Friday, June 6, 2014

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Maersk Container Industry technology regulates air levels in reefers

Maersk Container Industry, a reefer-manufacturing subsidiary of Maersk Group, has created new technology to upgrade the shipment of fresh produce, improving air condition and substantively lowering energy consumption in the process.

MCI's automatic ventilation device, AV+, monitors the carbon dioxide levels expelled by fruit and vegetables in transit, adjusting the amount of fresh air entering the shipping container accordingly.

Conventional fixed open-air exchange vents (AirEx)often let more fresh air to enter shipments than necessary, and then that air has to be cooled by a separate system.

"I think with the automatic ventilation solution the number one advantage is that you only let in the fresh air that is required to keep the produce fresh, and therefore you can reduce energy consumption as there will be less warm air coming into the container which you need to cool down," said MCI sales and marketing general manager Anders G. Holm. "The normal way is a little bit like having the air conditioning running in your house with a door open on a warm day, which you wouldn't do. So it's a similar issue."

AV+ can also be programmed for the type of produce being shipped, since the maximum level of CO2 in the air they can withstand can vary. For instance, avocados should not be transported in an environment with more than 10 percent CO2, while for potatoes, this figure is much lower at 3 percent.

Although MCI is focused solely on shipping containers, Holm said the technology could easily be integrated to trucks for hauling fresh produce over land.

For more of the Fresh Fruit Portal story: freshfruitportal.com

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