Carrier Transicold has deepened the frozen range of its NaturaLINE container refrigeration unit to achieve and maintain a temperature of minus 40 degrees Celsius.
By refining the control logic to take full advantage of the NaturaLINE unit’s design features and the strong thermal attributes of its natural carbon dioxide (CO2) refrigerant, Carrier Transicold’s engineers established its new deep-frozen benchmark. The NaturaLINE unit was featured as part of Carrier Transicold’s exhibit at Intermodal Europe 2017 this week at the RAI Amsterdam event complex. “The minus 40 C capability can help shipping lines – especially those seeking environmentally responsible solutions – to provide enhanced offerings for customers who prefer colder frozen temperatures for maintaining quality attributes of some premium cargos, like ice cream, shrimp, sushi and other seafood over lengthy voyages,” said Jim Taeckens, senior product manager, Global Container Refrigeration, Carrier Transicold. "Fleets that want to provide deep-frozen capacities using a system reliant on a refrigerant with a global warming potential (GWP) thousands of times lower than other alternatives will find an ideal solution with the efficient NaturaLINE system," he added. “Beyond the NaturaLINE unit’s use of a sustainable, natural refrigerant and its new deep-frozen attributes, it is a solid performer in other ways,” Taeckens continued. “It provides energy-efficient performance and especially excels in perishable, part-load conditions." “Additionally, it offers tight temperature control, owing to a variable-speed drive that electronically adjusts compressor speed to provide the precise cooling capacity as needed,” Taeckens said. “And, it is significantly quieter when operating in typical low-speed mode an attribute many of our customers have praised.” The deep-frozen capability is immediately available with all newly purchased NaturaLINE units. Existing units in the field can take advantage of the enhanced performance range through a control software update.
Demonstrating its commitment to environmental stewardship, Seaco Global Ltd., one of the world's leading container leasing companies, has ordered 100 natural refrigerant-based NaturaLINE container refrigeration units from Carrier Transicold. The NaturaLINE unit provides a refrigerant choice that is accepted for long-term use without any restrictions, bypassing the need for intermediate refrigerant solutions and exceeding current and future regulations. The energy-efficient NaturaLINE unit uses the natural refrigerant carbon dioxide (CO2), responding to environmental concerns about the high global warming potential (GWP) of traditional hydrofluorcarbon (HFC) refrigerants, which are being phased down. CO2 has a GWP of just 1, making it the baseline against which traditional container unit refrigerants – with GWPs thousands of times higher – are compared.
“With a refrigerated fleet of 170,000 containers, Seaco monitors the new technology being developed to meet environmental legislation and supports all measures toward protection of the planet,” said Paul Merritt, chief operating officer for Singapore-based Seaco. “Seaco’s first order of NaturaLINE units is an important strategic step with the new generation of refrigerant unit gases, and we are pleased with Carrier’s commitment to developing environmentally responsible solutions.”
As HFC phasedowns go into effect, such as the European Union’s F-Gas Regulation, the NaturaLINE unit provides a hedge against cost and availability issues related to traditional refrigerants. In addition to having an ultra-low GWP, CO2 is non-ozone depleting, widely available, relatively inexpensive and classified as A1 for low toxicity and no flame propagation.
“Carrier has long enjoyed a close working relationship with Seaco and we commend its leadership for the vision to enhance its offerings with a sustainable natural-refrigerant solution,” said David Appel, president, Carrier Transicold & Refrigeration Systems. “In addition to sustainability and energy efficiency, the NaturaLINE system also offers outstanding refrigeration performance.”
Designed for sustainability as well as energy efficiency, the NaturaLINE unit offers exceptionally tight temperature control, owing to a variable-speed drive (VSD) that electronically adjusts compressor speed to provide the precise amount of cooling capacity as needed. It is also noted for being significantly quieter than other units in Carrier Transicold’s portfolio when operating in typical low-speed mode.
Seaco’s NaturaLINE units are currently being assembled at Carrier Transicold’s world-class container refrigeration facility in Singapore and will be placed onto 40-foot high-cube boxes. This NaturaLINE unit acquisition follows Seaco’s orders earlier this year for 7,000 Carrier Transicold PrimeLINE units.
