Potato Store Ventilation & Refrigeration

Potato store ventilation does two jobs: it takes heat out of the crop, and it keeps air moving evenly through every box or through the whole bulk pile. Most of our stores combine two ways of cooling. Packaged ambient units draw in outside air through motorised louvres whenever that air is cooler than the crop, and Cropscan’s airmix control works on duct temperature so the crop is not over-cooled. When outside air is not cold enough, a packaged refrigeration unit takes over, and the Cropscan controller switches between ambient air and refrigeration automatically as it scans the crop temperature.

How the air reaches the crop depends on the store. In box stores, a timber suction wall at the same end as the air handling units evens out the air pattern, and an air bag system between rows of boxes forces the air through the boxes themselves. Bulk stores are ventilated through air ducts, which can run up to 30 metres. Humidifiers and humidity sensors help you manage store humidity, and Cropscan’s timed CO₂ purge stops carbon dioxide building up. Not sure which cooling you need? Read our guide, Ambient or Refrigerated Potato Storage?