Thermo King Cryogenics - now available in Multi-Temp!

Thermo King has just taken its groundbreaking cryogenic technology a step further, with the addition of a fully cryogenic truck unit with multi-temperature capabilities to its range.

Finnish dairy company Valio Oy took delivery of the first Thermo King multi-temperature cryogenic unit in Europe

The new unit is ideal for urban retail multi-drop delivery operations, especially where low noise is a key requirement - a market sector which Thermo King is actively targeting with this new product.

The first two ST-CR 300 MT units in Europe have just been delivered to Finnish dairy company Valio Oy. A further six vehicles are on order.

Precise temperature management is a key requirement of Helsinki-based Valio, to protect its highly temperature-sensitive loads of dairy products such as milk, yogurt and ice cream on deliveries to supermarkets, restaurants, retailers and shops involving up to 40 door openings per trip. Early morning deliveries into inner city areas also mean that noise and emission of pollutants are important factors.

The new cryogenic units, installed by Thermo King’s dealer in Finland, VTA Teknikka, onto Renault 12T Midlum chassis, promise to meet these very strict requirements. “We are so far very impressed with Thermo King’s cryogenic system,” said Mika Jyrkonen, logistics engineer of Valio.

“We have carried out our own comparisons with diesel-powered units, and the cryogenic system is substantially more efficient - which is extremely important to us, as even a small temperature variation can mean a spoiled load.”

“Now that it is available in multi-temperature format, it is the ideal solution for our operation.” He added: “We can deliver mixed temperature loads at the same time, such as milk and ice cream, and the low noise and ‘environmental friendliness’ of the system makes it perfect for inner city deliveries.”

The new trucks combine Thermo King’s ST-CR 300 cryogenic truck technology with the S-2 remote evaporators as used on Thermo King’s SPECTRUM TS range of multi-temp trucks, launched in 2002. With two compartments, the trucks offer the flexibility of simultaneous distribution of frozen and chilled products, combined with the environmental benefits and superb efficiency of the cryogenic system.

Valio’s initial comparisons of the Thermo King ST-CR 300 MT with a traditional, diesel-powered truck refrigeration unit using the HFC-based refrigerant R-404a, showed the clear advantages of the cryogenic system, with very rapid temperature pull down - without the production of any additional noise.

Thermo King’s cryogenic systems are renowned for their efficiency, with pull-down rates up to three times faster than standard diesel-powered refrigeration units, and the ability to maintain set temperatures even with many door openings.

As with all of Thermo King’s fully cryogenic refrigeration units, which use liquid CO2 as a refrigerant in a unique, patented system developed by Thermo King, virtually no noise is produced by the refrigeration unit itself - a key factor in the Valio’s decision to use the cryogenic system, in order to meet strict noise regulations for deliveries into the inner areas of Helsinki.

The CO2 used in the system has been recovered from industrial processes (such as brewing), from which it is a by-product and would otherwise have been emitted to the atmosphere. Therefore, Thermo King cryogenic systems have no incremental effect on CO2 emissions and global warming. A filling station has been installed by AGA (a member of the Linde Gas Group) for supply of CO2 for Valio.

The cryogenic units also do not have any of the pollutant emissions, such as NOx, SO2 and particulates normally associated with diesel engines, and because they do not use an HFC-based refrigerant, have zero ozone depletion potential.