Thermal behavior investigation on marine reefer container envelopes embedded with vacuum insulation panel

Ankang Kan ,Zhaofeng Chen ,Zhiwu Ye ,Jinsheng Zhang ,Dan Cao ,Deng Lu ,Dong Min

doi:10.24294/tse11631

Home - TSE - Volume 8 - Issue 2

Submit to TSE

Journal Browser

Volume | Year

Issue

• Current lssue

View All

News and Announcements

View All

Thermal behavior investigation on marine reefer container envelopes embedded with vacuum insulation panel

Ankang Kan

Zhaofeng Chen

Zhiwu Ye

Jinsheng Zhang

Dan Cao

Deng Lu

Dong Min

Thermal Science and Engineering 2025, 8(2); https://doi.org/10.24294/tse11631

Submitted：25 Mar 2025

Accepted：25 Apr 2025

Published：15 May 2025

Download PDF(1.36M)

XML

Abstract

To investigate the effect of the location of vacuum insulation panels on the thermal insulation performance of marine reefer containers, a 20^ft mechanical refrigeration reefer container was employed in this paper, and the physical and mathematical models of three kinds of envelopes composed of vacuum insulation panels (VIP) and polyurethane foam (PU) were numerically established. The heat transfer of three types of envelopes under unsteady conditions was simulated. In order to be able to analyze theoretically, the Rasch transform is used to analyze the thermal inertia magnitude by calculating the thermal transfer response frequency and the thermal transfer response coefficient for each model, and the results are compared with the simulation results. The results implied that the insulation performance of VIP external insulation is the best. The delay times of each model obtained from the simulation results are 0.81 h, 1.45 h, 2.03 h, and 2.24 h, while the attenuation ratios are 8.93, 20.39, 20.62, and 21.78, respectively; the delay times calculated from the theoretical analysis are 0.78 h, 1.43 h, 1.99 h, and 2.20 h, respectively; and the attenuation ratios are 8.84, 20.31, 20.55, and 21.72, respectively. The carbon reduction effect of VIP external insulation is also the best. The most considerable carbon reduction is 3.65894 kg less than the traditional PU structure within 24 h. The research has a guiding significance for the research and progress of the new generation of energy-saving reefer containers and the insulation design of the envelope of refrigerated transportation equipment.

Keywords

References

1. Qi T, Ji J, Zhang X, et al. Research progress of cold chain transport technology for storage fruits and vegetables. Journal of Energy Storage. 2022; 56: 105958. doi: 10.1016/j.est.2022.105958

2. Zhao H, Liu S, Tian C, et al. An overview of current status of cold chain in China. International Journal of Refrigeration. 2018; 88: 483-495. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2018.02.024

3. Zhao R, Qiao L, Gao Z, et al. Effect of vacuum insulation panels on energy consumption and thermal load transfer between compartments in a three-temperature frost-free refrigerator. Energies. 2020; 13(7): 1559. doi: 10.3390/en13071559

4. Castelein B, Geerlings H, Van Duin R. The reefer container market and academic research: A review study. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2020; 256: 120654. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120654

5. Meng X, Sun J, Wang H. Cost Analysis of Multimodal Transport on Refrigerated Container. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 2021; 791(1): 012078. doi: 10.1088/1755-1315/791/1/012078

6. Ozsipahi M, Kose HA, Kerpicci H, et al. Experimental study of R290/R600a mixtures in vapor compression refrigeration system. International Journal of Refrigeration. 2022; 133: 247-258. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2021.10.004

7. Tao Y, Hwang Y, Radermacher R, et al. Experimental study on electrochemical compression of ammonia and carbon dioxide for vapor compression refrigeration system. International Journal of Refrigeration. 2019; 104: 180-188. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2019.05.009

8. Yang Y, Zhu Y, Zhang Z, et al. Experimental study on performance of double-mode refrigeration system. Applied Thermal Engineering. 2021; 188: 116670. doi: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2021.116670

9. Fantucci S, Garbaccio S, Lorenzati A, et al. Thermo-economic analysis of building energy retrofits using VIP - Vacuum Insulation Panels. Energy and Buildings. 2019; 196: 269-279. doi: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2019.05.019

10. Hasanzadeh R, Azdast T, Lee PC, et al. A review of the state-of-the-art on thermal insulation performance of polymeric foams. Thermal Science and Engineering Progress. 2023; 41: 101808. doi: 10.1016/j.tsep.2023.101808

11. V.C., M., S., S., B., P., et al. Preparation, characterisation and thermal property study of micro/nanocellulose crystals for vacuum insulation panel application. Thermal Science and Engineering Progress. 2021; 25: 101045. doi: 10.1016/j.tsep.2021.101045

12. Zach J, Novák V. Polymer-matrix-bonded polyester fibers as a substitute for materials used for the cores of vacuum insulation panels. Materiali in tehnologije. 2019; 53(4): 511-514. doi: 10.17222/mit.2018.208

13. Zach J, Peterková J, Dufek Z, et al. Development of vacuum insulating panels (VIP) with non-traditional core materials. Energy and Buildings. 2019; 199: 12-19. doi: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2019.06.026

14. Gaedtke M, Wachter S, Kunkel S, et al. Numerical study on the application of vacuum insulation panels and a latent heat storage for refrigerated vehicles with a large Eddy lattice Boltzmann method. Heat and Mass Transfer. 2019; 56(4): 1189-1201. doi: 10.1007/s00231-019-02753-4

15. Biswas K, Patel T, Shrestha S, et al. Whole building retrofit using vacuum insulation panels and energy performance analysis. Energy and Buildings. 2019; 203: 109430. doi: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2019.109430

16. Verma S, Singh H. Vacuum insulation panels for refrigerators. International Journal of Refrigeration. 2020; 112: 215-228. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2019.12.007

17. Alam M, Picco M, Resalati S. Comparative holistic assessment of using vacuum insulated panels for energy retrofit of office buildings. Building and Environment. 2022; 214: 108934. doi: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.108934

18. Geng Y, Han X, Zhang H, et al. Optimization and cost analysis of thickness of vacuum insulation panel for structural insulating panel buildings in cold climates. Journal of Building Engineering. 2021; 33: 101853. doi: 10.1016/j.jobe.2020.101853

19. Uriarte A, Garai I, Ferdinando A, et al. Vacuum insulation panels in construction solutions for energy efficient retrofitting of buildings. Two case studies in Spain and Sweden. Energy and Buildings. 2019; 197: 131-139. doi: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2019.05.039

20. Kan A, Wang T, Zhu W, et al. The characteristics of cargo temperature rising in reefer container under refrigeration-failure condition. International Journal of Refrigeration. 2021; 123: 1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2020.12.007

21. Senguttuvan S, Youn JS, Park J, et al. Enhanced airflow in a refrigerated container by improving the refrigeration unit design. International Journal of Refrigeration. 2020; 120: 460-473. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2020.08.019

22. Tong Y, Yang H, Bao L, et al. Analysis of Thermal Insulation Thickness for a Container House in the Yanqing Zone of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(24): 16417. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192416417

23. Fioretti R, Principi P, Copertaro B. A refrigerated container envelope with a PCM (Phase Change Material) layer: Experimental and theoretical investigation in a representative town in Central Italy. Energy Conversion and Management. 2016; 122: 131-141. doi: 10.1016/j.enconman.2016.05.071

24. Wang J, Ma X, Sun Y, et al. Thermal performance and sustainability assessment of refrigerated container with vacuum insulation panel envelope layer at different design forms. Thermal Science and Engineering Progress. 2023; 42: 101928. doi: 10.1016/j.tsep.2023.101928

25. Kaufmann P, Mai F, Baars S, et al. Develop a multifunctional interior wall insulation material using high-damping, thin and innovative VIP glass fiber (German). Bauphysik. 2020; 42(2): 73-85. doi: 10.1002/bapi.202000002

26. Mao S, Kan A, Zhu W, et al. The impact of vacuum degree and barrier envelope on thermal property and service life of vacuum insulation panels. Energy and Buildings. 2020; 209: 109699. doi: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2019.109699

27. Zheng QR, Zhu ZW, Chen J, et al. Preparation of carbon based getter for glass fiber core vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) used on marine reefer containers. Vacuum. 2017; 146: 111-119. doi: 10.1016/j.vacuum.2017.09.040

28. Kan A, Zhang X, Chen Z, et al. Effective thermal conductivity of vacuum insulation panels prepared with recyclable fibrous cotton core. International Journal of Thermal Sciences. 2023; 187: 108176. doi: 10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2023.108176

29. König J, Nemanič V, Žumer M, et al. Evaluation of the contributions to the effective thermal conductivity of an open-porous-type foamed glass. Construction and Building Materials. 2019; 214: 337-343. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.04.109

30. Di X, Xie Z, Chen J, et al. Residual gas analysis in vacuum insulation panel (VIP) with glass fiber core and investigation of getter for VIP. Building and Environment. 2020; 186: 107337. doi: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107337

31. Zhao W, Yan W, Zhang Z, et al. Development and performance evaluation of wood-pulp/glass fibre hybrid composites as core materials for vacuum insulation panels. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2022; 357: 131957. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.131957

32. Aditya L, Mahlia TMI, Rismanchi B, et al. A review on insulation materials for energy conservation in buildings. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 2017; 73: 1352-1365. doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2017.02.034

33. Xiao M, Zhang GQ. The Influence of Thermal Inertia Index on the Residential External Walls in Hot-Summer and Cold-Winter Areas. Applied Mechanics and Materials. 2013; 368-370: 562-565. doi: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.368-370.562

34. Zhao Y, Zhang X, Xu X. Application and research progress of cold storage technology in cold chain transportation and distribution. Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry. 2019; 139(2): 1419-1434. doi: 10.1007/s10973-019-08400-8

35. Kan A, Zheng N, Zhu W, et al. Innovation and development of vacuum insulation panels in China: A state-of-the-art review. Journal of Building Engineering. 2022; 48: 103937. doi: 10.1016/j.jobe.2021.103937

36. Fantucci S, Garbaccio S, Lorenzati A, et al. Thermo-economic analysis of building energy retrofits using VIP - Vacuum Insulation Panels. Energy and Buildings. 2019; 196: 269-279. doi: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2019.05.019

37. Thiessen S, Knabben FT, Melo C, et al. A study on the effectiveness of applying vacuum insulation panels in domestic refrigerators. International Journal of Refrigeration. 2018; 96: 10-16. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2018.09.006

Previous
article in this issue

Next
article in this issue