Carrier Transicold says its multi-temperature Vector 8600MT trailer refrigeration unit is now available with “smart” remote evaporators for easy installation along with improved reliability and operational efficiencies. Like other Vectors, the 8600MT is a diesel-electric “hybrid” and uses no drive belts.

One or two remote evaporators can be added to the 8600MT’s host system, enabling up to three refrigerated compartments within a trailer, each maintained at a different temperature set point by electronically controlled evaporators.

“We call our new remotes ‘smart’ evaporators because they each have an integral control module that communicates with the main APX control system,” explains Bertrand Gueguen, president, Global Truck/Trailer, Carrier Transicold. “It’s part of Carrier Transicold’s unique distributed electronics strategy.
 
“This means simpler wiring and streamlined installation, which ultimately results in higher reliability. The advanced design of the new smart remote evaporators also includes electronic expansion valves for better capacity and recovery after door openings, more precise temperature control, and lower fuel consumption.”
 
The Vector 8600MT unit’s smart remote evaporators automatically adjust
themselves to varying conditions to ensure optimized cooling and more
efficient fuel use, he said. Earlier systems with mechanical expansion valves require more setup, a high level of technician expertise and additional adjustments when reconfiguring trailer compartments.
 
“The innovative engineering that went into the Vector 8600MT unit and its new smart remote evaporators provides our food distribution and supermarket customers with significant benefits,” says David Appel, president, Carrier Transicold & Refrigeration Systems.
 
“These improvements will help customers in the key areas of reducing fuel
consumption and maintenance costs, environmental compliance, quiet operation, lower total cost of ownership, and trailer configuration flexibility.”
 
Like the single-temperature Vector 8500, the Vector 8600MT offers reduced weight, improved fuel economy and greater refrigeration capacity compared to belt-driven diesel units, Appel says. The new Vector models are also the first North American trailer units to use a fully hermetic electric-scroll compressor.
 
Proven efficient and reliable in Carrier Transicold’s refrigerated marine container systems, the scroll compressor has 70% fewer moving parts and is 200 pounds lighter than a traditional reciprocating compressor, contributing to the host unit’s overall 10% weight reduction compared to its predecessor, according to the company.

The Vector’s E-Drive unit’s diesel engine spins an onboard generator that runs refrigeration and heating operations during highway travel. Electric standby capability is built in, allowing haulers to tap into electric power supplies to quietly and cleanly run the system when parked.
 
As with other 2013 Carrier Transicold truck and trailer reefer units, the
Vector 8600MT has performance-boosting ecoForward technologies. Compared to the unit it succeeds, the new Vector 8600MT unit uses up to 20% less engine power while providing up to 4% higher cooling capacity at 60,000 Btu at 35 degrees Fahrenheit (1.6 degrees Celsius) and 24,000 Btu at -20 degrees F (-29 degrees C).
 
The Vector 8600MT unit’s engine is certified for “evergreen” compliance with the 2013 Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 4 standard for engines less than 25 horsepower.
 
For fleets operating in California beyond seven years, the Vector platform’s standard electric standby capability provides an in-use compliance option for the California Air Resources Board. Carrier is also developing an optional emissions system that further reduces exhaust emissions and provides a future CARB in-use compliance verified diesel emissions control strategy (VDECS).