Temperature: provide the right amount of cold

To ensure your products are delivered the right temperature, using insulated containers is not enough. OLIVO offers some tips on how to make the right decision on the type of cold souce to opt for and how to calibrate it.

Getting the amount of cold just right : a professional matter

OLIVO insulated containers are high-performance logistics equipment for your temperature-sensitive products.

An insulated container is used to slow down heat transfer from the outside so the temperature of the products in the container does not rise too quickly. To offset this heat transfer form the external air, it is necessary to place a cold source inside the insulated container, just like when adding a refrigeration unit inside a refrigerated truck.

OLIVO offers several passive cold sources: eutectic plates, dry ice drawers, and its SIBER SYSTEM® and MINICRYO® solution.

Making the right decision on the type of cold source to use depends on the size of your distribution center (DC). Eutectic plates and dry ice drawers are more suited to small and medium size DCs whereas SIBER SYSTEM® and MINICRYO® will better meet the requirements of larger size DCs.

Another thing to take into account in your decision-making process is the target temperature range as dry ice drawers are only used to keep frozen and deep-frozen items at the right temperature, whereas eutectic plates, SIBER SYSTEM® and MINICRYO® can be used to keep both chilled/fresh and frozen/deep-frozen items at the right temperature.

Once the most appropriate type of cold source has been selected, it is important to ensure the right dose of coolant (weight of dry ise pellets/snow etc or number of eutectic plates) is used. An inadequate cold source could of course lead to a non-compliant temperature on delivery while an over-dimensioned cold source would result in unnecessary consumption of coolant and therefore non-optimal costs.

In order to make sure you are using just the amount of coolant required, you will need tconsider these questions:

• What are the thermal performances of my insulated containers?
• What is the average outdoor temperature my insulated containers will be used in?
• How long do I need to keep my products at the right temperature (from order picking to final delivery)?
• What is the temperature of my products prior loading them in my insulated containers?
• What is the temperature of my insulated containers before use?

Although, as a rule of thumb, we could say oneeutectic plate in winter and two eutectic plates in summer per insulated container, it is always preferable and recommended to work out your exact coolant requirements with one of our experts. The general rule may in fact not apply to your specifications.

The OLIVO experts will carry out a personalised study of your cold source requirements, taking into account the model of insulated container chosen and your precise specifications. The personalised thermal study carried out by the OLIVO’s experts is based on accurate calculations and a database of temperature curves produced in real conditions or in our integrated laboratory.

Wondering about your cold requirements? Contact us