Thermodynamic qualification of knitted spacer fabrics for use as insulation box insert in the context of refrigerated transport containers in the logistics sector
Temperature-sensitive products such as refrigerated and frozen goods pose particular challenges for logistics. Against the background of the mobility shift towards electric vehicles and the current challenges of temperature-stable transport in the field of pharmaceutical, esp. vaccine logistics in t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
TU Dresden
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Communications in Development and Assembling of Textile Products |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.qucosa.de/cdatp/article/view/99 |
| _version_ | 1797369077435465728 |
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| author | Julia Klausmann Thomas Mutschler Prisca Holderied Dominik Güther Thomas Freitag Matthias Hummel Martin Zeitler Oliver van Neerven Marcus Oliver Weber Christof Breckenfelder |
| author_facet | Julia Klausmann Thomas Mutschler Prisca Holderied Dominik Güther Thomas Freitag Matthias Hummel Martin Zeitler Oliver van Neerven Marcus Oliver Weber Christof Breckenfelder |
| author_sort | Julia Klausmann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Temperature-sensitive products such as refrigerated and frozen goods pose particular challenges for logistics. Against the background of the mobility shift towards electric vehicles and the current challenges of temperature-stable transport in the field of pharmaceutical, esp. vaccine logistics in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, new, energy-efficient vehicle equipment is needed to maintain cold chains. Known refrigeration concepts are designed to cool the entire cargo hold. In addition, the goods cannot be removed from the vehicle while maintaining the cold chain. An insulating effect of containers is typically achieved by using foamed polystyrene (Styrofoam). On the one hand, these structures have a very good insulating effect, but on the other hand, they cannot be reduced in volume during recirculation and are problematic with regard to recycling. The aim of the research presented here is therefore to develop a knitted box that is designed as a volume-reducible, rigid but foldable box. This can be used as a supplement to existing transport container systems and therefore can be inserted in the transport container. The knitted box performs as insulation when the transported goods are actively cooled inside the box, which is more sustainable and flexible than recent insulation solutions. Knitted fabrics, especially spacer fabrics, have advantageous thermo-physical properties for this application due to their structural design. In the course of a research project, various spacer fabrics were tested for their thermo-physical suitability as insulation materials. It was found that knitted predetermined folding lines represent an insulation gap. Based on this, a new structure was developed which, due to its structural design, compensates for cold or thermal bridges at vertices and edges of the box. The results show that the knitted corrugated structure insulates better than the knitted spacer fabrics with predetermined folding lines. A thermal imaging camera was used to identify critical points for heat transfer. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T17:41:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-21bc099012f54454ac42a08129c976da |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2701-939X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T17:41:36Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | TU Dresden |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications in Development and Assembling of Textile Products |
| spelling | doaj.art-21bc099012f54454ac42a08129c976da2024-01-02T10:59:35ZengTU DresdenCommunications in Development and Assembling of Textile Products2701-939X2023-02-0141182610.25367/cdatp.2023.4.p18-26100Thermodynamic qualification of knitted spacer fabrics for use as insulation box insert in the context of refrigerated transport containers in the logistics sectorJulia Klausmann0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9348-6318Thomas Mutschler1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9420-6776Prisca Holderied2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7059-4639Dominik Güther3Thomas Freitag4Matthias Hummel5Martin Zeitler6Oliver van Neerven7Marcus Oliver Weber8Christof Breckenfelder91Hochschule Niederrhein – University of Applied Sciences, Research Institute for Textile and Clothing (FTB), Mönchengladbach (Germany)Hochschule Niederrhein – University of Applied Sciences, Research Institute for Textile and Clothing (FTB), Mönchengladbach (Germany)Hochschule Niederrhein – University of Applied Sciences, Research Institute for Textile and Clothing (FTB), Mönchengladbach (Germany)Steinbeis-Innovationszentrum Energie- und Umwelttechnik (SIZ), Oelsnitz, GermanySteinbeis-Innovationszentrum Energie- und Umwelttechnik (SIZ), Oelsnitz, GermanyHero-Textil AG, Crailsheim, GermanyHero-Textil AG, Crailsheim, GermanyWalther Faltsysteme GmbH, Kevelear, GermanyHochschule Niederrhein – University of Applied Sciences, Research Institute for Textile and Clothing (FTB), Mönchengladbach, GermanyHochschule Niederrhein – University of Applied Sciences, Research Institute for Textile and Clothing (FTB), Mönchengladbach, GermanyTemperature-sensitive products such as refrigerated and frozen goods pose particular challenges for logistics. Against the background of the mobility shift towards electric vehicles and the current challenges of temperature-stable transport in the field of pharmaceutical, esp. vaccine logistics in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, new, energy-efficient vehicle equipment is needed to maintain cold chains. Known refrigeration concepts are designed to cool the entire cargo hold. In addition, the goods cannot be removed from the vehicle while maintaining the cold chain. An insulating effect of containers is typically achieved by using foamed polystyrene (Styrofoam). On the one hand, these structures have a very good insulating effect, but on the other hand, they cannot be reduced in volume during recirculation and are problematic with regard to recycling. The aim of the research presented here is therefore to develop a knitted box that is designed as a volume-reducible, rigid but foldable box. This can be used as a supplement to existing transport container systems and therefore can be inserted in the transport container. The knitted box performs as insulation when the transported goods are actively cooled inside the box, which is more sustainable and flexible than recent insulation solutions. Knitted fabrics, especially spacer fabrics, have advantageous thermo-physical properties for this application due to their structural design. In the course of a research project, various spacer fabrics were tested for their thermo-physical suitability as insulation materials. It was found that knitted predetermined folding lines represent an insulation gap. Based on this, a new structure was developed which, due to its structural design, compensates for cold or thermal bridges at vertices and edges of the box. The results show that the knitted corrugated structure insulates better than the knitted spacer fabrics with predetermined folding lines. A thermal imaging camera was used to identify critical points for heat transfer.https://journals.qucosa.de/cdatp/article/view/99spacer fabricstransport boxcold chainthermal insulationfoldable boxlogistics containerknitted fabricstructure designthermal conductivityknitted boxsustainabilityenergy efficiencytemperature-sensitive goodsknitted spacer fabriclogistics |
| spellingShingle | Julia Klausmann Thomas Mutschler Prisca Holderied Dominik Güther Thomas Freitag Matthias Hummel Martin Zeitler Oliver van Neerven Marcus Oliver Weber Christof Breckenfelder Thermodynamic qualification of knitted spacer fabrics for use as insulation box insert in the context of refrigerated transport containers in the logistics sector Communications in Development and Assembling of Textile Products spacer fabrics transport box cold chain thermal insulation foldable box logistics container knitted fabric structure design thermal conductivity knitted box sustainability energy efficiency temperature-sensitive goods knitted spacer fabric logistics |
| title | Thermodynamic qualification of knitted spacer fabrics for use as insulation box insert in the context of refrigerated transport containers in the logistics sector |
| title_full | Thermodynamic qualification of knitted spacer fabrics for use as insulation box insert in the context of refrigerated transport containers in the logistics sector |
| title_fullStr | Thermodynamic qualification of knitted spacer fabrics for use as insulation box insert in the context of refrigerated transport containers in the logistics sector |
| title_full_unstemmed | Thermodynamic qualification of knitted spacer fabrics for use as insulation box insert in the context of refrigerated transport containers in the logistics sector |
| title_short | Thermodynamic qualification of knitted spacer fabrics for use as insulation box insert in the context of refrigerated transport containers in the logistics sector |
| title_sort | thermodynamic qualification of knitted spacer fabrics for use as insulation box insert in the context of refrigerated transport containers in the logistics sector |
| topic | spacer fabrics transport box cold chain thermal insulation foldable box logistics container knitted fabric structure design thermal conductivity knitted box sustainability energy efficiency temperature-sensitive goods knitted spacer fabric logistics |
| url | https://journals.qucosa.de/cdatp/article/view/99 |
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