ASHRAE Mumbai Chapter and ISHRAE Thane Chapter, supported by ISHRAE Mumbai Chapter, held a seminar on Refrigeration at Thane on January 3. Arvind Surange was the keynote speaker. He spoke about cold chain as a sunrise industry. India is number one globally in milk production, number two in fruits and vegetables, and one of the largest producers of poultry, meat and fishery products. It produces 380 million MT of perishable foodstuff, of which about 35% goes waste. Less than 6% of perishable food is processed, against more than 60% in the developed countries. The total cold storage capacity in India is 31 million MT, i.e. 8% of production. Even after reaching the consumer, 185 kg of cooked food per capita per annum is wasted. Hence there is a strong potential for growth of the cold chain industry.

The major challenge faced by the industry is its environmental impact. To address this, the industry is moving towards hydrocarbons and other natural refrigerants. Energy efficiency and renewable energy sources are also catching industry attention in its move towards sustainability. The keynote address was rounded off with a presentation, Roadmap for Refrigeration and Cold Chain. K. Raghavan spoke on Emerging Trends in Refrigeration Systems and Equipment. He mentioned that the choice of alternative refrigerants is clearer in refrigeration than in air conditioning. The major challenge in the use of ammonia refrigeration systems is the large charge of the refrigerant required in ammonia plants. The key to bringing back the use of ammonia in public buildings is to reduce the charge quantity. V. B. Maniam (Danfoss) spoke about Cold Chain Solutions. He elaborated on refrigeration for milk, fisheries and grapes, and explained the concept of food parks Harshal Surange gave a talk on Sustainable Refrigeration and Cold Chain. He spoke about the largest multi-product cold storage in India – Savla Cold Storage in Navi Mumbai, with a capacity of 30,000 tons. He also mentioned the largest CA storage at Rai in Haryana with a capacity of 12,000 tons with provision to control oxygen, CO2, temperature and humidity. He explained the ingredients of a Green cold chain.

R. Paraman (Devki Energy Consultants) made a presentation on Energy Audit in Cold Storages. Rajesh Deshpande (Energy Consulting) gave a talk on Industrial Refrigeration – an Overview. Shakti Leekha (Bajaj Electricals) spoke on Safety and Energy Monitoring. There was a lively panel discussion on Challenges for Refrigeration Industry, moderated by Harshal Surange. The other panelists were V. B. Maniam, Arvind Surange, Rajesh Deshpande and R. Paraman.