![Sainsburys lorry refrigerated trailer](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Sainsburys_lorry_refrigerated_trailer.jpg)
A refrigerator truck or chiller lorry (also called a Reefer), is a
van or
truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...
designed to carry perishable freight at low temperatures. Most long-distance refrigerated transport by truck is done in
articulated trucks pulling refrigerated
semi-trailer
A semi-trailer is a trailer without a front axle. In the United States, the term is also used to refer to the combination of a truck and a semi-trailer; a tractor-trailer.
A large proportion of a semi-trailer's weight is supported by a trac ...
s. Sometimes they are used to carry dead human beings.
History
The first successful mechanically refrigerated trucks were made for the ice cream industry in 1925. African American inventor
Frederick McKinley Jones later contributed to the field. There were around 4 million refrigerated road vehicles in use in 2010 worldwide.
Features
Like
refrigerator car
A refrigerator car (or "reefer") is a refrigerated boxcar (U.S.), a piece of railroad rolling stock designed to carry perishable freight at specific temperatures. Refrigerator cars differ from simple insulated boxcars and ventilated boxcars (co ...
s, refrigerated trucks differ from simple
insulated and
ventilated vans (commonly used for transporting fruit), neither of which are fitted with cooling apparatus.
Refrigerator trucks can be ice-cooled, equipped with any one of a variety of mechanical
refrigeration
The term refrigeration refers to the process of removing heat from an enclosed space or substance for the purpose of lowering the temperature.International Dictionary of Refrigeration, http://dictionary.iifiir.org/search.phpASHRAE Terminology, ht ...
systems powered by small displacement diesel engines, or utilize
carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide ( chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is trans ...
(either as
dry ice
Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide. It is commonly used for temporary refrigeration as CO2 does not have a liquid state at normal atmospheric pressure and sublimates directly from the solid state to the gas state. It is used primarily ...
or in liquid form) as a cooling agent. They are often equipped with small "vent doors" at the rear and front of the trailer. The purpose of these doors is to be kept open while hauling non-refrigerated cargo (often "
backhaul"), so as to air out the trailer.
See also
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Cold chain
A cold chain is a low temperature-controlled supply chain network. An unbroken cold chain is an uninterrupted series of refrigerated production, storage and distribution activities, along with associated equipment and logistics, which maintain qu ...
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Fuel cell auxiliary power unit
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Reefer (container)
A refrigerated container or reefer is an intermodal container (shipping container) used in intermodal freight transport that is capable of refrigeration for the transportation of temperature-sensitive, perishable cargo such as fruits, vegetabl ...
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Reefer ship
A reefer ship is a refrigerated cargo ship typically used to transport perishable cargo, which require temperature-controlled handling, such as fruits, meat, vegetables, dairy products, and similar items.
Description
''Types of reefers:'' Re ...
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Refrigerated van
A refrigerated van (also called a refrigerated wagon) is a railway goods wagon with cooling equipment. Today they are designated by the International Union of Railways (UIC) as Class I.
History
The first wagons were cooled with ice that had ...
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Refrigerator car
A refrigerator car (or "reefer") is a refrigerated boxcar (U.S.), a piece of railroad rolling stock designed to carry perishable freight at specific temperatures. Refrigerator cars differ from simple insulated boxcars and ventilated boxcars (co ...
*
Temperature data logger A temperature data logger, also called temperature monitor, is a portable measurement instrument that is capable of autonomously recording temperature over a defined period of time. The digital data can be retrieved, viewed and evaluated after it h ...
References
Bibliography
* Prentice, B. E., & Benell, D. (1992). "Determinants of empty returns by US refrigerated trucks: conjoint analysis approach". ''Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie'', 40(1), 109-127. (abstract).
External links
Guideline for long refrigerated trailers in Queensland// Queensland Government, August 2006
Heat and Mass Transfer: Fundamentals and Applications, 4/e (2011) Chapter 17-8 "Transportation of Refrigerated Foods" page 17-41
UNIT 7 AIR CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT AND THEIR APPLICATIONS//
IGNOU
Indira Gandhi National Open University, known as IGNOU, is a Central University located at Maidan Garhi, New Delhi, India. Named after former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi, the university was established in 1985 with a budget of 20& ...
, School of Engineering & Technology, BME - 032; chapter 7.5 TRANSPORT REFRIGERATION - section "7.5.1 Refrigerated Trucks and Trailers", page 103
{{Authority control
Trucks
Cooling technology
Food preservation