Rail customers regularly request solutions that optimize conditions to maintain high load quality during unattended rail transport. As a result, Thermo King, a manufacturer of temperature control systems for various mobile applications and a brand of Ingersoll Rand, has introduced two new solutions that support reliable load quality during extended transport.

The Heat King 430 series for rail, truck and trailer and the Auto Fresh Air Exchange for SB-RR refrigeration units for rail was introduced on Nov. 13-15 at the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) Expo in Atlanta, Ga.

“We listened carefully to customer needs to develop innovative custom rail solutions that meet industry challenges and allow customers to consistently deliver high quality cargo despite lengthy unattended rail transport,” said Doug Lenz, director of product management and marketing for Thermo King.

Heat King 430
Thermo King engineers created the Heat King 430 series for rail, truck, and trailer to provide reliable freeze protection for temperature-sensitive cargo, such as paint or chemicals, while increasing uptime, lowering life cycle costs, and increasing operator efficiency.

The Heat King 430 Series increases uptime through more reliable control components that are based on solid-state technology to avoid moving parts that can break. The footprint of the human-machine interface (HMI) has been reduced by more than 85 percent to minimize the likelihood of damage during container and trailer loading. Engineers placed the controller inside the unit enclosure to further ensure protection.

This unit provides the industry’s only flash-load programming capability and features system diagnostics for easy troubleshooting and lower labor costs. It also offers the industry-leading ability to retain error codes indefinitely rather than losing them when the unit is turned off.

Return and supply air temperature sensors provide built-in redundancy to ensure that, if one sensor fails, the other provides continued performance. An added tank enables a more robust cooling system to further support increased uptime. The unit features an impact-resistant rugged battery hold-down which prevents the battery from movement and possible damage due to the shock loading of rail cars.

A new controller algorithm automatically starts the unit when the coolant drops below 30 degrees F to ensure easier cold starting and increase battery life.

This solution helps lower life cycle costs and increases system reliability by improving preventive maintenance. Fault codes alert operators to small issues before they become larger. An optional status light enables yard staff and drivers to quickly notice problems and help to address them.

Auto Fresh Air Exchange
The Auto Fresh Air Exchange option from Thermo King for SB-RR refrigeration units ensures delivery of fresh air to unattended rail containers via remote access to maximize shelf life and improve food quality over extended transport of days or weeks. This feature can control the flow of fresh air and monitor the state of the mechanism either locally at the HMI or remotely via third party telematics.

This solution keeps loads safe from the detrimental effects of gas build-up inside the refrigerated space. A simplified design ensures reliability and ease of use, which increases operator efficiency. This solution can be used on rail boxcar, container on flatcar, and trailer on flatcar applications.

The auto fresh air exchange keeps the air flowing in the refrigerated cargo space. It prevents build up when hauling cargo such as potatoes and onions that gives off excess amounts of carbon dioxide.

A feedback switch monitors the physical state of the mechanism, indicating to both the controller software and the customer that the auto fresh air exchange is working properly.