The transport of products that require refrigeration or freezing, such as food, pharmaceuticals or biological material, requires very good planning. Goods of this type require special attention not only during the transport itself, but also at an earlier and later stage of the supply chain, i.e. during loading and unloading. What technologies can help with this?
Frozen food and products that require refrigeration are mostly transported by road. The conditions under which goods should be transported are specified in Directive 89/108/EEC and the ATP Convention. Usually, the carrier is responsible for the load. In order to ensure the right temperature of the products, he can use, among others:
Dry Ice (Solidified Carbon Dioxide)
The use of dry ice to transport products that require refrigeration does not require transport in special refrigerated trucks. It can be used for products that require a storage temperature as low as -80°C. However, it all depends on the packaging used and the amount of dry ice used for transport. The price of dry ice is around PLN 10 per kilogram.
Gel Cartridges (Gel Packs)
These are cartridges that, depending on the needs, should be cooled or frozen for several hours before being used for transport, so that they can then give the temperature to the transported products. The substance that the bags are filled with is completely non-toxic, safe and can keep the temperature of the products for 48 hours. The price of one cartridge with a capacity of about 500 milliliters is only a few zlotys.
Eutectic Aggregates
Inside the aggregates there are plates filled with a special liquid. They are used primarily to transport deep-frozen products. The aggregates accumulate power, thanks to which they can keep the temperature of the transported goods low for a long time. They are perfect for urban transport, but not at night, as they are quite noisy during work.
Liquid Nitrogen
Cooling the trailer with nitrogen is a much faster alternative to aggregates. The liquid nitrogen cylinder is mounted under the trailer and then expanded to its center using the injector assembly. Cooling down, unlike the aggregate, takes place in complete silence, and the trailer is environmentally friendly thanks to the non-emission of CO2.
Refrigerators and Isotherms
A car with an isothermal body is used to transport products at temperatures below zero, and refrigerated trucks are adapted to maintain the temperature from -20°C to 0°C. These types of cars are most often containers equipped with refrigeration units. Containers are designed to protect the transported products and prevent the escape of cold generated by the aggregate. For best performance, remember to service them regularly.
Cooling Down Is Not Enough
Transportation of deep-frozen food and medicines must take place under certain conditions. The temperature should be -18°C or less. Short-term fluctuations of no more than 3°C are allowed. While all these technologies are as effective as possible, unexpected breakdowns can occur at any time. Therefore, together with technologies to maintain appropriate parameters, temperature control systems should be used.
– Monitoring the temperature of products during transport is very important, especially when it comes to deliveries of frozen food and medicines. The systems are designed in such a way as to inform administrators immediately in the event of irregularities in the parameters. This allows for a quick reaction and avoiding potential, often very costly losses. Problems in the operation of refrigeration equipment can be detected both by using a control system and by additional elements, e.g. a cable that defines problems with electricity – comments Daria Roszczyk-Krowicka, Sales and Marketing Director at Blulog, a company providing modern temperature monitoring solutions in refrigerated transport.
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