Refrigerated Trucking-Reefers

There are 500,000 Refrigerated Trailers in service in the United States and $5 Billion dollars is spent every year on new equipment, globally.  All of this equipment has a known issue, which is well-documented internationally, and causes these systems to start to lose efficiency as soon as they are put into service.

CryoGenX4 to the Rescue

Validation Study Overview:
A comprehensive energy performance study, conducted for DPI, was performed to validate the effectiveness of CryoGenX4, an energy control measure (ECM), to reduce DPI’s operational costs while delivering on its suppliers’ science-based sustainability goals.

A trailer’s refrigeration unit (reefer) consumes diesel fuel to maintain the proper temperature for each compartment. The longer and more intensively the reefer runs, the more diesel it consumes (and the more greenhouse gases emitted). Over time, the reefer’s capacity and efficiency degrade with use; this is due to continual oil migration on the surface of the internal coil and compressor. CryoGenX4 removes and emulsifies oil fouling covering the surface of heat exchange surfaces.

This study evaluated CryoGenX4’s impact on DPI equipment and was conducted between October 11-15, 2019 at the DPI Mid-Atlantic distribution center in Capitol Heights, MD, on a 53’ trailer (#350866) equipped with a 4-year-old Carrier Vector 8600MT reefer.

After Deploying CryoGenX4 in the DPI Reefer:

• Freezer efficiency increased 24%
• Cooler efficiency increased 42%
• Fuel efficiency improved 20%
• Verified fuel usage every day to perform the same delivery route over a two month review period. Results showed a 20% average fuel savings with CryoGenX4. 
• Reduced food spoilage and maintained operating temperatures required by client. After doors are opened at a delivery, the reefer units have to work hard to get the trailer back to setpoint temperatures (pull down times.) With a 42% cooler improvement and 24% freezer improvements, pull down times are reduced by the same amount.  By example, if the cooler took 15 minutes to pull down to setpoint temperature before, it can now reach the same temperature in just over 10 minutes. This occurs at every delivery stop. 

Key Take Away: Fewer reefer runtime hours translates directly into less diesel fuel consumed and longer compressor and reefer equipment life. Faster pull down times to reach temperature once doors are opened for deliveries results in better ability for products to stay within allowable temperatures while saving money doing it.

When deployed in the 256 Trailers within the DPI portfolio,  at $3 a gallon for diesel, DPI could save $343K every year for the next 7 years they operate trailers—or $2.1 Million dollars.