Cool trends

Cool trends

Refrigeration unit technology continues to evolve and improve

Refrigeration unit technology continues to evolve and improve

Environmental issues continue to affect reefer operation. Fleet vehicles must meet increasing restrictive emission regulations, both for their operations and their equipment. Mobile refrigeration unit makers are working on today’s problems and anticipating long-term solutions as well. These days there are a number of new features on refrigerated units that are cleaner, quieter and more environmentally friendly.

New technology

According to Jerry Duppler, trailer product manager for Thermo King, there are numerous new innovations in the reefer industry being driven by environmental concerns and requirements. New engines are certainly central to any environmental issues concerning reefers, and Thermo King’s TK486V trailer unit engine meets EPA Interim Tier 4 emissions regulations through 2012 and the TK370 truck unit engine meets EPA Tier 4 regulations through 2015.

In addition to EPA emissions regulations, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has adopted new regulations to reduce emissions for transport refrigeration units, which become effective Jan. 1, 2009. Thermo King has received CARB approval for diesel particulate filters (DPFs) that can be installed on trailer refrigeration units to comply with these new regulations. Additional solutions are pending with CARB.

As far as new system innovations, Duppler spoke about the cryogenic technology that Thermo King offers as an alternative to diesel-powered transport refrigeration. Cryogenic units run on liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) without the use of CFC or HCFC refrigerants. The CO2 is contained within a heat exchange system and does not enter the truck or trailer body. With the elimination of diesel, the cryogenic systems also eliminate NOX and other diesel emissions completely. In addition to environmental advantages, cryogenics have the capability of rapid pull-down and recovery for superior temperature control and product integrity. Government regulations and customer requirements worldwide are mandating tighter control and more accurate temperature monitoring throughout the industry. With their extremely quick pull down cooling and temperature recovery, the cryogenic units will help the user meet these mandates. Added benefits of cryogenic refrigeration are very low maintenance requirements and extremely low operating noise. Duppler also noted that research and development work currently in progress at Thermo King will produce an expanded line of cryogenic refrigeration units in the near future.

David Kiefer, product manager –– trailer products, Carrier Transicold, talks about the new features of his company’s reefers, noting that the biggest impact is the Deltek hybrid diesel-electric technology, as found in Carrier’s Vector 1800MT units, the ability to plug into electric standby power, and the increasingly sophisticated, yet simplified, microprocessor controls.

The transport industry has relied upon mechanical refrigeration systems since their inception more than 50 years ago. With mechanical systems, a diesel engine directly drives the compressor and a series of belts and pulleys, which in turn drive the fans and alternator. Tremendous refinements have been made over the years, but even today’s modern systems are still mechanical in nature.

Kiefer says, “A Deltek hybrid system, on the other hand, strips away many moving parts like belts, shaft seals, pulleys, valves, dampers and vibrasorbers that eventually require service or replacement. The remaining diesel engine does but one thing: drive a high-output, electric generator. This “rolling power plant” generates enough power to run electric system components, such as fans, heating elements and the compressor, which is semi-hermetically sealed with its electric motor housed inside.”

This diesel-electric refrigeration system, as applied to Carrier’s Vector 1800MT unit, integrates a diesel engine with an all-electric refrigeration system, delivering superior all-electric component reliability, life, performance and environmental benefits on the road. The electric refrigeration system makes the hybrid unit a much more reliable and cost-effective design than a conventional system.

Another feature that is gaining wider interest is the ability to plug the unit into the electrical power grid when stationary, Kiefer says. This is referred to as electric standby. An all-electric system such as the hybrid Vector 1800MT can be plugged-in to AC power at the loading dock, cutting fuel consumption, engine maintenance hours, noise and exhaust emissions, which is especially important when operating in California, where transport refrigeration emissions regulations are the strictest in the nation. It is also cheaper to use standby instead of diesel by about 50 percent.

With a conventional mechanical system, it’s also possible to have a standby capability by installing some additional mechanical components: an electric motor, clutch assembly and control components. It’s important to distinguish that adding standby to a mechanical system does not convert it into a hybrid unit. Adding standby to a conventional system actually adds a bit of complexity, in contrast to the simplified hybrid system with the reliability benefits that come from having electrically driven system components.

Today’s microprocessor controls are more sophisticated than ever. According to Kiefer, “With Carrier’s Advance control, nearly 50 different operating parameters allow user-customized refrigeration configurations for any commodity. The IntelliSet programming option simplifies use of this power, by allowing parameters for specific commodities to be preconfigured so that all a driver needs to do is select a profile by name from a scrolling list. The settings in the microprocessor automatically adjust themselves to the parameters already selected.”

The IntelliSet option now offers preset profiles, a brand new feature. These are templates that provide shortcuts to setting up custom profiles, providing flexibility for most applications. Kiefer says, “We’re making it effortless for customers to tap into the power of the Advance control with IntelliSet for better temperature control and fuel economy. Profiles allow new users to quickly benefit from the complete functionality of the system. Knowledgeable users will appreciate the ability to fine-tune profiles further for even greater benefits.”

For fleets, another benefit of the Advance control is that commodity settings for the entire fleet can be configured on a desktop PC and then downloaded onto a PC card and uploaded into each unit, in less than a minute, assuring all units are programmed the same. There is no need to spend time standing in front of each unit’s control, programming them by hand or even via laptop and cables, an awkward proposition at best. For units equipped with telematics devices, programming and data transfer can even be done wirelessly.

Matchmaking

“To get the most out of your reefer, make sure you match it properly with the truck body,” advises Tim Ryan, truck product manager at Thermo King. “We publish information on our website (www.thermoking.com) that offers guidance to help fleets match temperature demands with the size of the cargo body. We also have advanced selection software available through our dealer network which helps fleets choose the right unit for the box or trailer, determine the temperature demands of the cargo to be carried and so on.

“We believe it is very important for the fleets to work with dealer to find the best solutions. The wrong reefer –– one that is under-specified –– unit will run more, use more C02, cost more to maintain and burn more fuel,” says Ryan.

Carrier’s Kiefer says, “It is very important that you consider together both the refrigeration unit and the refrigerated trailer specifications when you are putting together the package. For example, if the refrigerated trailer has inadequate specifications, or if the refrigeration unit is sized too small, you will accumulate excessive run hours, fuel use, and also put in jeopardy the adequate temperature control of the product being transported.”

Examples of things that need to be considered are where the equipment is going to operate, what type of cargo is going to be transported, the thermostat setpoint, whether there is any product respiration, the type of rear doors, the number of side doors, number of delivery door openings, and other special considerations. Note that the choice of refrigerated trailer and refrigeration unit is a balance –– the longer the trailer and the less insulation, the larger the refrigeration unit will need to be.

“Carrier dealers have the tools to properly size the refrigeration unit on a refrigerated trailer with varying specifications,” Kiefer notes. “It is always recommended involve the Carrier dealer and to work with the experts to make certain the unit is properly sized to adequately operate on the customer’s choice of refrigerated trailer. On the subject of trailer spec’ing, we’re starting to see some trailer manufacturers recognizing the importance of diesel-electric hybrids and adding “Prep Packages” for refrigerated trailers equipped with hybrid refrigeration units.”

Future technology

Thermo King’s Ryan also spoke of other environmental advances at the company. One technology gaining renewed interest is diesel/electric standby operation for both truck and trailer refrigeration units, which provides a compliance alternative for CARB regulations and offers the benefits of reduced operating cost, reduced diesel emissions and significantly lower operating noise. Electric standby is used during stationary operation of refrigeration units and can be an effective solution in noise-sensitive urban areas.

Thermo King also offers approved biodiesel solutions and the SmartReefer 2 control system, which features Cycle-Sentry and SmartSet to reduce fuel use and emissions and optimize cargo control. “Thermo King’s units require lower refrigerant charges and our truck units have the cleanest-running engines and the longest maintenance intervals in the industry. These benefits offer distinct environmental and cost-saving advantages to fleets,” adds Ryan. Thermo King is also launching a new product for trucks and trailers that kills bacterias and molds for safer, fresher food deliveries.

Customers will see more choices of hybrid units from Carrier in the near future, Kiefer says. Hybrid refrigeration units have been sold in Europe for over seven years, and they constitute the majority of units sold by Carrier, the market leader on that continent. Customers find that the hybrids just make good business sense –– they are more reliable, more efficient, cost less to operate, quieter, better for the environment, and, in the case of California, they can also be a CARB compliance option.

Telematics will continue to play a more important and expanding role in customer’s operations. According to Kiefer, “Currently there are eight approved telematics providers that can remotely interface with Carrier refrigeration units, allowing GPS locating, data retrieval, remote monitoring, and in some instances, remote control of the unit. Customers find that this is a very efficient tool to locate and manage assets, monitor operation and prevent load loss, monitor fuel levels and guard against theft and manage the fleet maintenance program. Some companies can spend millions of dollars a year paying people to ride around the yards in trucks monitoring temperatures, looking for alarms, pre-tripping and pre-cooling trailers, etc. All of this can potentially be controlled now from a remote PC, and in many instances, over the Internet. The cost of the hardware and the “airtime” charges are coming down rapidly as the technology evolves and more customers are signing up for the services.”


In control

New all-weather reefer controllers

The newest member of Phillips’ Permalogic family of power control products is the Permalogic Reefer, which is an all-weather, all electronic controller designed to manage power to trailer dome lamps in reefer trailers. The idea behind the unit is simple; to allow operation of the trailer dome lamps even if the trailer is not connected to the tractor and also protect the operation of the refrigeration unit. If the refrigeration unit battery falls below 12.2 volts, the unit control will shut off power to the interior lamps to save available power for the refrigeration unit. To further save battery power, the unit will also automatically turn off interior dome lamps after 30 minutes of continuous use.

The reefer unit automatically switches off the interior dome lamps when the brakes are applied, enhancing vehicle safety by making maximum power available for the brake ABS function.


Choose the right trailer

Great Dane Trailers offers the ThermoGuard refrigerated trailer, which it says helps maintain insulation performance for the life of the trailer. ThermoGuard is a glass-reinforced, thermoplastic liner exclusively made for use as original equipment on Great Dane refrigerated trailers. This strong, yet lightweight lining is superior to the traditional liners that are used in the majority of reefers because ThermoGuard helps maintain the thermal efficiency of the trailer. ThermoGuard is available as an option on all Great Dane refrigerated trailer models.

ThermoGuard contains a revolutionary composite layer that seals the trailer’s insulation and significantly reduces "out gassing" effects that cause foam insulation to degrade over time. As a result, ThermoGuard allows a trailer’s insulation to perform effectively year after year.

Great Dane says that ThermoGuard’s revolutionary construction combats the loss in insulation performance as the trailer ages. Testing shows traditional liners allow rapid thermal degradation. By contrast, trailers originally equipped with ThermoGuard show significantly improved insulation performance and longevity.

Refrigerated trailers are insulated with polyurethane foam, which provides excellent insulation performance, is lightweight, and allows for a wide variety of applications. When used in refrigerated trailers, polyurethane foam is injected into the walls, floor and ceiling, etc. A chemical reaction then takes place, during this process; the "insulating gas" in foam or the "blowing agent" expands the foam and is retained in the cell structure of the polyurethane matrix. A lightweight polyurethane foam insulation, with a highly thermally efficient cell gas is the goal of the insulating process. However, over time, some of the cell gas escapes from the foam and air migrates into the cells. As more of the insulating cell gas escapes and air gets into the cells, the polyurethane foam loses its insulation capacity. This is called thermal degradation and happens to the polyurethane foam insulation in all traditionally lined refrigerated trailers.

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