An industry special group has announced the successful completion of phase one of its study on shipping frozen food long distances by rail.
Six 2,000-mile test shipments from the state of Washington to the Midwest showed liquid CO2 can be used to keep frozen foods intact during transit. Testing was performed using a modified mechanical refrigerated railcar.
The car was loaded with frozen product at OºF. All test shipments were monitored by USDA and University of Maryland food scientists, as well as by the shipper, Western Fruit Express.
Average low temperature for product in the first six tests was –80ºF. Temperature at destination was below 0ºF. Products such as peas, fish, cream pies, onion rings and vegetables were carried during these trials, and all passed USDA inspection. It was also determined that fresh fruits and vegetables will have to be shipped by conventional means, due to the low freezing temperature of liquid CO2.
Ready for phase two
Gerald Davies, vice president of Burlington Northern, says the project is about to enter phase two. “During the first phase, we learned that liquid CO2 can be used to keep foods frozen, while retaining quality. Now we are entering the refining stage, to find out just how much less expensive it will be to ship in that manner.”
Besides economic evaluation, phase two involves engineering a 60-foot railcar into the most efficient liquid CO2 carrier possible. Ralph P. Hill, chairman of the study group says the group is currently studying all available options for the new railcar. Options include heavier insulation, and a different CO2 distribution system. “It may be more economical to load only one-third of the CO2 at the origin,” says Hill, “and distribute the rest along the route. In phase one, we loaded the complete CO2 charge at origin. Essentially, we used quite a bit of CO2 to remove the last five BTU's from the frozen product.”
Phase-two testing will begin as soon as the design is completed by Pacific Car and Foundry Co. Hill explains that since four of the previous tests were done in the warm half of the year, phase-two tests will take place in the winter. “With CO2, shipping cost dependson the season,”says Hill. “With a better insulated car, perhaps only a few tons would be required in the winter.
Rail fleet declining
“Railroads are no longer adding to their fleets of mechanical refrigerated cars,” explains Hill, “they are expensive to build, too expensive to operate, and railroads can’t get a return on their investment.”
“In terms of higher costs, everyone from grower and processor to consumer is sitting on a time bomb destined to go off within ten years, unless we find a cheaper way to ship frozen foods. States such as Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Utah and California produce about 50% of the nation's frozen foods, yet we may not be able to get it to market in the East, Southeast and Midwest.”
Ten years is the estimated service life of the nation's mechanical refrigerated car fleet, according to Burlington Northern. The liquid CO2 car, if testing continues to be successful, may provide the impetus to rebuild refrigerated fleets. “It's another case of necessity being the mother of invention,” says Davies.
Davies points out that liquid CO2 cars may be less expensive to build. “It would cost us more than $100,000 to buy a mechanical refrigerator car like the ones we use today. Insulated boxcars with load dividers cost about $72,000. Cars designed specifically for CO2 could cost even less.”
Примечания к тексту:
shipper – фирма-перевозчик
USDA (US Department of Agriculture) – департамент США по сельскому хозяйству
rail fleet – парк железнодорожных вагонов, подвижной состав
refining stage – стадия доработки
engineering – зд. техническое переоснащение
CO2 charge – количество СО2 для зарядки системы
a time bomb destined to go off – бомба замедленного действия, которой суждено взорваться.
1. Ответьте на вопросы по содержанию текста.
1.Where were test shipments performed?
2.What coolant can be used to keep frozen foods intact during transit?
3.Who performed testing cryogenic railcar?
4.What was the purpose of testing in phase two?
5.What type of railcar was used during these trials?
2. Расскажите о состоянии дел в парке рефрижераторных вагонов и способах решения имеющихся проблем.
3. Переведите следующие предложения на английский язык письменно.
1.Температура продуктов при загрузке в рефрижератор составляла 0ºF, и эта температура оставалась неизменной до пункта назначения.
2.Замороженные продукты можно перевозить в криогенных вагонах благодаря низкой температуре жидкого CO2.
3.Новый рефрижераторный вагон должен быть лучше изолирован и оснащен другой системой распределения CO2.
4. Переведите резюме текста на русский язык.
Liquid carbon dioxide is injected into the specially modified railcar, forming a layer of dry snow that keeps foods frozen over long distance hauls. In test trials, frozen product safely traveled 2,000 miles.
5. Напишите краткое изложение текста на русском языке. Прокомментруйте часть текста, которая показалась вам наиболее интересной.
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