Ultra Lightweight Transport Refrigeration Aerogel

一些用作绝缘泡沫发泡剂的气体（例如，加拿大最近禁止生产但仍在使用的HCFs）具有很高的全球升温潜能值，由于2015年对《蒙特利尔议定书》的修正，其使用正在逐步减少。为了取代用于冷藏运输车辆的聚氨酯泡沫，气凝胶是很好的候选者，它们很轻，热效率很高。它们将通过减少车辆的重量和能源需求来大大减少车辆的燃料消耗。冷链研究是非常必要的，但由于交通条件的几个因素往往是我们无法控制的。提高冷藏运输箱的等温性能将直接节省制冷机组所消耗的燃料。此外，这将导致易腐食品运输设备的燃料消耗减少，消费者的成本降低。这一潜力是巨大的，因为全世界约有500万辆冷藏车在使用。加拿大，特别是遭受供应困难的远北社区，以及几乎所有国家都将受益于更好的运输系统，以减少粮食和保健产品损失的风险。

Some of the gases used as blowing agents of insulating foam (such as HCFs, recently banned from production in Canada but still in use) have a high global warming potential and their use is in phase-down due to the amendment to the Montreal Protocol in 2015. To replace the polyurethane foams used for refrigerated transport vehicles, aerogels are good candidates, they are light and thermally very efficient. They would allow reducing significantly the fuel consumption of vehicles by decreasing their weight and the energy needs. Research is seriously needed in the cold chain, but several factors due to traffic conditions are often out of our control. Improving the isothermal performance of refrigerated transport boxes will directly save the fuel consumed by the refrigeration unit. In addition, this will result in a reduction in fuel consumption of perishable food transport equipment and a cost reduction for consumers. The potential is huge since there are about 5 million refrigerated vehicles in use worldwide. Canada, particularly Far North communities that suffer from supply difficulties, and virtually all countries would benefit from better transport systems to reduce the risk of food and health product losses.