FAQ – How Cold Chain Actually Works

How Cold Chain Actually Works

Q: How do professional courier services keep frozen food cold during multi-stop delivery?

Mechanical refrigeration systems. That’s it.

Professional frozen food couriers use mechanical refrigeration – the same technology in your home freezer, scaled for commercial vehicles. These are electrically or engine-driven vapor-compression refrigeration systems that actively remove heat throughout the delivery route, maintaining -18°C regardless of outside conditions.

The physics requirements:

  • Johannesburg summer: 35°C ambient air temperature
  • Altitude penalty: 1,750m elevation reduces refrigeration capacity by 21%
  • Urban heat island: Pavement temperatures reach 55-65°C, radiating heat into vehicle floors
  • Door openings: 15-40 per route, each introducing 15-20 MJ of thermal load
  • Route duration: 6-8 hours continuous operation

Each door opening in 35°C conditions requires 15-20 minutes of mechanical refrigeration to restore -18°C. Over a route with 20 deliveries, that’s 300-400 MJ of thermal energy that must be actively removed – equivalent to running a 4kW air conditioner for 25 hours. No passive cooling system can handle this.

What doesn’t work for multi-stop delivery:

  • Ice packs: Finite thermal mass. In summer conditions with multiple door openings, they’re depleted after 3-4 stops. By stop #8, your “frozen” products are sitting in +5°C conditions while the courier finishes their route. We’ve measured this repeatedly.
  • Dry ice: CO₂ sublimes at -78.5°C, creating gas that accumulates dangerously in enclosed vehicles. Professional logistics doesn’t use dry ice for multi-stop urban delivery because physics makes it impractical and safety regulations restrict it.
  • Poly boxes with gel packs: Marketing terms for ice packs in expensive containers. Still finite thermal mass. Still depleted after 3-4 stops. Still results in temperature excursions.
  • Passive insulation alone: Without active cooling, insulation only slows temperature rise. It doesn’t prevent it. An insulated box in 35°C ambient will eventually reach 35°C. The only question is how long – and that answer is “faster than your delivery route.”

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Q: Can frozen food be delivered safely in South Africa's heat and altitude?

Yes. But only with equipment sized for actual South African conditions rather than European specifications.

Most transport refrigeration equipment is rated at sea level (101.325 kPa atmospheric pressure) for European climates. That’s not Gauteng.

Johannesburg reality:

  • Elevation: 1,750m above sea level
  • Atmospheric pressure: 81.9 kPa (19% reduction)
  • Refrigeration capacity loss: 21% compared to manufacturer sea-level ratings
  • Summer ambient: 35-38°C regularly
  • Pavement surface temperature: 55-65°C in direct sun
  • Urban heat island effect: +5-8°C above weather station readings

A refrigeration unit rated at 5.0 kW at sea level delivers only 3.95 kW at Johannesburg altitude. If your route requires 4.0 kW cooling capacity, that “5 kW” unit is already undersized before accounting for door openings, solar load, or urban heat islands.

The solution: Specify equipment 25-30% oversized compared to sea-level calculations, accounting for:

  • Altitude correction (12% capacity loss per 1,000m elevation)
  • Multi-stop thermal loads (cumulative door openings)
  • Urban heat island effects (pavement radiant heating)
  • Safety margin for equipment degradation over time

We operate successfully in both Gauteng (high altitude, continental climate) and Western Cape (sea level, Mediterranean climate) because we engineer systems for actual conditions rather than accepting manufacturer specifications designed for Netherlands delivery operations.

Industry reality: Most South African transport refrigeration suppliers sell sea-level rated equipment to Gauteng operators and blame “operator error” when systems fail to maintain temperature. This is supplier convenience, not engineering discipline.

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Q: What's the difference between mechanical refrigeration and ice packs / dry ice?

Active heat removal versus finite thermal mass. Continuous operation versus single-use depletion.

Mechanical refrigeration:

  • How it works: Vapor-compression cycle actively removes heat from cargo space, transferring it to outside ambient air via condenser
  • Capacity: Continuous operation throughout route duration (6-8+ hours)
  • Performance: Maintains -18°C regardless of door openings, ambient temperature, or route duration
  • Energy source: Vehicle engine (diesel), auxiliary power unit, or shore power
  • Cost: R85,000 + equipment investment, R2-3/km operating cost
  • Suitable for: Multi-stop delivery, professional operations, regulatory compliance

Ice packs (including “gel packs,” “frozen bricks”):

  • How it works: Passive thermal mass absorbs heat until phase change complete (ice melts, gel warms)
  • Capacity: Finite. 10kg ice pack absorbs 3,340 kJ before depleting (melting completely)
  • Performance: Temperature rises progressively with each door opening until thermal mass exhausted
  • Energy source: Pre-freezing energy (your freezer’s electricity)
  • Cost: R50-200 per pack, R800-2,000 for poly box setup
  • Suitable for: Single delivery, short duration (<2 hours), minimal door openings

Dry ice (solid CO₂):

  • How it works: Sublimation absorbs heat (CO₂ transitions from solid to gas at -78.5°C)
  • Capacity: 571 kJ/kg sublimation, but CO₂ gas accumulates in vehicle
  • Performance: Extremely cold (-78.5°C) but creates safety hazards and handling challenges
  • Energy source: Industrial CO₂ production
  • Cost: R15-25/kg, requires continuous replenishment
  • Suitable for: Single-package shipments, air freight, specialized applications with proper ventilation

Why the difference matters:

Consider a 20-stop route in summer conditions:

Ice pack system:

  • 10kg ice per stop = 200kg total ice required
  • Each door opening: 15 MJ thermal load
  • Total route thermal load: 300 MJ
  • Ice pack capacity: 3.34 MJ per 10kg
  • Required ice packs: 90kg (nine 10kg packs) JUST for door openings
  • Additional requirement: Steady-state thermal losses (1.5 kW × 6 hours = 32.4 MJ)
  • Total ice requirement: 122kg minimum
  • Reality: Ice depletes progressively. By stop #5-6, temperature rising. By stop #10-12, cargo approaching ambient temperature.

Mechanical refrigeration:

  • Continuous 4 kW capacity removes heat as fast as it enters
  • Restores -18°C between stops within 10-15 minutes
  • Operates entire route duration regardless of door openings
  • Reality: Consistent -18°C from first stop to last stop

We’ve tested both approaches across thousands of kilometers. Mechanical refrigeration works reliably. Ice packs work for very short routes with minimal stops. Dry ice creates more problems than it solves for multi-stop urban delivery.

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Q: How long can frozen food stay frozen during multi-stop delivery routes?

Indefinitely – if you use proper mechanical refrigeration. 2-4 hours with ice packs before temperature excursions begin.

This isn’t about duration. It’s about thermal load management.

Mechanical refrigeration systems: Route duration becomes irrelevant because the system continuously removes heat. We operate routes lasting 6-8 hours with 15-40 stops, maintaining -18°C throughout. The limiting factor isn’t time – it’s fuel capacity and equipment reliability, both of which are engineered for full-day operations.

Ice pack systems: Duration limits are severe because thermal mass depletes with use:

Single delivery (no door openings after initial pack):

  • Insulated box with 20kg ice: 4-6 hours depending on ambient temperature and insulation quality
  • Reduce by 50% for summer conditions (35°C ambient)

Multi-stop delivery (realistic scenario):

  • Stop #1: Ice packs fully effective
  • Stops #2-4: Partial ice remaining, temperature rising slowly after each opening
  • Stops #5-8: Ice significantly depleted, recovery time exceeding time between stops
  • Stops #9+: Thermal mass exhausted, cargo temperature approaching ambient

The calculation:

Ice pack thermal capacity: 334 kJ/kg (latent heat of fusion)
Door opening thermal load: 15,000 kJ per opening (summer conditions, 12m³ cargo space)
10kg ice pack absorbed heat: 3,340 kJ
Number of door openings covered: 3,340 / 15,000 = 0.22 door openings
Translation: One 10kg ice pack handles approximately one door opening in summer before depleting.
20-stop route = 40 door openings (open for delivery, close, open for next stop access, close)
Required ice: 40 × 10kg = 400kg minimum
Plus steady-state losses: ~30 MJ per 6-hour route
Additional ice required: 90kg
Total ice requirement: 490kg for 20-stop summer route
Reality: This is impractical. Vehicle payload consumed by ice rather than product.

Industry marketing versus physics:

Some courier companies advertise “frozen delivery” using passive cooling. What they actually provide:

  • Temperature-controlled for first 2-3 stops
  • Progressive warming thereafter
  • Hope that customers don’t measure actual product temperature
  • Blame “traffic delays” or “weather” when products arrive partially thawed

We’ve measured competitor deliveries. Products arriving at +2°C to +8°C are common with passive systems on multi-stop routes.

Our approach: Mechanical refrigeration sized for actual Gauteng conditions (altitude, heat, multi-stop duty cycle) maintains -18°C regardless of route duration or number of stops. We’ve validated this across 770,000+ kilometers with continuous temperature monitoring.

Professional frozen food delivery works because equipment works, not because marketing claims it does.

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