The tide is turning.

Sea-Land, Crowley agree Thermo King Scroll/R404A Units are the wave of the future.

Less than one year ago Thermo King introduced its new Smart Reefer™ for containers. Sounds innocent enough. But this innovative new unit featured R404A refrigerant and a scroll compressor. A big change for the industry. Now, less than 12 months have passed and some of the industry leaders are seeing the endless benefits this new technology offers. It's tough to argue with better temperature control, lighter weight, less power consumption and additional operating profit.

Read on to learn more about why some of the largest ocean carriers are offering reefers using R404A refrigerant and scroll compressor technology.

The Sea-Land Story

Sea-Land Services Inc. takes its reefer buying very seriously. It has to. After all, the company has to live up to a rich heritage of innovation. With more than 40 years experience in containerized ocean shipping, Sea-Land was the first company to launch trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific service in the 1960s. What's more, it was the first carrier to use ocean-going refrigerated containers. That spirit of innovative leadership continues today with the purchase of Thermo King CSR-40 Smart Reefers for containers. The units feature a scroll compressor, chlorine-free R404A refrigerant and the Thermoguard µP-D microprocessor controller.

A cross-section of Sea-Land employees from engineering, maintenance, marketing and purchasing formed a reefer planning team about 12 months ago, according to Barbara Pratt, Sea-Land director, reefer technology and marketing. "We knew that in order to continue to lead the marketplace we needed to go after the most technologically advanced equipment," Pratt continued. "We developed a very strict focus and corresponding goals for placing orders for reefers, gen-sets and boxes. For instance, we wanted more low-end capacity at high ambients; better energy consumption for lower operating cost; better thermal capabilities and lighter weight systems; and a more reliable universal humidity control system."

According to performance tests conducted by Thermo King, the new scroll/R404A Smart Reefer has better temperature control than competitive products with 15 percent greater evaporator air flow and as much as 20 percent more cooling capacity, meeting the most stringent customer requirements at all container temperatures.

Charged with R404A refrigerant, the Smart Reefer was developed for both perishable and frozen cargo, covering the full temperature range from 80 degrees F (27 degrees C) to -20 degrees F (-30 degrees C) in both new and older containers.

"We're pleased industry leaders like Sea-Land are recognizing the value-added features these new technologies offer and are making the move to scroll compressors and R404A refrigerant," explains Phil Lee, container product manager. "It's no secret that Thermo King is a strong supporter of these technologies. And we're confident the industry will continue to recognize the many benefits associated with the scroll/R404A design over other technologies. After all, the combination has allowed Thermo King to develop units which are lighter weight, have better temperature control, consume less power, are more reliable and provide operators additional operating profit they can't obtain using conventional technologies."

The Smart Reefer's scroll compressor weighs approximately one-quarter as much as comparable reciprocating compressors. This allows for more cargo carrying capacity that, in turn, can lead to an increase in bottom-line revenues for equipment users. With only four moving parts – as compared to more than 50 in competitive reciprocating compressors – and double the life expectancy, simplicity and reliability are inherent in the scroll's design.

"The scope of our reefer planning team was to determine where Sea-Land was, where it needed to be and how it could improve," Pratt continued. "We tested equipment bought over the last ten years, as well as new equipment. We also had a series of technical meetings with people in the industry. All aspects of a variety of units were explored – including anything negative the industry was saying about a particular system. Our data shows that the CSR-40 scroll/R404A system with minimal risk meets our reefer objectives better than any other unit we tested. Our customers should be very satisfied with this new technology."

The Crowley Story

A program to replace its refrigerated trailers with refrigerated containers featuring chlorine-free R404A refrigerant has paid off for Crowley American Transport, Inc. So much so that the company is planning another deal with reefer manufacturer Thermo King Corporation. This time the order calls for 470 units featuring not only R404A refrigerant, but also Thermo King's scroll compressor technology.

"We decided to order the 40-foot, high-cube reefers with scroll compressors because they are lighter than other compressors and have fewer moving parts for maximum reliability and longevity," said Rodger Fling, Crowley general manager, maintenance and repair.

According to Fling, the company significantly improved the utilization of its equipment by using refrigerated containers in both Ro/Ro (roll-on, roll-off) and Lo/Lo (load-on, load-off) operations. In addition, its new R404A refrigerated systems have allowed the company's reefers to perform better over a longer period of time.

Until about two years ago, the perishable load portion of the fleet consisted of a mixture of refrigerated trailers and refrigerated containers. However, inefficiencies resulting from such a mixed fleet led to the decision to change over entirely to ISO reefer containers, which can be used to serve all markets.

According to Fling, the CF-II units purchased in late 1995 and early 1996 have proven their versatility and capability for protecting all types of cargo, including sensitive chilled products, frozen foods and loads requiring controlled atmosphere. Both the existing and new units feature advanced microprocessor controls and maintain temperatures within .5 degrees F.

"Our reefers are so new we haven't had the need to replace refrigerants with any kind of regularity," Fling said. "However, when we have needed R404A, we have found it to be available."

In recent years, the company purchased – not leased – 1,150 high cube-40-foot containers from Jindo that it plans to run for at least 12 years Fling said. Over that time, he pointed out, reefer containers will absorb "quite a bit of water and will be subjected to rough handling and punishment that deteriorates the quality of insulation." Fling said that the company looks at R404A as the refrigerant for the long haul, because it gives the reserve cooling capacity necessary for effective load protection in older containers, as well as new.

Crowley now operates about 2,500 refrigerated containers that will be equipped with Thermo King units. About 100 trailer reefers remain in the fleet.

Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, Crowley American Transport provides liner and common carrier services between Canada, the United States and countries in Central America, South America and the Caribbean.