A cold chain is a temperature-controlled supply chain mechanism. It is an unbroken chain, an
uninterrupted series of storage and distribution activities which maintains a
given temperature range. It is used to help extend and ensure the shelf
life of products such as fresh
agricultural produce, seafood, frozen food, photographic film, chemicals and pharmaceutical drugs ,or perishable goods in general.
è Temperature Controlled Warehousing- Cold Chain can never be complete without being able to warehouse the merchandise at a desired temperature .
è Refrigerated Transport- This forms the backbone of any Cold Chain system and provides mobility to the commodities.
è Integrated
last mile distribution- Cold Chain cannot succeed unless it is duly supported by an efficient temperature
controlled last mile distribution network.
Major
Challenges being faced by Cold Chain Industry
A successful Cold Chain can only be run by ensuring that the entire
mechanism is leak proof, in doing so the entire chain proves to be a highly
energy intensive sector gurgling up precious natural resources in storing as
well as in moving the commodity.
A necessary evil of the Cold Chain is the fuel coupled cooling being
used in reefer units to maintain the requisite temperature while on the go. This
not only drains the natural fossil fuels which are any ways dwindling down but
also releases a hug carbon footprint which could take decades for the earth to
minus out. An average reefer truck could emit up to 72 gm of CO2 per Km (Wild, 2010) . Another major
strain is laid on the monetary resources of the units involved in trying to
maintain the efficiency of the Cold Chain. Speaking in terms of the money, for
every hour that a reefer truck runs it spends approximately- Rs. 200 (Pluss
Polymers Pvt Ltd, 2014) . This in itself causes a huge strain on
the fund flow of the companies executing cold chain for its products and
eventually loads the additional burden on the end user/consumer.
What are Phase Change Materials?
Phase Change Materials as the name suggest are materials that exhibit the ability
to store high amount hot/cold energy during its phase transition from solid
phase to liquid phase or vice versa at a designed temperature. In a way Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are like
Thermal Batteries which provide precise temperature control over a certain
period of time without the active engagement of a cooling mechanism.
Application PCMs in Reefer vehicles
Reefer units are commonly of the following 2 types-
1) Long
Haul Units- Those that
use Reefer Trucks in transportation for beyond 24 Hours. These units deliver
the perishables for beyond a small geographical territory. These Reefer Units
can make use of PCMs in the form of “Active Eutectic Plates”. Eutectic plates
filled with PCMs can provide back up of 24hours and more. In this the Plates
are mounted inside the container and provide active cooling during transit by
partial application of the engine block of the truck. Thus significantly
reducing fuel consumption.
2) Short
Haul Units- last mile
distribution forms the last rung of any cold chain system. For an efficient
cold chain the last mile distribution network should be highly efficient. PCMs
can be integrated directly in the form of “Tabs” charged over night to
passively maintain temperature control while last mile delivery. Another
Plug’n’Chill technology developed by TESSOL systems using savE® PCMs is used for last mile delivery.
In this system an nose mountain unit charges the PCMs overnight and the PCM
panels maintain precise temperature control while the reefer is on the move.
Temperature excursion can be checked for over 12 hours with this kind of
technology.
The following table
shows the cost benefit analysis between a PCM based reefer trucker and
conventional truck.
Parameters
|
Without PCM
|
With PCM
|
Cost
of Truck and the insulated container
|
8.5
Lakhs
|
8.5
Lakhs
|
Cost
of the refrigeration equipment including
Phase Change Materials & charging unit for PCM based truck
|
NIL
|
3.75
Lakhs
|
Cost
of Refrigeration unit for conventional Truck
|
2.5
Lakhs
|
NIL
|
Total
Capital cost
|
11
Lakhs
|
12.25
Lakhs
|
Diesel
Consumption for the vehicle
|
4
Litres per hour
|
2.5
Litres Per Hour
|
Cost
of Electricity
|
NIL
|
Rs.6
per unit(10 units per day)
|
Total
Running Cost
|
10
Lakhs /annum
|
6.5
Lakhs /annum
|
Investment in Capital cost of PCM based reefer truck over
conventional truck
|
1.25 Lakhs (One Time cost)
|
|
Savings per annum using PCM system
|
3.5 Lakhs (per annum)
|
|
The above table makes it amply clear that usage of PCMs can help tackle
all three issues plaguing the Cold Chain sector- Fuel consumption, Carbon
Emission and Financial Strain. Incorporation of PCMs is also simple, requiring
minimal engineering and retrofitting.
Unlike in India, the west has been fast in picking up this innovative
energy channelizing material which can prove to be helpful in saving millions
of gallons of fuel per year. This situation proves to be a win-win proposition
for both the producers of the goods and the units providing cold chain movement
of the goods.
The way ahead…..
Phase Change Materials are the answer to many
issues being tackled by the Cold Chain Transport industry on a regular basis.
The Cold Chain sector is a growing sector and with its growth alternative
technologies such as PCMs have to be introduced for the development new methods
for eliminating temperature excursion.
Author- Vishnu Sasidharan
