CO₂ Refrigerated High-Bay Warehouse – MI Gavrilović d.o.o., Petrinja

MI Gavrilović d.o.o., a renowned meat processing company with over 300 years of continuous operation, has made a significant investment in modernizing its logistics infrastructure by building a refrigerated high-bay warehouse for finished products. The facility is located in Petrinja, Croatia, with the goal of increasing cold storage capacity while transitioning to a more sustainable, safer, and energy-efficient refrigeration solution.

Focus on Functionality and Return on Investment

The project was designed to support long-term storage of temperature-sensitive food products, with reliable temperature control and reduced operational risks. By using natural refrigerant CO₂ (R744), the investor benefits from significant energy savings (up to 20% annually), lower maintenance costs, and full compliance with the EU F-gas regulation phase-down requirements.

Technical Solution: Next-Generation CO₂ System

The engineering team at MB Frigo Group, in cooperation with Danfoss Climate Solutions Zagreb, developed and implemented an advanced transcritical CO₂ refrigeration system with a focus on maximum reliability and efficiency in low-temperature operating conditions.

The solution includes:

• Multicompressor CO₂ refrigeration unit with parallel compression
• Modular ejector system (Danfoss Ejector Solution) – first of its kind integrated in Croatia
• Direct expansion (DX) principle with air-cooled gas cooler and dynamic air evaporators
• Advanced real-time system monitoring and control

The installed cooling capacity is approximately 320 kW, with precise modulation aligned with different logistics process stages.

Key Benefits

• Sustainability: natural CO₂ refrigerant with no harmful emissions and very low GWP
• Energy Efficiency: significant energy savings enabled by ejector technology
• Lower Operating Costs: simplified maintenance, increased system uptime, and reduced risk
• Regulatory Compliance: future-proof alternative aligned with EU environmental policy
• Application Flexibility: scalable system easily adaptable to future expansions

This project serves as a benchmark solution for food processing and logistics sectors seeking high-efficiency, safe and environmentally compliant refrigeration systems.

Installed Equipment

• Customized CO₂ refrigeration system
• Engineering and design solutions
• Technical support for design teams
• System installation and commissioning