Fuel conservation, reducing environmental impact and managing total cost of ownership are core concerns of refrigerated fleets, based on 2008 customer demand for Carrier Transicold's EcoDriven suite of products for the container industry.

At Intermodal 2008, the world's leading container exposition and conference, Carrier reported that in the energy-efficient PrimeLINE' container refrigeration unit's inaugural year it has already received more than 20,000 orders. With its digital scroll compressor and other enhancements, the technologically advanced PrimeLINE unit offers the lowest energy consumption relative to other container refrigeration units. It also delivers best-in-class pulldown capacity and the highest deep frozen capacity of any container unit using non-ozone-depleting refrigerant R-134a.

'Customer response to the PrimeLINE unit is clearly indicative of a trend toward solutions that can reduce operating costs while simultaneously reducing carbon footprint for shipping lines,' said Kartik Kumar, director of marketing and strategic planning, Carrier Global Container Refrigeration.

Other EcoDriven innovations showcased at Intermodal 2008 included Carrier's enhanced PowerLINE' generator sets, which power refrigerated containers during land transit. The newest PowerLINE generator sets feature an emissions-reducing Tier 4i engine plus the ability to add a dual-speed option that can provide up to a 25 percent fuel savings when operating in economy mode.

Additionally, Carrier reported that interest in its recent QUEST power saving mode and eAutoFresh' on-demand ventilation system continues to grow. QUEST mode is a software solution capable of reducing a refrigeration unit's energy requirements based on parameters for perishable products. The eAutoFresh system is an automated, energy-efficient alternative to the common practice of continuously ventilating refrigerated containers to address cargo respiration.

'With historical sales of more than 700,000 container refrigeration units, Carrier is clearly committed to leading the industry through the next generation and beyond of energy-efficient, environmentally responsible container solutions,' Kumar added.