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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Air leakage in refrigerated vans. Literature survey

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6512993
As a result of the increasing costs of energy, the United States Department of Energy has undertaken, through this study, to investigate the state of the art of the measurement of air leakage in refrigerated vans. The theoretical basis for current test standards for air leakage are reviewed, and the requirements of such standards compared to the inservice use conditions. The current tests standards are directed to providing a measurement of the heat loss effect of air leakage to allow compensation for this effect, rather than identifying sources of air leakage in trailers and containers to reduce the energy waste. It is shown that available data on the effect of internal and external temperature variation on air leakage is insufficient to establish general conclusions, and that additional testing should be directed to obtaining this data. To provide more accurate air leakage measurements, and thus to provide a basis for more energy-efficient construction, testing at more than one internal temperature is needed and this can be accomplished in the field by portable instrumentation. The accuracy of measurements required by current standards is compared to that needed in multiple temperature measurement, and equipment costs and test costs are compared.
Research Organization:
Bodenheimer (B.A.) and Co., Inc., Stamford, CT (USA)
OSTI ID:
6512993
Report Number(s):
COO/W-4338-1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English