FABRICATION OF POLYPROPYLENE NANOCOMPOSITE FOR SUPERLATIVE REFRIGERATED VEHICLE PANELS
Keywords:
Polypropylene, Nanocomposite, Nanoclay, Refrigerated vehicle panels, Maleic anhydride grafted polypropyleneAbstract
Refrigerated foods vehicle by road is made up of three-layered materials insulated panel that has insulation foam, situated intermediate to two high thermal conductive aluminum metal sheets. Usually, a loss of insulation value in a refrigerated vehicle every year is a result of the increase in heat absorption and heat transfer of the metal sheets, which affect the cooling temperature in a refrigerated vehicle panel chamber. The study aims at proposing the fabrication of polypropylene nanocomposite for superlative refrigerated vehicle panels, by producing and testing low-thermal conductive polymer-based composite materials with nanoclay (NC) particles for use in superlative refrigerated vehicle panels. The melt blending compounding method involved the pre-treatment of materials, preparation of composite samples, and the characterization of the new samples for their: mechanical, morphology, and thermal properties. The result of the study shows that melt blending influenced the composites’ mechanical, morphology, and thermal properties. Meanwhile, the processing route exhibited an intercalated morphology structure, which enhanced the composites’ strength, stiffness, and thermal conductivity. Finally, the sample with 3% nanoclay by weight had the optimum property and could be, recommended for refrigerated vehicle panel insulation.References
[1] Neri L, Faieta M, Di Mattia C, et al. Antioxidant activity in frozen plant foods: Effect of cryoprotectants, freezing process and frozen storage. Foods. 2020, 9(12): 1886.
[2] De Corato U. Improving the shelf-life and quality of fresh and minimally-processed fruits and vegetables for a modern food industry: A comprehensive critical review from the traditional technologies into the most promising advancements. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 2020, 60(6): 940-75.
[3] Adekomaya O, Jamiru T, Sadiku R, et al. Minimizing energy consumption in refrigerated vehicles through alternative external wall. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017, 67: 89-93.
[4] Kuo JC, Chen MC. Developing an advanced multi-temperature joint distribution system for the food cold chain. Food control, 2010, 21(4): 559-66.
[5] Glouannec P, Michel B, Delamarre G, et al. Experimental and numerical study of heat transfer across insulation wall of a refrigerated integral panel van. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2014, 73(1): 196-204.
[6] Aung MM, Chang YS. Temperature management for the quality assurance of a perishable food supply chain. Food Control, 2014, 40: 198-207.
[7] Mercier S, Villeneuve S, Mondor M, et al. Time–temperature management along the food cold chain: A review of recent developments. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 2017, 16(4): 647-67
[8] Conner DE, Scott VN, Bernard DT, et al. Potential Clostridium botulinum hazards associated with extended shelf‐life refrigerated foods: A review. Journal of Food Safety, 1989, 10(2): 131-53.
[9] Kennedy J, Jackson V, Blair IS, et al. Food safety knowledge of consumers and the microbiological and temperature status of their refrigerators. Journal of food protection, 2005, 68(7): 1421-30.
[10] Galos J, Sutcliffe M, Cebon D, et al. Reducing the energy consumption of heavy goods vehicles through the application of lightweight trailers: Fleet case studies. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 2015, 41: 40-9.
[11] Siczek K, Siczek K. Modern vehicles for refrigeration. Autobusy: technika, eksploatacja, systemy transportowe, 2018, 19.
[12] Odongkara K, J K O Akumu, M Kyangwa, et al. Survey of the regional fish trade. 2005.
[13] Canals LM, Mu?oz I, Hospido A, et al. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of domestic vs. imported vegetables. Case studies on broccoli, salad crops and green beans. United Kingdom, Cent. Environ. Strateg. Univ. Surrey, 2008, 46.
[14] Okamoto H, Ide Y, Toyoda M, et al. Refrigerating apparatus for use in vehicles, using an engine as power source. United States patent US 6,688,125. 2004.
[15] Ahmed M, Meade O, Medina MA. Reducing heat transfer across the insulated walls of refrigerated truck trailers by the application of phase change materials. Energy Conversion and Management. 2010 Mar 1;51(3):383-92.
[16] Tassou SA, De-Lille G, Ge YT. Food transport refrigeration–Approaches to reduce energy consumption and environmental impacts of road transport. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2009, 29(8-9): 1467-77.
[17] Barbosa-Cánovas GV, Altunakar B, Mejía-Lorío DJ. Freezing of fruits and vegetables: An agribusiness alternative for rural and semi-rural areas. Food & Agriculture Org, 2005.
[18] Farid MM, Khudhair AM, Razack SA, et al. A review on phase change energy storage: materials and applications. Energy conversion and management, 2004, 45(9-10): 1597-615.
[19] Al-Homoud MS. Performance characteristics and practical applications of common building thermal insulation materials. Building and environment, 2005, 40(3): 353-66.
[20] Baetens R, Jelle BP, Thue JV, et al. Vacuum insulation panels for building applications: A review and beyond. Energy and Buildings, 2010, 42(2): 147-72.
[21] Jelle BP, Gustavsen A, Baetens R. The path to the high performance thermal building insulation materials and solutions of tomorrow. Journal of building physics, 2010, 34(2): 99-123.
[22] Usuki A, Kawasumi M, Kojima Y, et al. Swelling behavior of montmorillonite cation exchanged for ω-amino acids by?-caprolactam. Journal of Materials Research, 1993, 8(5): 1174-8.
[23] Lan T, Kaviratna PD, Pinnavaia TJ. Mechanism of clay tactoid exfoliation in epoxy-clay nanocomposites. Chemistry of Materials, 1995, 7(11): 2144-50.
[24] Alexandre M, Dubois P. Polymer-layered silicate nanocomposites: preparation, properties and uses of a new class of materials. Materials science and engineering: R: Reports, 2000, 28(1-2): 1-63.
[25] Kornmann X, Lindberg H, Berglund LA. Synthesis of epoxy–clay nanocomposites. Influence of the nature of the curing agent on structure. Polymer, 2001, 42(10): 4493-9.
[26] Wu H, Liang X, Huang L, et al. The utilization of cotton stalk bark to reinforce the mechanical and thermal properties of bio-flour plastic composites. Construction and Building Materials, 2016, 118: 337-43.
[27] Adekomaya O, Jamiru T, Sadiku R, et al. Sustaining the shelf life of fresh food in cold chain–A burden on the environment. Alexandria Engineering Journal, 2016, 55(2): 1359-1365.
[28] Lyu MY, Choi TG. Research trends in polymer materials for use in lightweight vehicles. International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing, 2015, 16(1): 213-20.
[29] Zheng WG, Lee YH, Park CB. Use of nanoparticles for improving the foaming behaviors of linear PP. Journal of applied polymer science, 2010, 117(5):2972-9.
[30] De Sciarra FM, Russo P. Experimental Characterization, Predictive Mechanical and Thermal Modeling