Country and language selection
Your country: Germany
Your language: English
Do you want to switch to your country version?

Visit your region's website for information on prices, offers and events relevant to you.

Refrigeration

Excessively fluctuating temperatures not only shorten the shelf life of fresh or sensitive foods, but are also problematic in other industrial sectors. In order to provide and guarantee the required temperatures permanently and reliably, cooling and refrigeration systems are indispensable. Because without refrigeration technology our everyday lives would grind to a halt – both in the private environment and in the commercial and industrial sector.

Modern fans for refrigeration technology from ZIEHL-ABEGG

Several billion refrigeration devices of all sizes are currently in operation worldwide. The overwhelming majority of these are small appliances such as refrigerators or freezers, which are mainly used in the private sector. Larger systems are used, among other things, for the air conditioning of buildings or to provide process cooling, e.g. for companies in the plastics processing industry, the electrical industry or heavy industry.
Another large sector is the food industry, which must strictly maintain the cold chain for raw materials, semi-finished and finished products, so that they can reach their customers in perfect condition. This is achieved, among other things, by operating cold stores in which a defined temperature level is always maintained regardless of the ambient temperature. To achieve this, the air must be constantly moved and the air flow must be directed so that the cold reaches everywhere evenly.

In addition to fans, the large and versatile area of refrigeration technology also includes the control units with which refrigeration systems in industrial processes or in commercial use generate the required air circulation. Likewise, modern refrigeration technology is indispensable for supplying old stores where temperature-sensitive goods are stored.

Typically, refrigerating systems are used in large stores and supermarkets, doe example, where they provide cold for the cold rooms and refrigerated counters. Larger systems are also used in various industries – from small recirculating coolers to large cooling towers that ensure enormous cooling capacity.

The task of every refrigerating system, regardless of its size and specific refrigerating capacity, is to cool goods or merchandise and store them at defined temperatures. Depending on the degree of cooling capacity, a distinction is made between refrigerating and freezer systems, both of which have in common that the target temperature is usually well below the ambient temperature. This target temperature must also be kept stable if the ambient temperature changes, for example with seasonal changes.

two axial fans FE2owlet with ZAplus and MAXventowlet with blue background

Typical refrigeration technology applications

Refrigerating devices and systems are primarily used in these four areas:

Providing process and industrial cooling

Here, fans and the corresponding control technology ensure the provision and distribution of precisely temperature-controlled air. Process and industrial cooling is needed, for example, to cool liquids for manufacturing processes and to cool machines.

Safeguarding the cold chain

Fresh or perishable food, chemicals or medicines can be very sensitive to fluctuating or excessively high temperatures and, in the worst case, may spoil. To ensure that this does not happen, fans operate in the refrigeration circuit in refrigerating systems – and in the best case, they are so well coordinated that the system can be operated in an energy-efficient and cost-effective manner.

Operating cooling towers

Large-scale industrial applications, such as the chemical and petrochemical industries and also many power plants, generate large amounts of heat during operation. To ensure that this does not disrupt the production processes and the machines, equipment and materials involved, this heat must be dissipated, for example via cooling towers. Fans also provide the necessary air movement and thus the required cooling capacity.

Operating refrigerated counters in commercial areas,

whether in supermarkets, wholesale markets or company canteens: refrigerated counters and freezer chests are used wherever temperature-sensitive goods and products not only have to be stored, but also presented and sold. Fans also play a significant part in these small refrigerating systems.

Challenges in refrigeration technology...

The global need and demand for new refrigeration systems continues to increase. In order to be able to supply the growing global population with goods and products today and in the future, refrigeration equipment is absolutely essential.

The demand for cooling capacity for global industry is also steadily increasing. One reason for this is increasing globalisation, which enables companies to produce their products and goods on a global scale and thus to benefit from cost and other location-related advantages. However, this increasing demand for additional refrigerating systems does not necessarily have to be met by creating something new from scratch; rather, existing old systems can also be optimised in terms of energy with retrofitting making them fit for the future.

... Solutions with quality products made by ZIIEHL-ABEGG

With fans and control technology from ZIEHL-ABEGG, mature technical solutions are available for these challenges that have been tried and tested many times. Such as the small biomimetic FE2owlet-ECQ fan in combination with the latest ECQ motor technology, the biomimetic FE3owlet axial fan with pre-adjustable blade angle or our outstanding ZAplus axial fan.


ZIEHL-ABEGG provides fan technology that not only has the efficiency you need, but also operates very energy-efficiently. The biomimetically designed blades of our innovative fans are also much quieter than standard blades and therefore significantly reduce noise emissions during operation.

In addition to new fan systems, the Royal League of cooling technology is also available to you for existing systems: With two stages (an inventory check and implementation), you can replace your old technology with the latest fan technology thanks to retrofitting and therefore permanently increase efficiency, reduce costs and protect your investment.