Ultra Lightweight Transport Refrigeration Aerogel

一些用作绝缘泡沫塑料发泡剂的气体(如加拿大最近被禁止生产但仍在使用的氢氟烃)具有很高的全球变暖潜力，由于2015年对《蒙特利尔议定书》的修正，它们的使用正在逐步减少。气凝胶是替代用于冷藏运输车辆的聚亚安酯泡沫塑料的很好的候选材料，它们很轻，而且热效率很高。它们将通过减轻车辆的重量和能源需求来显著降低车辆的燃料消耗。冷链非常需要研究，但由于交通条件的原因，有几个因素往往不在我们的控制范围内。提高冷藏运输箱的等温性能，将直接节省制冷机组消耗的燃料。此外，这将减少易腐烂食品运输设备的燃料消耗，并降低消费者的成本。潜力是巨大的，因为全球约有500万辆冷藏车在使用。加拿大、特别是远北地区、以及几乎所有国家都将受益于更好的运输系统，以减少食品和保健品损失的风险。

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.