CoolRun Pods are an innovative new container that allow the transport of chilled and frozen goods without the need for energy-consuming refrigeration units. The pods are constructed to the size and shape of a conventional roll-cage, with an insulated outer shell. Panels incorporating a phase-change material are installed in the pod shell, and the pod is ‘charged’ overnight in a warehouse freezer. The panels combined with a patented passive air circulation system ensure that the pod maintains the required temperature for a subsequent period of 24-48 hours with no further cooling.

This project will provide support to, and independent verification of, the collection and analysis of data in a trial of CoolRun pods. The trial will compare conventional delivery methods with the use of the pods both in a comparable non-refrigerated vehicle and the use of the pods to deliver through a pallet network.

Design the data model such that the correct baseline and operational data is collected, before and after the trial, to allow robust conclusions to be drawn. The data model will enable comparison of the economic cost and emissions associated with chilled/frozen food delivery via conventional refrigerated vehicles, dedicated vehicles using CoolRun pods, and via a pallet network using CoolRun Pods.