Cold Logic launches high-performance test chamber

South Australian industrial refrigeration company Cold Logic has unveiled an Adelaide facility equipped to test the performance of defence equipment in extreme temperatures.

The first-of-its-kind large-scale industrial refrigeration chamber will test the operational performance of critical national defence technology and equipment – including Collins-class submarines and Hunter-class frigates.

The facility has been purpose-built within Cold Logic’s new headquarters in Wingfield. It exposes sensitive, high-tech equipment (such as naval-based warfare electronics, troop shelters and vehicles) to wild temperature fluctuations from -33°C to up to +50°C, simulating extreme real-world scenarios.

Cold Logic Managing Director Eddie Lane says that, while the company has built its reputation in food and beverage refrigeration, defence is a burgeoning growth sector for the business.

“We are proud to be able to support the nation’s sovereign capability through our new state-of-the-art defence testing facility, which represents an exciting new phase in our company’s growth,” Lane says.

“Nowhere else in the country can you test the operational running performance of critical defence equipment in the very harshest of conditions – from -33°C, which you might find in the Arctic, to the scorching heat associated with combat deserts.

“We expect to see electronic equipment for land, naval and air applications – which need to perform in places such as the Middle East or Antarctica and even in space – being put through their paces right here at Wingfield.”

Late last year, Cold Logic was awarded a multi-million-dollar contract with BAE Systems Maritime Australia to construct and install cold and cool rooms for the first batch of three Hunter-class frigates in partnership with UK company Ernest West and Beynon.