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Stop ice at the door O


n a Tuesday morning, the main freezer door at a large fresh-food processing facility refused to budge. Forklifts idled,


pallets of deep-frozen shellfi sh waited in the chilled marshalling area, and production upstream continued regardless. Within minutes, the loading corridor was gridlocked, and 20 minutes’ downtime was to be expected until the ice build-up at the frame of the high-speed door was removed. For a long time, the facility had been treating symptoms: scraping ice, shutting down for defrosting, and replacing broken gaskets. However, the reactive approach was not viable. The fresh- food sector operates on tight margins. Its business depends on speed, and downtime means economic loss. The root cause can be located at the airlock chamber. Every time the high-speed freezer door opens, warm, moisture-laden air from the ambient warehouse rushes into the airlock chamber, where it condensates because of the immediate temperature drop. In sub-zero conditions, condensation freezes. Cold storage operations depend on stable,


controlled environments. Yet entrance doors remain vulnerable points of failure. Ice builds up around door frames and thresholds, doors get misaligned, fl oors get dangerously slippery, and the operational effi ciency reduces due to door jams and maintenance delays. Over time, these issues compound, raising operating costs and putting both personnel and product at risk. The solution is to remove moisture at the


source. Airlock chambers are designed to buff er temperature diff erences between ambient and cold storage areas. But without humidity control, they simply become condensation zones.


Take control of the dewpoint To solve this problem at the root, cold storage facilities need to dehumidify the airlock room with a desiccant dehumidifi er. Unlike refrigerant-based systems that struggle in


low temperatures, desiccant dehumidifi ers actively remove moisture from the air, even in sub-zero environments.


The desiccant dehumidifi er does not use the


refrigerant technology like condensation dryers, but instead a desiccant material: ■ The desiccant rotor adsorbs moisture before it can condense.


■ The dried air passes into the cold storage area 28 March 2026 • www.acr-news.com with a dramatically reduced dew point.


■ Condensation and ice formation are prevented before they start.


By controlling dew point rather than just temperature, desiccant systems eliminate the root cause of ice buildup.


Installing a desiccant dehumidifi er in the airlock delivers measurable benefi ts: ■ Ice-free doorways by preventing frost accumu- lation on door frames, hinges, and seals. This extends door lifespan and reduces maintenance.


■Improved safety by preventing icy fl oors. ■ Energy effi ciency. Reducing moisture load decreas- es frost formation on evaporator coils, improving refrigeration effi ciency and lowering defrost cycles.


■ Faster throughput. Doors operate smoothly without freeze-ups, minimising loading delays and ensuring continuous productivity.


■ Lower maintenance costs through less scraping, fewer repairs, reduced gasket replacement, and decreased downtime.


Grupo Día, a leading international food distribution corporation with headquarters in Spain, faced precisely this challenge at its new 68,000 m² logistics centre. Despite incorporating


an antechamber between loading docks and freezer rooms, condensation, mist and ice were forming in chambers operating down to –25°C. The consequences were tangible: slippery fl oors increased accident risk, ice damaged doors and evaporator fans, and mist interfered with effi cient picking and barcode reading. After installing a desiccant dehumidifi er in the antechamber, the freezer rooms were freed from mist and ice. ■ Slippery fl oors and the associated safety risks were eliminated.


■ Breakages of doors, evaporator fans and other equipment caused by ice accumulation were signifi cantly reduced.


■ Refrigeration systems required fewer defrost cycles, generating measurable energy savings.


■ Product quality improved through stricter adher- ence to temperature standards.


■ Picking effi ciency increased, with the absence of frost eliminating barcode reading errors.


While ice scraping and door repairs may seem routine, they represent avoidable costs. A properly engineered desiccant dehumidifi cation system in the airlock chamber delivers rapid return on investment. If you are interested in one of these units they are available now from Heronhill. www.heronhill.co.uk


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UK Sales Director Alan James of Dantherm Group looks at why desiccant dehumidifi ers are essential for cold storage airlock chambers.


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