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Refrigerated Transport: State of the Art, Technical Issues, Innovations and Challenges for Sustainability

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  • Angelo Maiorino

    (Department of Industrial Engineering, Università di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy)

  • Fabio Petruzziello

    (Department of Industrial Engineering, Università di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy)

  • Ciro Aprea

    (Department of Industrial Engineering, Università di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy)

Abstract

The cold chain is responsible for perishable products preservation and transportation, maintaining a proper temperature to slow biological decay processes. Often the efficiency of the cold chain is less than ideal, significantly increasing food waste and energy consumption. Refrigerated transport is a critical phase of the cold chain because of its negative impact on energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. It is estimated that around 15% of global fossil fuel energy is used in the refrigerated transport sector, so there has been a growing interest in the last decades in the optimization of these systems in order to reduce their environmental impact. Vapor compression refrigeration units, usually powered by means of a diesel engine, are the most commonly used systems in road refrigerated transport. This paper provides a review of (a) currently used systems and alternative technologies that could reduce the environmental impacts of road refrigerated transport and (b) optimization models and methods used to minimize fuel/energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, focusing both on reducing the thermal loads and solving the refrigerated vehicle routing problem.

Suggested Citation

  • Angelo Maiorino & Fabio Petruzziello & Ciro Aprea, 2021. "Refrigerated Transport: State of the Art, Technical Issues, Innovations and Challenges for Sustainability," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-55, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:21:p:7237-:d:670958
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Angelo Maiorino & Adrián Mota-Babiloni & Fabio Petruzziello & Manuel Gesù Del Duca & Andrea Ariano & Ciro Aprea, 2022. "A Comprehensive Energy Model for an Optimal Design of a Hybrid Refrigerated Van," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-23, July.
    2. Maximilian Lösch & Markus Fallmann & Agnes Poks & Martin Kozek, 2023. "Simulation-Based Sizing of a Secondary Loop Cooling System for a Refrigerated Vehicle," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-23, September.

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