NEW REFRIGERATED TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGY

Silent Running - Emission Free
As renewed climate change warnings hit the news after the latest UK government science report compiled by Sir Nicholas Stern, the former chief economist at the World Bank, the development and promotion of cleaner energy and transport technology are bound to receive increased attention. Noise pollution too, is a major issue particularly for people in residential neighbourhoods who endure the sound of vehicles delivering to retail locations at all hours of the night. 

Ukrainian-American company, Ukram Industries, has developed a system with the potential to revolutionise how temperature-sensitive goods are transported around the world. Ukram capitalises on the opportunity to use a low-cost Ukrainian platform to introduce an innovative 'leading edge' technology to international markets.

Their patented system, 'eco-Fridge' is a silent and environmentally friendly transport refrigeration system that uses liquid nitrogen as the accelerant in the cooling process. Nitrogen (N2) is one of the components of air and does not produce any hazardous emissions, whereas traditional diesel-fuelled refrigerated mechanical transportation systems add to current levels of CO2 or produce hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs), primary contributors to global warming and the depletion of the ozone layer. The secret to the silence is the absence of any moving parts within the cooling system, combined with the fact that it does not require a mechanical engine, unlike traditional diesel-fuelled refrigerated trailers.

The Noise Abatement Society (NAS), which encourages companies to help protect the environment from noise pollution, believed this development to be revolutionary and gave Ukram the John Connell Technology Award 2006. A ceremony was held at the House of Commons on 1 November and the awards were presented by Celia Barlow, the Labour MP for Hove and Portslade, and Peter Ainsworth, the Conservative MP for East Surrey and shadow secretary of state for the environment.

NAS trustee Gloria Elliot described eco-Fridge as a fantastic step forward. "It solves the problem of delivering refrigerated goods to supermarkets at night, which is currently banned due to the high noise pollution of traditional refrigerated trailers," she said. "With the eco-Fridge system, we can combine the growing necessity for a 24h delivery of goods and at the same time reap the environmental benefits!"

Cutting edge technology developed by space scientists
 A former NASA scientist, Mr Pedolsky initiated and co-developed eco-Fridge with Roland Gavrylov, a Ukrainian who was Director of Special Research and Development Bureau at the Institute for Low Temperature Physics and Engineering (ILTPE) of the Ukrainian Academy of Science in Kharkov, Ukraine.

In March 2006, eco-Fridge received EU certification as an acceptable alternative refrigeration system meeting all the EU requirements for the refrigeration of frozen and refrigerated products, allowing the company to sell its product in Europe. The EU is limiting the use of HFCs in refrigeration systems and will enforce a complete ban from 2015 in line with the Kyoto Protocol, forcing companies to look for new solutions. Currently, there are no alternative transport cooling systems other than eco-Fridge that meet these regulations. Similar bans are expected in California and other states in the USA.

Operators and retailers in many countries are already keen to pursue the environmental and commercial benefits of EcoFridge.  The contract for delivery of five units to TFE, a major French transportation company, signed in June 2006, is on course. Moreover, a test system has been installed at Kroger, the largest food retailer in the US, to run for three months until December 2006. If the test is successful, Kroger has committed to initially buying 5-10 units for the feasibility test.  McLane, one of the largest food distribution companies in the US, has viewed the system in operation at Kroger's site and has also confirmed interest. Other demonstrations took place, for example, at Nestle-Scholler in Germany.

The fundamental differences between Ukram’s EcoFridge refrigeration system and conventional, diesel-powered systems are that EcoFridge is (a) silent running (b) uses nitrogen rather than diesel and therefore does not produce any emissions - CO2 or anything else (c) no moving parts making it virtually maintenance-free (d) 'pulls down' to required set temperature in less than half the time of a mechanical system, therefore, saving energy - time and there are no moving parts and therefore no Noise Pollution.