If your business transports goods that must be kept at low temperatures, ie food or drink, you will be aware of how important refrigerated transport is. Refrigerated transport is the perfect solution to keeping goods at their optimum temperatures whilst they get transported across the country. But how do refrigerated trailers actually work?
The Components
The Compressor
Driven by a small engine within the unit, the compressors job is to draw in gaseous refrigerants and then compress it. The pressor inside the compressor turns the gas into liquid which then gives off heat to the body of the compressor.
The Condenser
The condenser is where the liquid from the compressor is pumped to. The condenser is a heat exchanger. Warm air flows from the liquid to the walls of the tubing and then to fins on the tubing. The fins give more surface area for cooling the outside air. The condenser is a similar to process to the way a radiator cools an engine.
The Evaporator
Located in the trailer, the evaporator is where the cool liquid from the condenser flows to. When the refrigerant has given up much of its heat in the condenser, the cool liquid flows through a metering valve where it then flows into the evaporator. The evaporator helps to maintain backpressure and plays a big part in this system.
When the refrigerant is in the evaporator it rapidly expands. This process is where the liquid returns to a gas and as it does, it absorbs heat from its surroundings. The heat surrounding the gas are finned coils which help to transfer heat from air flowing over the fins to the refrigerant.
The air in the trailer is now cooled by giving up its heat to the evaporator and circulates back into the trailer to keep the entire trailer cool.
Edwards Transport operates a fleet of over 40 refrigerated trailers and distributes to both the UK and Europe. From single pallets to full loads, Edwards Transport can meet all of your refrigerated transport requirements. Find out more here: https://edwards-transport.com/fleet/refrigerated/