PSI - Issue 77

Arian Semedo and João Garcia/ Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2026) 000–000

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Arian Semedo et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 77 (2026) 498–511

501

The configuration of the refrigeration warehouse is shown in Figure 1. The facility will be divided into three primary zones: a chamber allocated for frozen products (F), a chamber designated for refrigerated products (RC), and a buffer area (FC) for the receipt and dispatch of goods.

Fig. 1. Layout for the facility

Table 1. Thermal loads and refrigeration capacity of refrigerated spaces

Q̇c Q̇p Q̇i Q̇inf

Thermal Load

Freezer Chamber

Refrigerated Chamber

Buffer

1230 4020

470 770 440 190

2080 4130

(W) (W) (W)

470

820

1610 12100

1030 13300

(W)

Cooling Power (W)

3100

An analysis of the data presented in Table 1 reveals that the thermal loads are within the range commonly observed in refrigerated environments (Garcia and Semedo, 2024; Bernardos and Brachos, 2007). This finding indicates that the computed thermal loads are consistent with the requirements for correctly sizing the refrigeration system for each designated area. 3. Application of Renewable Energy Sources for Sustainable Refrigeration Based on the evaluation of the refrigeration system requirements, this section examines the renewable energy sources selected to supply the proposed solution. The incorporation of renewable resources is fundamental to achieving energy self-sufficiency, ensuring environmental sustainability, and supporting long-term operational feasibility, while accounting for the specific conditions of the case study. 3.1. Wind energy Wind energy is a renewable source derived from atmospheric air currents. The installation of wind turbines requires evaluating factors such as terrain and obstacles (Kalmikov (2017)) . These turbines convert kinetic energy into electricity through a rotor connected to a generator (Sathyajith (2006)). The electricity can be fed into the grid or stored in batteries. Wind energy is widely used in refrigeration systems, ensuring reliable power supply. Vaughan et al. (1978) demonstrated its feasibility for cold storage, while Roselli et al. (2020) studied its integration into HVAC systems, highlighting its environmental benefits. The theoretical wind power is given by Equation (5) (Du and Gu (2009)): P= 1 2 ρ 3 (5)