cycle takes around 30 minutes, occurring four times a day, this results in an average of two hours per day where cooling is interrupted, reducing system efficiency and increasing energy demand for recovery.<\/p>\n

Solution<\/p>\n

The FabricAir Defrost Duct<\/a> offers a simple, yet highly effective solution to this common problem. Custom engineered specifically for cold storage environments, the Defrost Duct system is installed over the evaporator coil outlets. During the defrost cycle, the duct inflates to cover the fan outlets, preventing warm air from escaping into the cold room while still allowing air intake. Once defrosting is complete, the duct deflates and normal cooling resumes. This method not only contains the heat during defrost but also improves the overall defrost effectiveness and shortens recovery time.<\/p>\n

Results<\/p>\n

In a typical medium-sized cold storage facility, implementing the Defrost Duct can reduce defrost durations by half\u2014from 30 minutes to just 15 minutes per cycle. Over four daily cycles, this change reduces defrost operation to only one hour per day, enabling 23 hours of uninterrupted cooling.<\/p>\n

In a typical application using two evaporator units with 11kW defrost heaters, the reduced defrost time translates into significant energy savings. Assuming an electricity cost of $0.17 per kWh:<\/p>\n