Vector reefer is said to set new standard
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• by Peter Lawton
The new Vector reefer unit from Carrier Transicold is the company's most powerful to date, and Carrier claims it is also the most reliable and the cheapest to run in its class.
The company predicts the Vector will revolutionise the industry. Its all-electric driveline is derived from established marine and aerospace technology, pumping out17,000W at 0°C and 9,200W at -20°C without belts or clutches.
With that kind of power on tap, Carrier claims the R404Arun Vector will pull down from 30°C to -20°C in about 160 minutes—roughly twice as fast as Carriers' own Maxima Two. Twin evaporators with new swept blades, developed by sister company Pratt and Whitney, are said to have eliminated hot spots and cut operating noise by around 20% to between 64 and 74d13(A).
Power comes from a 2.2litre diesel generator engine which, says Carrier, meets 2004 emission regulations.
The unit is said to offer airflow of 6.000m3/h (compared with 4,900m3/h for a Maxima 2 and 4,800m3/h for an equivalent Thermo King SL-200) with a temperature variation of just 0.3°C thanks to the new Vectorfresh control system. Carrier does not, however, quote the Vector's discharge velocity. At the moment the unit is only available for single-temperature use, but Carrier says it will be easy to adapt it for multi-temperature trailers— the only question is when.
At 9654 the Vector is some 50kg heavier than a Maxima Two, and at 215,500 it's 22,500 more expensive (Thermo King claims a weight of 751kg for the SL300). However, Carrier predicts fuel savings of up to 20% over a Maxima or an S1300, with running costs down 30% thanks to longer servicing intervals and fewer critical part failures over the unit's life.
Following 300,000 hours of field use, including temperatures of up to 52°C in Saudi Arabia, and "torture testing" in
salt spray chambers and stress simulators, Carrier believes the Vector will shrug off the rigours of the road. In fact it says this is the first reefer unit to pass the million-kilometre mark during vibration testing without showing signs of hairline cracks.