REFRIGERATED RAILROAD CAR DESIGN FOR SHIPPING FROZEN MEAT USING ALTERNATIVE REFRIGERANTS

Abstract

Refrigerated railroad cars, known as reefers, are railroad rolling stock designed to carry perishable freight at specific temperatures. They are insulated boxcars that keep the cargo at a regulated temperature. As soon as railroad cars had the capability to keep a load cold, the potential growth of the meat, dairy, fruit and brewery industries became nearly unlimited. In this paper, a cold-room system in a railroad car was investigated as a case study to illustrate the use of the sample model. The change of substitute refrigerants and insulation thickness of the cold rooms' refrigeration system was also considered in the model. The coefficient of performance (COP), refrigerant flow rate and capacities of each component of the refrigeration system were calculated for the refrigerants R12, R22, R134a, R290, R410A, R430A, R431A, R436A, R507A, R600a as part of this analysis. As a result of the energy analyses, all of the substitute refrigerants have a slightly lower COP and require higher compressor work than R12 and R22 for a condensation temperature of 40 degrees C. The frozen meats have an evaporation temperature of -25 degrees C related to the preserved product in the case studies. Influences of the insulation thickness of the wall on evaporator capacity and outside temperature of various cities on the condenser are also studied.