4 research outputs found
The reefer container market and academic research: A review study
The refrigerated (or ‘reefer’) container market grows rapidly. Researchers and sector stakeholders increasingly realize that this container market segment has its distinct dynamics and demands. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the reefer container sector, its most important characteristics and trends, and a systematic review of the academic literature on reefer containers and logistics. First the authors outline the characteristics, composition, and development of the reefer container market, showing its growth through modal shift (from conventional reefer ships and airfreight) and differentiation into new cargo markets and niche services. Secondly the authors outline reefer chains in terms of their relevant stages, stakeholders, and processes. Data on insurance claims shows that cold chain failure and cargo loss not only occur due to technical failures, but just as often due to organizational errors – especially due to hold-up risk at container transfer points. Thirdly the authors map the present knowledge on reefer containers and reefer transportation through a systematic literature review. The current body of research on reefer containers consists mostly of highly specialized, technical studies on product characteristics and quality preservation, monitoring and control, refrigeration technology, and temperature management. While technological advances in these fields have largely enabled the containerization of cold logistics chains, the first sections of this paper also highlight that many current pressing issues in reefer transportation are logistical and organizational in nature. Therefore, the authors propose a research agenda addressing these overlooked aspects, including supply chain coordination issues and implications of reefer market developments for port policy
Testing packaging design changes in kiwifruit packaging for reefer container conditions : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Food Technology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
Refrigerated transport is widely used for export in the New Zealand horticultural industry, valued to be over NZD 2.3B in 2019). To understand the effects of vertical ventilation on a kiwifruit MB box design in a reefer condition, an apparatus was designed and constructed of a single column of MB boxes with similar airflow considerations as a standard reefer. For experimentation purposes artificial kiwifruit simulators were used in place of real kiwifruits. Fruit temperature was used as a variable to understand the cooling efficiency of the box design by using 20℃ or 25℃ as initial temperature and pumping 0℃ reefer condition airflow into the apparatus. In addition to vertical ventilation, the experimental setup also considered polyliner bags and different air flow modes as a design variable and reefer variable respectively. For single column MB boxes at reefer conditions it was found that 3% vertical ventilation has no significant effect on the cooling profile of the boxes in both economical (40 air renewal/hr) and normal (75 renewal/ hr) air flows. Additionally, removal of polyliner form the design reduced the half-cooling time of the boxes in economical flow ranging from 36-56 %. Where the smallest and largest change was observed in the middle box and the base box. With the addition of vertical ventilation to the polyliner scenario, an added effect of reduction in the half- cooling values ranging 46-52% was observed
Numerical and Experimental Evaluation of In-Transit Fruit Temperature Control Alternatives Inside Integral Containers.
Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineerin