TLX Cargo releases thermal cover with phase-change material

United Kingdom-based TLX Cargo has launched a new cargo cover that it said is the first on the market to incorporate phase-change material (PCM), a substance that absorbs and releases thermal energy to help protect cargo containers from temperature incursions.

Innovations like the TLX PCM, based on the same thermal cooling systems used on engines and computers, should be of interest to international shippers of pharmaceuticals – especially those that transport their goods through regions with a hot climate, such as South America, the Middle East and Africa.

TLX Cargo said that most companies place temperature-data loggers directly under the thermal blanket, between the box and cover, which leaves highly perishable pharma cargo vulnerable to heat when pallets are off-loaded onto hot tarmacs.

The TLX PCM addresses this problem by incorporating the PCM into the physical fibers of the cover, which “will freeze/crystalize at 18°C (aircraft hold temp),” and absorb 97 percent of thermal energy, reducing heat gain inside the pallet. With the technology, cargo that would spoil after an hour stays cool for about seven hours.