Trane gets to the core of climate change
6th June 2024
IRELAND: Trane is helping to further our understanding of the Earth’s climate system by helping to preserve and transport Antarctic ice cores to Germany.
European scientists at the Beyond EPICA project are sustainably drilling and recovering ice cores from Antarctica which reveal the close link between climate and atmospheric greenhouse gases over the past 800,000 years.
By retrieving exceptionally preserved ice core samples dating back thousands of years, the Beyond EPICA project is expected to provide invaluable insights into past climate conditions and aids in predicting future climate scenarios.
Analysing the ice cores requires sophisticated lab equipment and highly trained scientists. Instead of bringing the high-end technology and know-how to the South Pole, it is seen as being much more effective and efficient to bring the ice core samples to laboratories in Europe. After drilling the ice cores, these are transported by refrigerated ships from the South Pole to a port in southern Italy.
From there, the ice cores must be transported to a research laboratory in Germany. To ensure their successful delivery, engineers had to guarantee an ultra-low and tight temperature control up to -30°C and ensure up to seven days of autonomous power for the 1,500km+ journey.
Additionally, the ice cores would need to be transported in a robust structure that could withstand handling and potentially rough conditions on the road to ensure the cargo remains intact.
Trane Rental Services worked with EPICA Beyond’s team to provide a holistic solution. The ice core will be transported in a 20ft SuperFreezer, a refrigerated container designed to transport sensitive cargo in ultra-low temperatures down to -70°C. The container itself is double insulated and manufactured with the highest quality materials, withstanding outdoor temperatures from +50°C to -30°C. An integrated remote monitoring modem (RMM) module enables telematics solutions to closely monitor the cargo temperature, change set-points and retrieve datalog files.
Given the long journey and often unreliable access to power, the SuperFreezer is equipped with a Thermo King clip-on SG-3500 genset. On top of providing up to one week of autonomous power, the genset is claimed to use 6% less fuel compared to other brands.
