BlueSeal® air curtains offer a range of products and setups to suit all vehicle types and door configurations. There are many benefits to installing BlueSeal® air curtains in your vehicles from user friendliness, to cost saving benefits and enhancing the compliance of your vehicles transporting temperature-sensitive goods.
Economic Benefits
How do BlueSeal® air curtains improve the running costs of my vehicle?
BlueSeal® air curtains significantly reduce the cooling fuel consumption in refrigerated trucks, vans and semi-trailers by keeping cold inside the vehicle during loading and unloading. This is especially important during multi-drop deliveries where doors are opened regularly and even the best on board refrigeration systems will struggle to recover the cargo to the desired temperature between stops. This temperature fluctuation leaves your goods vulnerable to spoiling and means more cooling energy is used by your Transport Refrigeration Unit (TRU) to recover cargo temperature between deliveries.
By reducing the energy needed by your vehicle’s refrigeration to keep goods cool, you are both saving on cooling fuel costs and prolonging the lifespan of this equipment by allowing it to work less to restore cargo temperature. Frequent door openings during delivery routes mean that your cargo is repeatedly exposed to outside temperatures and humid air. Consequently, your TRU often will not be able to recover this temperature to the required level before doors open again on the next stop. BlueSeal solves this problem by creating an effective airflow barrier over door openings to separate inside and outside air. It thereby reduces the number of defrost cycles of the TRU as well.
This has traditionally been managed by PVC curtains which hinder the driver during deliveries and still break the cold chain during use when the driver passes through the curtain and moves to one side.
The payback period for BlueSeal air curtains can be as little as 6 months through saving cooling energy that would have been used to restore cargo to the required temperature. Cooling fuel savings can vary depending on the conditions the vehicle is operating in and the type of vehicle/door opening being used, however a widely cited study by Brunel University for the Centre for Sustainable Energy Use in Food Chains, found a significant saving of 30-45% of the recovery energy required to restore the cargo to its original temperature in their 18-tonne truck model.
Compliance Benefits
How do BlueSeal® air curtains improve product integrity and quality?
Last mile food and pharmaceutical delivery is highly vulnerable to spoiling, especially during multi-stop routes where goods are repeatedly exposed to outside air temperatures. Because of this, an effective climate barrier helps to significantly maintain product integrity through mitigating temperature fluctuation. Temperature spikes in refrigerated vehicles during deliveries can be especially harmful to products where a consistent temperature is required. For pharmaceuticals, maintaining a consistent temperature during transport is required by law and is vital to ensure that the product remains safe and does not degrade in quality.
In order to maintain a consistent temperature during door openings, an effective climate barrier is essential so that cold is kept inside the vehicle at these times. Many food distributors, especially during urban delivery routes, will make multiple stops where it is especially important that cargo temperature is maintained as effectively as possible. BlueSeal air curtains are also a considerably more hygienic option than a PVC curtain as there is no physical curtain for drivers to handle, and require very little maintenance.
Coupled with temperature monitoring technology, BlueSeal allows companies transporting temperature-sensitive goods to prove that goods are kept within the strict limits of temperature control required for their products.
Practical Benefits
How do BlueSeal® air curtains improve operational and driver efficiency?
BlueSeal air curtains allow drivers to make deliveries unobstructed from physical curtains while still helping to maintain the cold chain through an effective climate barrier. Furthermore, visibility is greatly improved for the driver and because BlueSeal air curtains switch on and off automatically during door openings, this allows drivers to focus on making deliveries without obstruction.
As well as temperature regulation and the benefits to drivers, BlueSeal also helps to enhance operational efficiency through preventing unwanted dust and insects from entering the vehicle during deliveries.
BlueSeal air curtains are the drivers choice for cargo climate control and we regularly receive feedback that this improves their day to day lives by allowing them to make deliveries with greater ease than their physical counterpart.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – ECONOMIC BENEFITS
How can I reduce fuel consumption in refrigerated trucks or vans during multi-drop deliveries?
BlueSeal air curtains have demonstrated a significant saving of 30-45% of the recovery energy required to restore the cargo to its original temperature, as evidenced in a study by Brunel University.
How can I extend the lifespan of my Transport Refrigeration Unit (TRU)?
By reducing the strain on your TRU to recover cargo temperature after door openings, the lifespan of your equipment will be drastically improved from less use.
BlueSeal reduces the inflow of humid air, thereby reducing the amount of the TRU’s defrost cycles. This increases the lifespan of your TRU.
What is the best way to save energy on transport refrigeration units (TRUs)?
BlueSeal air curtains allow TRU’s to use less energy as temperature is better maintained inside the cargo area during deliveries. A climate barrier will greatly improve how much cold is kept inside the vehicle and require less energy expenditure from your TRU.
How much fuel do refrigerated vans, trailers and semi-trailers lose when doors are opened frequently?
While it depends largely on the specification of the vehicle and the conditions they are operating in, BlueSeal have used simulation models to estimate that thousands of litres per year of diesel are wasted through door openings without a climate barrier.
Are there alternatives to PVC strip curtains for saving energy in cold chain transport?
BlueSeal air curtains have been shown to be more effective than PVC curtains when transporting temperature controlled goods. BlueSeal air curtains provable offer immediate and measurable benefits compared to PVC curtains.
What is the ROI of installing an air curtain on a refrigerated trailer?
While this varies from one vehicle/operation to the next, BlueSeal has been shown to have a payback period as short as 6 months through energy saved on cooling fuel. Furthermore, BlueSeal requires very little maintenance and often outlasts the working life of the vehicles they are fitted to.
How do I maintain cargo temperature during many deliveries?
Over the course of a delivery route, cargo doors may open frequently enough that the TRU cannot fully recover the temperature from one stop to the next. By using BlueSeal air curtains to maintain cargo temperature during door openings, cargo temperature is greatly maintained through the use of an effective climate barrier.
What is the best way to save cooling fuel in my refrigerated vehicle?
The best way to save on cooling fuel is by controlling energy loss at its most vulnerable stage – during door openings. So the best way to save cooling fuel is to keep your doors closed as much as possible. For the moments when the doors are open: BlueSeal air curtains create an effective climate barrier.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – COMPLIANCE BENEFITS
How can I maintain the cold chain during last-mile delivery?
Because doors are opened regularly during last-mile delivery, your vehicle’s refrigeration unit will struggle to restore cargo temperature to its required level between stops. This is why it is essential to use an effective climate barrier like BlueSeal air curtains to ensure that you are mitigating temperature when goods are exposed to outside temperatures during deliveries.
Are PVC curtains the best way to keep goods cool during urban multi-drop?
BlueSeal air curtains have been shown to be more effective than PVC curtains. Through frequent use, PVC strips degrade over time, becoming broken and forming gaps that allow cold air to escape through breaking the cold chain. In contrast to this, BlueSeal air curtains require very little maintenance and offer immediate and measurable benefits compared to PVC curtains.
What prevents temperature spikes in refrigerated vehicles during loading and unloading?
Effective climate control is vital to any operation that depends on refrigerated vehicles to transport temperature-sensitive goods. By installing BlueSeal air curtains, cold is kept inside the vehicle during loading and unloading and temperature spikes are reduced significantly.
What are the best solutions for preventing pharmaceutical spoilage during transport?
Because so many pharmaceuticals require strict temperature regulation during transport, many are prone to spoiling and wastage through exposure to outside air temperatures. BlueSeal is used by pharmaceutical companies worldwide to help keep the cold chain intact during deliveries and protect product integrity through better regulating temperature fluctuation while products are in transit.
How do food distributors keep products at the right temperature during transport?
Food distributors ensure that goods are kept fresh during deliveries by keeping their cold chain intact through the use of a climate barrier. BlueSeal air curtains are a popular choice for this as they allow drivers to pass through the barrier without obstruction and they have been proven to be more effective than PVC curtains at keeping goods at the required temperature.
How to reduce ice build-up and condensation inside a refrigerated cargo area?
BlueSeal air curtain significantly reduces the inflow of warm and humid air. This reduces ice build up from condensation in a frozen (deep freeze) cargo area.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – PRACTICAL BENEFITS
What is the best way to keep cold inside my vehicle during deliveries?
The best way to keep cold inside your vehicle during deliveries is to fix the problem at the source through use of an effective climate barrier when doors are open. BlueSeal air curtains are a leading solution for cargo climate control and used by companies worldwide to maintain temperature during door openings.
How can I improve my vehicle for last mile logistics?
Last mile logistics often require multiple stops where goods become vulnerable to outside temperatures during door openings. Many operators choose BlueSeal air curtains as a method of keeping cold inside the vehicle which helps to maintain product temperature and significantly reduce cooling energy costs.
How can I keep pharmaceuticals safe during distribution?
Many pharmaceuticals require strict temperature regulation during transport to prevent product spoiling and unnecessary wastage. Many pharmaceutical distributors use BlueSeal air curtains to help keep the cold chain intact during door openings.
What is the most driver-friendly alternative to PVC strip curtains?
BlueSeal air curtains are a popular choice among drivers over traditional plastic curtains as they allow them to pass through an effective barrier during deliveries without physical obstruction. This means that temperature is better maintained inside the vehicle without the cold chain being broken when a driver enters and exits the vehicle.
How to prevent insects and dust from entering a refrigerated truck during deliveries?
As well as maintaining cargo temperature during deliveries, BlueSeal air curtains also prevent unwanted insects and dust from entering a refrigerated truck cargo area.
What technology is best for a temperature controlled vehicle?
Temperature controlled vehicles can benefit from many technologies to improve operational efficiency including temperature monitoring and logging. BlueSeal air curtains are a popular choice for transporters as they effectively maintain cargo temperature during door openings and allow drivers to enter and exit the cargo area without obstruction.
How do I improve working conditions for my drivers delivering cold goods?
Drivers delivering temperature-controlled goods welcome the addition of BlueSeal air curtains in their vehicles, as a way of keeping goods cool while still allowing them to enter and exit the cargo space without the obstruction of physical curtains.