Design, installation, and maintenance of industrial refrigeration solutions
Whether in the food and beverage, logistics, chemical, or pharmaceutical industries, the reliability of industrial refrigeration safeguards your manufacturing operations. Axima Réfrigération supports you from the initial design phase through preventive and corrective maintenance, incorporating natural refrigerants, decarbonization, and energy optimization. Discover our industry expertise and customized services to turn your refrigeration system into a driver of sustainable, low-carbon performance.Design, installation, and maintenance of industrial refrigeration solutions
Whether in the food and beverage, logistics, chemical, or pharmaceutical industries, the reliability of industrial refrigeration safeguards your manufacturing operations. Axima Réfrigération supports you from the initial design phase through preventive and corrective maintenance, incorporating natural refrigerants, decarbonization, and energy optimization. Discover our industry expertise and customized services to turn your refrigeration system into a driver of sustainable, low-carbon performance.
Custom industrial refrigeration solutions for every industry
Every industrial sector has its own regulatory requirements and thermal characteristics specific to its processes. That’s why we design custom refrigeration and heat generation solutions tailored to the unique aspects of your business and your operational needs. From design to maintenance, we work with you to ensure the energy efficiency, regulatory compliance, and reliability of your facilities.
Cold Storage in the Food Industry: Ensuring the Quality of the Cold Chain
In the food industry, strictly maintaining the cold chain and recovering waste heat are essential at every stage of the process, from processing to storage. We design and install custom refrigeration and heat generation systems for meat, industrial processed meat products, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, seafood, beer and spirits, and frozen foods, incorporating real-time monitoring systems.
Our solutions use natural refrigerants such as CO₂ or NH₃ to reduce your carbon footprint while ensuring optimal performance. Through heat recovery from your refrigeration units, we enable you to harness waste heat for domestic hot water production or to heat your facilities and production processes.
Our maintenance and performance contract offerings guarantee the availability and energy efficiency of your equipment, as well as the safety of your products.
Cold Chemistry & Pharmacy: Mastering Sensitive Processes
The chemical and pharmaceutical industries require precise temperature control, as this is part of the qualification process for your production. Your critical processes—such as polymerization, crystallization, freeze-drying, or fermentation—are carried out in reactors and controlled environments. We design refrigeration and heating systems tailored to your needs for continuous control of temperature and humidity parameters, which are integral to the qualification process required for the release of production batches. We also help ensure the success of your qualification processes by designing cold rooms for temperature-sensitive products (chemical reagents, medications, biological samples) and process cooling systems.
We can also assist you with gas utility systems (gas compression and liquefaction, as well as CO₂ production, recovery, and purification).
Cold Chain Logistics: Optimizing Your Refrigerated Warehouses
The logistics of fresh and frozen products require precise temperature control in all storage areas. We design modular and redundant refrigeration systems to ensure the continuity of the cold chain, even in the event of a failure.
With energy efficiency in mind, our systems use NH₃ or CO₂, with capacities tailored to your storage volumes (up to several MW of cooling capacity for large logistics centers).
Our energy audits identify sources of energy consumption and potential savings, while our predictive energy management (PEPS) optimizes your operating costs.
Cooling Solutions for the Manufacturing Industry: Reliable Process Cooling
Axima Réfrigération offers turnkey refrigeration and heating solutions specifically designed for manufacturing industries, to maximize the performance, safety, and continuity of your production operations.
Our systems are reliable and provide the necessary redundancy. Equipped with automation and monitoring systems, they ensure the safety of your operations and facilitate preventive maintenance.
Tailored to the specific needs of sectors such as metallurgy, plastics, automotive, and paper manufacturing, our modular and flexible solutions adapt to the evolution of your business while sustainably reducing your operating costs and carbon footprint.
Comparison table of specific features by sector:
Our Solutions for Optimal Cooling
From initial design to ongoing maintenance, we support you throughout the entire lifecycle of your refrigeration systems. Our comprehensive range of services ensures the performance, compliance, and durability of your equipment, while reducing your operating costs and carbon footprint.
HEATEO Industrial Heat Pump: Recovering Waste Heat
HEATEO recovers waste heat from your processes (hot air, flue gases, wastewater, etc.) and converts it into usable heat up to +120 °C to power your processes, heat your buildings, or supply your domestic hot water systems. Thanks to its refrigeration cycle using an environmentally friendly natural refrigerant, HEATEO guarantees remarkable energy efficiency with a COP greater than 3, allowing you to achieve substantial savings and a rapid return on investment.
Easily integrated into your existing facilities, this innovative technology significantly reduces CO₂ emissions and supports you in your ecological transition efforts.
Maintenance of Refrigeration Systems
Our custom maintenance contracts combine rigorous preventive maintenance with responsive troubleshooting to maximize the uptime of your equipment. You also benefit from remote monitoring via our Axicontact platform, which allows you to submit requests and view your service history in real time.
We also provide you with a Customer Service Center, based in France and available 24/7, staffed by specialized technicians ready to service all types of systems.
Regulatory Support: Staying Compliant and Stress-Free
Between the F-Gas III Regulation, which took effect in March 2024, in-service monitoring of refrigerant systems, ICPE regulations, and the Tertiary Sector Decree, navigating the regulatory maze can quickly become complex.
Our experts advise you on the most appropriate technologies and action plans to prepare for the phased bans on high-GWP refrigerants and assist you with all your administrative procedures. Our regulatory assistance gives you peace of mind while ensuring the long-term viability of your equipment.
Low-Carbon Solutions: Reduce the GWP of Your Fluids
The new European regulation mandates a drastic reduction in the use of HFCs with high global warming potential. We help you make this transition smoothly, whether by retrofitting your existing refrigeration systems to use low-GWP fluids (A2L, HFO) or by designing new systems that run on CO₂ (GWP = 1) or ammonia (GWP = 0).
Each project undergoes a thorough technical analysis to ensure equipment compatibility, safety, and energy efficiency. Our low-carbon solutions enable you to reduce your CO₂ emissions while keeping your operating costs under control.
Refrigeration Training Institute: Develop Your Teams' Skills
The team at the Institut Formation Froid offers nearly 30 training courses in commercial and industrial refrigeration, covering a variety of topics: regulations and safety, alternative refrigerants, industrial refrigeration, commercial refrigeration, and an introduction to careers in refrigeration.
Our expert trainers have at least 25 years of hands-on experience as refrigeration technicians or commissioning specialists. Working closely with your teams and on-site at your regional locations, our passionate and dedicated instructors share their expertise and experience to meet your needs and objectives.
Mechanical Overhaul: Improving the Reliability of Your Compressors and Oil Pumps
Axima Réfrigération offers you the services of its team specializing in mechanical overhaul of compressors and oil pumps, a key factor in ensuring the reliability and performance of your refrigeration systems.
Thanks to our in-depth technical expertise and state-of-the-art equipment, we perform precise services ranging from preventive maintenance to complete reconditioning.
Our experienced technicians handle the inspection, disassembly, cleaning, replacement of wear parts, and mechanical reconditioning of your critical components. This approach extends the service life of your equipment, optimizes its efficiency, and minimizes the risk of unplanned downtime.
Energy and Environmental Efficiency: Measurement, Management, Performance
Thanks to its range of complementary solutions from Energy Efficiency and Decarbonization, Axima Réfrigération France supports you in your energy transition and in improving your carbon footprint.
We help you develop improvement plans for your facilities and identify financing opportunities based on performance and energy savings.
Our team of energy experts works alongside our local technical teams to analyze, optimize, and manage your refrigeration and heat recovery systems, prepare your Energy Savings Certificate applications, monitor your energy consumption through energy dashboards, and prevent any increases in energy use
SMARDT / Axima Refrigeration Magnetic Bearing Chillers: High-Performance Oil-Free Chillers
Are you looking for a high-performance, energy-efficient industrial cooling solution? The magnetic-bearing chillers are revolutionizing energy efficiency with a 20% to 50% reduction in energy consumption compared to traditional oil-lubricated systems.
This lubrication-free technology eliminates mechanical wear and drastically simplifies the maintenance of your systems. They take up less space on your roof or in your machine room, while offering capacities ranging from 200 kW to 12 MW to meet all your cooling needs. Axima Réfrigération, a SMARDT-certified supplier and service provider, supports you with personalized technical service.
Our guarantees for all of our services:
- Customized maintenance contracts
- Recognized expertise in natural refrigerants
- Transparent reporting and dashboards accessible 24 hours a day
- Regulatory support and ongoing technical monitoring
- A customer service center available 24/7
How does industrial refrigeration work?
Industrial refrigeration is most often based on a closed-cycle vapor compression thermodynamic cycle, in which a refrigerant transfers thermal energy between the hot and cold points of the system. This principle makes it possible to maintain precise temperatures for applications ranging from deep-freezing (e.g., very low process temperatures) to simple cooling.
The refrigeration cycle: compression, condensation, expansion, evaporation
The continuous cycle consists of four stages: the compressor draws in the refrigerant in gaseous form and increases its pressure and temperature; the hot gas then flows through the condenser, where it transfers its heat to a heat transfer medium (air, water, or a cooling tower) and condenses; the high-pressure liquid passes through an expansion valve, which reduces its pressure and temperature; finally, in the evaporator, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the process or the cold room as it evaporates. The low-pressure gas then returns to the compressor to complete the cycle.
Essential equipment: compressors, heat exchangers, power generation units
The compressor is the central component: screw compressors are used for medium to high power ratings, reciprocating (piston) compressors for high-pressure or low-flow applications, and, for very high capacities, centrifugal compressors (depending on the pressure range and the fluid). Heat exchangers (condensers and evaporators) facilitate heat transfer, and their sizing depends on the fluid and operating conditions. Industrial systems often incorporate multiple compressors to ensure redundancy and continuous operation.
Recommended Refrigerants and Restrictions
In the industry, there is a growing preference for natural refrigerants: ammonia (NH3, R717) for its high-power performance (which requires safety measures and adapted processes) and carbon dioxide (CO2, R744) for its low GWP, particularly in cascade or transcritical configurations depending on the condensation temperature. The choice of refrigerant depends on the capacity, operating temperature, safety requirements, and regulations.
Energy Optimization and Heat Recovery
Reducing electricity consumption relies on several complementary measures: dynamic control of high and low floating pressures (HP/LP floating) and variable-speed drives to adjust motor power to actual needs and limit start/stop cycles. Heat recovery from the refrigeration circuit allows for the reuse of waste heat (for heating, industrial hot water, or process preheating).
Advanced Management and Expected Benefits
The integration of advanced automation, monitoring, and predictive control improves equipment efficiency and availability. Energy savings in the range of several tens of percent are possible at non-optimized sites, but must always be determined by a preliminary energy assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why choose Axima Réfrigération for your industrial cooling and heating project?
Axima Réfrigération combines recognized industry expertise with more than 150 years of experience in industrial refrigeration, mastery of low-carbon and innovative technologies and natural refrigerants (CO₂, NH₃), as well as comprehensive support: audits, design, installation, energy optimization, maintenance, and regulatory assistance.
What is the difference between an industrial cold room and a commercial cold room?
Industrial cold rooms are designed to meet the specific needs of production facilities: large storage capacity, strict temperature control, integration of energy recovery systems, and compliance with complex logistical and environmental standards. Commercial cold rooms are designed for mass retail, the food service industry, and food stores, with smaller storage volumes and requirements primarily related to hygiene and accessibility.
Why is training essential in the industrial refrigeration sector?
Mastering industrial refrigeration requires a high level of technical expertise and strict compliance with regulatory requirements. The Axima Réfrigération Refrigeration Training Institute offers customized training programs led by instructors with 25 years of hands-on experience, with half the time dedicated to hands-on practice and real-world scenarios. These training programs enable your teams to enhance their skills and safety, and to stay at the forefront of technological advancements in the industry
What are the key steps to successfully installing an industrial refrigeration system?
We begin with a detailed analysis of your thermal and energy needs, followed by a comprehensive technical study: selection of the refrigerant, sizing, heat recovery options, and consideration of regulatory requirements. After placing orders with suppliers and/or completing custom manufacturing and installation, we handle commissioning and provide training for your operators. We then offer maintenance contracts to ensure the long-term performance, safety, and energy efficiency of your system.
Do you have a need? Let's talk about it!
Do you have a need? Let's talk about it!
