Contamination of Refrigerated Container

Systems

UNEP - Joint Meeting of the Regional Ozone Network

For South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific
Paro, Bhutan, May 2012

Mark Bennett
Container Owners Association - COA
Triton Container International
1
 Introduction

• Triton Container International

• Private company founded 31 years ago
• Triton fleet:
– 1.9 million containers (TEU)
– 72,000 refrigerated containers (units)
• World fleet:
– c.30 million containers (TEU)
– 1.3 million refrigerated containers (units)
2
 COA – Container Owners Association

• Forum to represent the interest of all marine

freight container owners
• Members include:
– Most major shipping lines
– Container Leasing Companies
– Service Depots
– Manufacturers of containers and
refrigeration machinery

3
 Agenda

1. Refrigerated Containers

2. Fake Refrigerants and Explosions

3. Shipping Industry response

4. The Future

4
1. Refrigerated Containers

New Refrigerated Containers at a factory in China

Modern large container ship
The Emma Maersk can carry 1,000
refrigerated containers and up to
15,000 TEU total containers.
Length 400m. Deadweight
is 150,000 Tons
Refrigerated Container being ‘Pre Trip Inspected’
 Refrigerated Containers

• Mostly 12m/40’ length, 67m3 cube and 30T cargo

capacity
• Strong rigid structure, insulated with foam blown
with HCFC 141b or Cyclopentane
• c.5kg of R134a refrigerant (some use R404a)
• Operating life of 12 to 15 years
• Cost new US$18,000 (c.$8k machine/$10k box)

8
 Refrigerated Containers

• Operate in ambient temperatures up to +50C

• Cargo temperatures from +15C down to -30C
• Wide operating temperatures compared to other
sectors – design challenges for efficiency
• Manufacturers:
– Carrier Transcold (50%+ market share)
– MCI Starcool
– Daikin
– Thermoking

9
 Montreal Protocol - Actions

• 1993 – R12 unit production phased out and

R134a/R404a models introduced
• R134a models – larger compressors, higher power
consumption for same cooling capacity
• Many continued with R12 until retirement
• R409a used to convert some machines from R12 but
market resistance due to service issues on ships
• Last R12 units retired by 2000

10
 2. Fake Refrigerants & Explosions

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 Fake Refrigerants & Explosions

• Shipping industry becomes aware of contamination

in Q3 2011 after tests to exploded reefers
• Demand for R134a and shortage/price of Fluorspar
linked to sharp price rises in 2nd half 2010
• Rise in price and supply shortages of R134a may have
enabled cheaper fake R134a into the market
• Fake refrigerants supplied as “R134a” under main
brand names
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 Explosions in Vietnam April 2011
• 2 units explode in
2 days

• Both units under

PTI - service

• Units had gas

service 3-4 weeks
before

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 Vietnam incidents…

• Authorities sealed
off the terminal

• Very little evidence

available

• Initial conclusion:
possible leak testing
with Oxygen

14
 US West Coast incident

Engineer reports gas

burning spontaneously
in air – August 2011

15
 US West Coast incident - 2

Opening high pressure

valve on compressor –
liquid emerging started
burning
Alkyl metal halide is
suspected
Samples taken from
the compressor show
R40 – methyl chloride
16
 Brazil incident

Unit serviced Vietnam then

R134a recharged in transit
Unit moved to Brazil
Engineer identifies low gas and
connects R134a supply during
service
Explosion of compressor
similar to Vietnam
No aluminum components
remaining

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 China incident

• Similar damage to
Vietnam explosions

• White Aluminium
Oxide visible

• Technician moved
away from machine
to take a phone call

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 China incident - 2

• Corrosion to
stainless steel lining

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 Other Industries
• 2009: public transport company in Greece
– Passengers: several injuries (poisoning)
– Workshop staff: several injuries
(poisoning/explosion)
– AC rubber hoses and seals disintegrated
• 2009: fridges, Germany
– Product recall
• 2010: vehicles
– Reports of poisoning from methyl chloride leaks in
passenger compartment
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 Other Industries

Bus air-con unit :

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 Fake Refrigerant

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 Fake Refrigerant 2

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 DuPont – Fake Gas Tank
ORIGINAL FAKE
DuPont R134a Dupont R134a

Dupont spelled with lower

case “p” instead of “P”
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 Fake Gas Supply
• Gas bottles on ships tested found contaminated
• Gas bottles found in Philippines, China, Angola,
Spain with R40/methyl chloride
• Several different mixes of fake gas found with
more than one containing R40/methyl chloride
• Other gases used include:
– R12, R22, R142b, R124, R30
• Easy to order from the internet:
http://www.gzzhigao.net/products/977.html
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 Chemistry – Theory

• Fake gas in Vietnam contained c.50% R40 (methyl

chloride/chloromethane) and 50% R134a

• R40 reacts quickly with alumunium components

in compressor

• chloromethane + aluminium →
trimethyl aluminium (TMA) + aluminium chloride

6 CH3Cl + 4 Al → Al2(CH3)6 + 2 AlCl3

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 Possible Cause of Explosion
• New R134a added or circulated on startup may react
strongly with TMA in compressor possibly causing a
hydrogen fluoride reaction
• Air entering the system may react with TMA:
Al2(CH3)6 + 24O2 → AL2O3 + 6CO2 + 9H20
Less likely and doesn’t explain stainless steel corrosion
• Chemistry is complex
• Why no recent explosions?
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 3. Shipping Industry Response

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 Shipping Industry Response
• October 17 – news of Qingdao explosion
• All 5 units serviced at Cat Lai terminal, Ho Chi
Minh and the US West Coast incident
• Shipping lines quarantine units serviced at Cat Lai
• November – COA conference at European
Intermodal
• Saigon Newport circulate c.1200 serial numbers
• ILWU trade union injunction on handling Vietnam
serviced refrigerated containers.
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 Testing Options
• Search for suitable test methods
• Methyl chloride/R40 difficult to test for
• Flame Halide Lamp Test detects chloride
contamination
• Industry resistance to Flame Halide Test
• Other methods inaccurate or too costly
• 3 conferences held to review and demonstrate
test methods – London, Singapore, Antwerp

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 Current Test Programme
1. Testing gas bottles on ships and in depots
2. Focus on high risk units serviced in Vietnam
• 15,000 refrigerated containers serviced per day
• Big terminals can service 100+ units per day
• Samples extracted with care and tested with
flame halide lamp
• Where positive, sample sent for Gas
Chromatograph testing using Mass Spectrometry
method.
31
 Test Programme – Issues/Challenges
• Training depots – resistance and time: risk of
testing versus risk of not testing
• Time, availability and cost of GC MS testing
• Contamination with CFC/HCFC also gives flame
test fail
• Still no safe way to neutralize methyl chloride
contaminated units
• Repair is uneconomic due to system damage
• c.100 main service depots and c.500 independent
service companies worldwide.
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 Flame Halide Lamp

Normal Flame – blue color Chloride contamination

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 Environmental Issues

• Presentation has primarily focused on the issue

of safety and operational impact
• A delegate in Antwerp challenged if our testing
considered environmental issues
• Estimated that 10-20 mg of gas are needed for
flame halide test
• For GC analysis, only 1 – 2 cm3 of gas required
• Licensed engineers in Europe, concerned about
local regulation and losing their license
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 Action Summary

• Eliminate contaminated supplies of gas from service

network – this is critical.

• Identify clean and contaminated refrigeration units

• Remove CFC/HCFC contamination

• Find cost effective solutions for neutralising methyl

chloride contamination

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 4. The Future

Challenges – Fake Refrigerants

• Controlling or eliminating global supply

• Find cost effective and quick test methods to enable

check at every service event for all units

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 Future Challenges – System Design

• Cyclopentane blown insulation has 10% more heat

leakage than R141b foam

• Existing machinery will use more power to hold the

same temperature

• Exceptional demands for refrigerated containers in

ambient temperature ranges and cargo requirements

• System efficiency and power consumption

37
 Future Design Options & Requirements
• Improved insulation efficiency – new blowing
agents?
• Hydocarbons – Propane
– Dismissed due to flammability issue on ships
• CO2 systems:
– complete system change
– can it meet range of performance requirements?
– can power consumption match R134a
performance?
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 Future Design Options & Requirements
• HFOs – 1234yf
– use similar system design
– retrofit to R134a systems?
– higher cost than R134a will encourage use of fakes
– future legislative issues?

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 Conclusion
• Fake/contaminated refrigerants caught the industry
by surprise.
• Risk of injury or death to staff
• Ongoing big cost and service disruption implications
• Shipping is a highly competitive and cyclical business
• Many players globally

40
 Conclusion
• COA’s challenge is to provide coordination on this
project with the support of other organizations
• Ships are isolated at sea and restricted access in port
• Relatively small global service network
• We have some confidence that the inadvertent use
of contaminated and banned refrigerants in the
shipping industry can be brought under control
Thank you
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