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TÂN LONG
Featured EPC Project • Engineering Case Study

Saigon Food Ready-to-Eat Deep Freeze Facility

Construction of renovation and upgrading of cold storage system for storing raw seafood, fresh porridge finished products and convenient ready meals for Saigon Food Joint Stock Company in Vinh Loc Industrial Park, Ho Chi Minh City.

Client: Saigon Food Joint Stock Company • Location: Vinh Loc IP, Binh Chanh, Ho Chi Minh City
Scope: Spiral blast freezer, cold preservation storage -20°C, and sanitary food-grade cleanroom air conditioning.
Client / Investor: Saigon Food Joint Stock Company
Location: Vinh Loc, Binh Chanh, Ho Chi Minh City Industrial Park
Scale & Capacity: 2,500 Tons of Raw Materials & Finished Products
Design Temperature: -22°C (Storage) & +5°C (Processing Buffer Warehouse)
Convenient food for millions of Vietnamese families: Saigon Food is a pioneer brand in the industry of producing fresh packaged porridge and ready meals to serve Co.opmart, WinMart supermarket systems and export to Japan.

1. Heavy-Duty Insulated Enclosure & Industrial Compressor Stations

Cụm kho lạnh nhà máy chế biến thực phẩm tươi Saigon Food Vĩnh Lộc
The cold storage cluster for raw materials and finished fresh porridge products at Saigon Food meets food hygiene and safety standards

Tan Long constructed the entire system with 125mm thick PU panel prefabricated with Camlock lock, combined with IoT temperature monitoring system with instant alerts via phone.

3. Refrigeration Load Testing Log & Handover Acceptance

Dây chuyền cấp đông và bảo quản thực phẩm Saigon Food
Blast freezing chamber cluster and frozen storage of processed finished products of Saigon Food

The commissioning and technical acceptance protocol was strictly executed across 4 phases adhering to ASHRAE and TCVN 6739:2015 standards under independent investor supervision:

  • Phase 1 - Pressure Tightness & Strength Testing: All liquid refrigerant piping and suction lines were pressurized with dry nitrogen gas at 24.5 bar continuously for 24 hours. Pressure drop recorded via digital precision gauges after ambient temperature compensation was 0.00 bar (100% absolute hermetic sealing).
  • Phase 2 - Deep Vacuum Dehydration & Moisture Evacuation: Utilizing specialized industrial two-stage high-capacity vacuum pumps, system pressure was drawn down below 450 microns (0.6 mbar) and held for 12 hours to completely vaporize and evacuate residual internal moisture.
  • Phase 3 - Refrigerant Charging & No-Load Dry Run: Charging certified genuine virgin refrigerant, initiating screw compressor stages sequentially, verifying motor rotation, starting current, mechanical vibration levels, and calibrating dual high/low safety pressure relief switches.
  • Phase 4 - 72-Hour Continuous Full-Load Commissioning: Product staging loaded in progressive 30% capacity increments to avoid thermal shock. The IoT temperature monitoring system recorded the pulldown curve from +28°C to target deep-freeze setpoints within 8 hours, with room-wide spatial temperature deviation strictly constrained within ±0.5°C.

4. Economic Efficiency & Return on Investment (ROI) Analysis

An engineered cold storage facility designed to international standards not only preserves product freshness but delivers substantial financial returns over its 20-year operational lifecycle:

  • Direct 20% - 25% Reduction in Monthly Power Bills: Premium insulation with high-density 42 kg/m³ PU Camlock panels, paired with high-efficiency Inox 304 evaporative condensers and VFD compressor inverter controls, saving 25,000 to 60,000 kWh per month compared to conventional legacy installations.
  • Mitigating 99.9% Product Spoilage Risk: Eliminating temperature fluctuations and cold burn on product surfaces, achieving a 100% export grade-A qualification rate.
  • Rapid Capital Payback Period: Substantially reduced utility bills and reliable industrial-grade components virtually eliminate unplanned downtime, shortening overall investment payback to just 2.5 to 3 years.

5. Operational Safety Guidelines for Plant Engineering Teams

Following handover, Tan Long conducted on-site technology transfer and operational training for the plant engineering team:

  1. Daily: Inspect compressor lubrication oil levels via sight glass, logging suction pressure, discharge pressure, and refrigerant discharge temperature.
  2. Weekly inspection of door seal tightness on sliding cold room doors and photoelectric sensor cleaning on PVC high-speed roll-up doors.
  3. Monthly: Flush sediments from evaporative condenser water sumps and verify supply phase voltages at the electrical control panel.
  4. Execute routine preventive maintenance according to Tan Long's NH3 screw compressor maintenance procedures.

Technical FAQs on the Project Saigon Food

1. Did the refrigeration retrofit disrupt Saigon Food ongoing production lines?

Tan Long implemented rolling construction in each warehouse at night and on weekends, ensuring the factory continued to produce at 100% capacity without interruption.

NEED A TURNKEY EPC INDUSTRIAL COLD STORAGE SOLUTION?

Tan Long provides turnkey EPC services: Heat load analysis - Genuine equipment procurement - ISO/HACCP certified installation - 24/7 preventive maintenance. Guaranteed 25% - 30% operating power savings.

TECHNICAL EXPERT VERIFICATION

Updated: September 2026 • Standards: TCVN 6739 & QCVN 06:2022
Eng. Nguyen Van Long - EPC Technical Director
EXPERT AUTHOR

Eng. Nguyen Van Long

EPC Technical Director & Head of Refrigeration Solutions, Tan Long

20+ years EPC experience in industrial cold storage systems, IQF quick freezers, and automated ASRS facilities. Thermal Engineering alumnus from HCMC University of Technology, VISRAE Executive Board member.

M.Sc. Tran Dinh Hung - Pressure Safety Lead, Tan Long
TECHNICAL VERIFICATION

M.Sc. Tran Dinh Hung

Pressure Vessel Safety Verification & Energy Auditing Lead

15+ years leading NH3 piping pressure safety proofing, COP energy audits, and fire protection certification for PIR/PU panel enclosures under QCVN 06:2022/BXD.