Choosing Doors and Loading Equipment for a Cold Chain Facility

Two openings in the same cold-chain facility can face different temperatures, humidity and traffic. Rather than choosing a door family solely from “inside” or “outside”, prepare a requirements record for each opening. This guide matches insulation, sealing and open time to the proposed configuration. Facility/project parties and the dealer provide data; Alkur does not conduct site surveys or on-site services.

Decision sequence for each opening

1. Record conditions on both sides. Include opening identity, temperatures and humidity, exposure to outdoors, and condensation or icing observations. An average temperature does not represent every operating condition.
2. Describe traffic and intensity. Record pedestrian/forklift/product movement, daily totals, peak cycles, movement time and hold-open time separately. Speed alone does not determine total open time.
3. State the required separation. Thermal separation, airtightness, pressure/zone separation and cleaning are distinct targets. Identify which complete-door test or declaration will verify each target.
4. Match building and components. Check the opening, headroom/side clearances, evaporators and other services, track travel and maintenance access on project drawings. Verify motor, controller, seals and hydraulic-unit temperature scope separately.
5. Plan activation and safety together. Choose detection to limit unintended opening, separating an opening command from obstacle detection/safety. A sensitivity setting does not establish safety coverage.
6. Complete loading and cleaning inputs. Assess leveller/lip, vehicle position and shelter contact together. Match chemicals, washing method and material suitability to the facility cleaning plan.
7. Document the decision. Record model/document scope, confirmed conditions and open questions. Do not automatically assign a fast door inside and a sectional door outside.

Requirements control table

Field	Data to record	Decision or verification
Temperature/humidity	Both sides and operating variation	Model and component temperature scope
Traffic	People/vehicles/load, peak and daily totals	Passage geometry and motor duty limit
Open time	Movement and waiting separately	Opening/closing and hold behaviour
Thermal separation	Required panel and whole-door values	Current declaration; panel value is not transferred to the door
Sealing	Seal contact, required test/declaration	Installed configuration and performance scope
Building	Opening, track route, services, maintenance access	Lift arrangement and approved installation drawing
Cleaning	Chemical, concentration, method, washing	Curtain/coating/seal and sensor compatibility
Loading	Vehicle/dock levels, lip contact, shelter	Vehicle and product/drawing match

Use figures within their actual scope

NORMTOR documents a 40 mm panel and 40 kg/m³ polyurethane infill. The REV04 English line prints 0.604 k (W/m²) with an ambiguous unit; it must not be used as a verified complete-door U-value. Request current panel and complete-door thermal declarations separately. The specification’s −30 °C flexibility requirement for side/head seals does not mean the whole motor-door system operates at that temperature.

The roll-up HPVC specification gives 0.65–0.70 m/s without an inverter and up to 1.5 m/s with one. These are configuration speed references, not suitability for every cold room or fixed energy savings. Verify motor/controller environmental limits in their own documents. NORMDOCK hydraulic leveller −10 to +40 °C operation is also specific to that product.

The hand sensor sheet documents 24 V, NO/COM and sensitivity adjustment, not a 5–15 cm range, housing material or disinfectant resistance. Authorised technicians verify connections and detection against the chosen door/controller diagram.

Loading and facility verification

The shelter specification gives standard 3 400 × 3 450 × 620 mm, optional up to 4 200 × 4 500 × 1 000 mm, 3 mm/900 g/m² PVC and DIN 53352/53356/75200 references. The shelter forms a semi-enclosed buffer; it is not proof of complete sealing, independent HACCP/GMP qualification or measured savings. Vehicle geometry and lip contact still need confirmation when equipment is added later.

At commissioning, technicians record seal contact, movement, safety and outage behaviour against model instructions. A visible gap may require investigation; light leakage alone is not an air-permeability measurement. Condensation, cleaning and facility temperature/pressure control are followed through the operator’s verification plan.

Output: an opening requirements and confirmation record

For each opening, retain conditions, traffic/open time, selected door-motor-controller, document/drawing identity, cleaning conditions, loading match, check results and open confirmations. The dealer verifies product/installation scope; facility and project parties verify operating/building requirements. An unresolved record is not closed with a generic “suitable for cold rooms” description.