MicroLite Solution: Monitoring temperature within marine cargo holds

The low temperature and cryogenic insulation market is constantly evolving. For progress and efficiency high performance thermal insulation systems need to be designed to fulfill requirements from all the classification societies in order to meet Insulation Class Approvals.

About the Customer:

MGI THERMO is a major engineering and contracting company specializing in thermal (cold) insulation of cargo holds for the distribution of pharmaceuticals and food supplies throughout the marine cargo industry. With their Head Office located in Drammen, Norway they design and develop spray insulation systems for the holds on marine cargo ships.

Key Customer Challenges:

Marine insulation systems must deal with challenges at cryogenic temperatures which, if not kept in check, can potentially leading to cargo damage and huge financial losses. Hence the necessity for insulation of marine cargo holds, distributing perishable goods, throughout the cold chain. MGI THERMO first insulate the entire hold and, on completion of the insulation process, monitor temperature at multiple points to detect deficiencies in the temperature level. This process is to verify the quality of insulation for the ultimate protection of the cold chain cargo. The required temperature levels will vary depending on the content of any one particular cargo shipment.

MicroLite Implementation:

MGI THERMO installs multiple MicroLite LITE5032P- USB temperature logger units sporadically throughout the cargo hold area following completion of each foam insulation process. The units are then set at a sampling rate of 1/min over a 24-36 hour period. Alarms are set, according to the required temperature range of each particular cargo, to measure, monitor and document any alerts outside of the set temperature range.

Measurable Results:

The MicroLite product line offers highly accurate, cost effective logging, designed with low power consumption, enabling more points to be monitored within a budget by repeatedly using the same loggers at multiple locations. The MicroLite product provides high measurement accuracy and real-time sensor readings with a corresponding time stamp which are displayed on the logger's LCD screen, incorporating alarm thresholds to alert of any deviations in temperature in real-time. The MicroLite device is used to manually verify that the data is reliable by using the complimentary DataSuite software which indicates any deviations from the defined measurement range meaning that the quality of the insulation work can be easily documented and reported and therefore verify conditions for the safe shipping of cargo.