System Performance and Economic Analysis of a Phase Change Material Based Cold Energy Storage Container for Cold Chain Transportation

We studied a shipping container integrated with phase change material (PCM) based thermal energy storage (TES) units for cold chain transportation applications. A 40 ft container was used, which was installed with ten plate-like TES units containing PCM and a charging loop. An appropriate PCM was selected for meeting the requirement of the transportation of fresh vegetables (7-12°C). The charging loop was linked to a separate charging facility via quick coupling valves. The discharging performance of the container under dynamic conditions was investigated. The COP of the system was estimated to be 1.73. Economic analyses showed that energy and operation costs of the PCM-based container were, respectively, 71.3% and 85.6% lower than the same container but powered by a diesel engine (called reefer container). The results also showed that the PCM-based container was able to maintain not only the temperature range (7-12°C) but also the humidity range (85-95%), leading to better quality and longer shelf-life of the goods.