When it comes to transporting temperature-sensitive cargo, it becomes important to understand the mechanics behind temperature regulation. In doing so, you’ll also come to understand the costs and benefits inherent to every method of doing so.
Moving Heat Around
The temperature of an object or a location is determined by the addition and removal of heat. The day is warmer than the night because the sun is beaming down a constant stream of radiation which warms the side of the planet which faces it. This heat builds up slowly over time, which is why the hottest part of the day is actually several hours after noon, and it takes its time when dissipating, which is why it doesn’t turn cold immediately after sunset.
Active temperature regulators like refrigeration units work by absorbing heat in one location and radiating it out in another. Essentially, on one end of the unit a special chemical expands from a liquid to a gas, and since gasses have a higher energy state than liquids, it pulls in the needed energy from the air around it, making the area colder. The gas then moves to another part of the unit where it’s compressed back into a liquid, releasing the heat it gained back into the air.
Because of this cycle and because the motors that move the chemicals and spin the fans are also generating heat, refrigeration units can’t work without access to both the interior it’s cooling and an exterior where it can dump all the excess heat. Between the complicated systems and the fact that they create more heat than they remove, refrigeration systems can be expensive to run and maintain, especially compared to a heater which only needs electricity or a flame source to work.
Keeping Heat From Moving
Dense and conductive materials are far better at moving heat and energy around than light and nonconductive materials. Air is actually an extremely good insulator, at least when compared to denser materials like water or stone. Still, air will gradually move heat from one spot in a room until the whole area is about the same temperature, and so what the best insulators do is trap pockets of air so that it can’t move around and regularize with its surroundings.
SureTemp container blankets use passive temperature control, which means they work by trapping air both within and between the hollow fibers that make up the meat of every blanket. In addition, the outer layers use highly reflective poly-coated aluminum, which keeps outside radiation from getting in and keeps inside radiation from getting out.
We also have container blankets that use plastic bubbles to trap air and have a metalized film instead of a full layer of aluminum. While they aren’t as effective as our fiber blankets, they’re a more economical choice for shorter hauls and less sensitive cargo.
Thermodynamics is a fascinating field of science, and you’ll encounter thousands of applications in your everyday life. And when it comes time to pay your bills, both for your business and for your home, you’ll discover pretty quickly how much money you can save by using passive temperature control instead of active.
