Transport Containers Research Articles

Origins and Distribution of Hellenistic and Late Republican Transport Amphorae in the Dalmatian Region and its Implications for Adriatic Trade and Economy

The presence of Hellenistic and Late Republican transport amphorae at numerous sites along the Adriatic and within shipwrecks off the coast indicates that intense trade and/or exchange in commodities such as olive oil and wine took place in this region from the fourth until the first century BC. The details of this commercial activity are nevertheless unclear in terms of the sources, destinations, and routes via which transport containers and their contents were circulated. The present study brings compositional data to bear on this topic by analysing petrographically and geochemically 248 amphorae sherds from 15 sites along the Dalmatian coast of present-day Croatia, including production sites, places of consumption, and shipwrecks. This revealed the existence of several larger amphora workshops whose amphorae were used to export goods to Dalmatia during the fourth and third centuries BC. They were involved in direct trade or through intermediaries in the redistribution centres. In the second and first centuries BC, only one workshop supplied amphorae in the region, which is probably the Dalmatian town of Issa. Aspects of the regional and inter-regional distribution and redistribution of amphorae from these workshops have been reconstructed, as well as changes within the trading system over time.

STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF LOW TEMPERATURES IN DYNAMIC CONDITIONS ON SPECIAL MATERIALS FOR INSULATING SUITS OF CHEMICAL ENTERPRISES

Domestic chemical industries urgently need the creation of special high-class protective clothing to allow working in extreme conditions without endangering the lives and health of workers. In previous publications, it was determined that the necessary comprehensive protection against the effects of harmful production factors is provided by the creation and use of an insulating suit, which should become a barrier that prevents the penetration, and therefore the influence of mineral acids, alkalis, ammonia, salt solutions, etc. different concentrations. That is, it is about the creation of special clothing with the necessary level of provision and preservation of such basic protective indicators as chemical resistance and impermeability of the material while preserving the tightness of the product as a whole. Preparation equipment and fitters for cleaning closed containers for transportation and storage of aggressive environments can simultaneously be exposed not only to mineral acids, alkalis, solutions of salts based on them, but also to the remains of liquid ammonia, the evaporation of which occurs when the temperature drops, which leads to the primary destruction of the polymer coating materials of special suits. For example, local destruction in contact with liquid ammonia leads to a sharp cooling (up to – 340C) of the contact surface of the material and destruction of the polymer coating, especially during operation (in dynamics), which can lead to a violation of the tightness of the protective product. Since workers have to perform a significant number of work movements while in an insulating suit, there was a need to study such an indicator as the resistance of materials to dynamic loads in conditions of low temperatures. Research was conducted on samples of materials with a polymer coating, which belong to the class of artificial leathers for special purposes from both foreign and domestic manufacturers.

Computational personal dosimetry at a realistic neutron workplace field

Some drawbacks of monitoring radiation worker doses with personal dosimeters could be avoided by the introduction of computational dosimetry based on 3D cameras for tracking of workers, modelling the workplace and its radiation field, and dose calculation using computer simulations. The PODIUM (Personal Online DosImetry Using computational Methods) project was setup to demonstrate the feasibility of this approach. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the feasibility of the computational dosimetry approach developed within the PODIUM project at a realistic neutron workplace field. A transport container with spent MOX fuel needles in a controlled area at SCK CEN was selected as a realistic neutron workplace field for this feasibility study. An MCNP6.2 model of this workplace was developed and successfully validated by comparing simulations with extensive measurements. After validation, the model was used to calculate an effective dose rate map of the workplace field. A single 3D camera was setup at the workplace to track the workers. Using a Python tool, the effective dose rate map, and the tracking file from the camera, the effective dose of the tracked worker could then easily be calculated.

The protective role of iodine and MS-222 against stress response and bacterial infections during Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) transportation

Fish transportation is a regular farming and experimental practice that mainly results in stress conditions that may extend to induce a high mortality rate. In the present experimental simulation, Oreochromis niloticus were transported for 2 h and maintained for another 6 h in transportation containers to assess the effect of tranquilization with tricaine methanesulfonate (MS-222) and/or the addition of iodine on mortality rate and restoring the normal physiological functions. Experimental fish were divided into four groups: group 1 (control) was transported in farm water without MS-222 or iodine, group (2) was transported in farm water supplemented with 40 mg/L of MS-222, fish in group (3) were transported in farm water supplemented with 40 mg/L of MS-222 + 10 ppm iodine, and fish in group (4) were transported in farm water containing 10 ppm iodine. Blood samples were collected for the determination of serum cortisol and glucose, while skin mucus was collected for assaying lysozyme, peroxidase and antibacterial activity; cumulative mortality rate; and food reflexes which were assessed at 0 h, 1 h, 6 h, 48 h, 7 days and 14 days post 2 h transportation. The results indicated that fish tranquilization with MS-222 and/or treatment with iodine mitigated the stress condition associated with transportation and accelerate restoration of the normal physiological and immunological status. So, it was recommended to use the MS-222 as a tranquillizer together with iodine as an antiseptic during transportation of O. niloticus.

EFFICIENCY OF COMBINED Fe AND Pb RADIATION SHIELD OF TRANSPORT CASKS FOR SNF TRANSPORTATION

The possibility of increasing the efficiency of combined iron and lead shielding of transport containers (TC) for SNF transportation by railroad is studied. Models for the transport of SNF γ-quanta are developed, that make it possible to determine the dose rates behind thick shields using the Monte Carlo method. It is shown that for layers of the same mass thickness: the layer of Fe with the thickness of 15 cm, and the layer of Pb with the thickness of 10.4 cm which is equivalent to 15 cm of iron, placement of Fe in the first layer, and Pb in the second layer provides increase of attenuation of the gamma flux by more than 2 times as compared with the reverse order. The attenuation of SNF neutrons by Fe and Pb shields is studied. The gamma flux from SNF can be decreased by ∼ 1.5 times by placement of the most of Fe to the first layer without changing the weight of both layers, in the HI-STAR190UA TC.

Calculation at the Early Stages of Designing the Exit of the Rocket from the Transport and Launch Container

Calculation at the Early Stages of Designing the Exit of the Rocket from the Transport and Launch Container

THE LOGISTIC CONCEPT OF REPRESENTING TRANSPORT PORT CONTAINER TERMINALS - AS A VARIATION OF TRANSFORMATION CENTERS FOR THE TRANSFORMATION OF MATERIAL FLOWS

Optimization of the network of transformation centers is one of the conditions for the effective functioning of the macro-logistic system. Acting as links in logistics chains, transformation centers perform the most important functions of promoting material flows between the elements of production processes, commodity circulation and consumption. The article studies and reveals the role of transformation centers, which implement the most important tasks of mutual cooperation of trunk and local modes of transport. The stages of logistic approach in choosing the variant of transformational centers location have been investigated. It has been determined that the transformation centers, being the basis for the creation of macro-logistic transport and storage systems of the corresponding level, perform the functions necessary to smooth the unevenness, inaccuracy of production, consumption and modes of transport turnover. The logistic concept which assumes the necessity of transformational centers as transport terminal complexes, warehouse complexes to create positive results of interaction of factors characterizing optimization of processes of advancement of material flows in logistic chains has been analyzed. The results of the study showed that in maritime transport, the main factor in the development of transport container terminals, as varieties of transformation centers - is the formation of complexes of means of transportation of centralized systems of movement of goods. Currently, the system of container transportation is among the most rational methods of technology and organization of multimodal cargo transportation. The concept of this system is based on the fact that it is proposed to transport cargo flows in a single cargo unit-capacity mixed modes of transport. In the conditions of functioning of the local transformation center, in addition to the implementation of complex logistical operations for the processing of material flows, operations for the development of preparatory processes of products for production consumption in the end are performed. This determines the representation of transport and warehouse systems of transformation centers as varieties of flexible production and logistics systems.

Production of the artificial 51Cr neutrino source in the BEST project

The production of the artificial 51Cr neutrino source with activity > 3 MCi for the experiment BEST is presented. This procedure consisted of making a 50Cr target and irradiating it with thermal neutrons in a nuclear reactor SM-3. The production of a target in the form of disks with a thickness of 4 mm and a diameter of 84 and 88 mm included enrichment (to 96.5% in 50Cr) of natural chromium in the form of oxyfluoride by gas centrifugation, electrolytic reduction and refining of metallic chromium, as well as the formation of chromium disks by spark plasma sintering. Simulations of various source geometries, neutron flux and nuclear transmutation were carried out to validate the design of the source, the irradiation device and the transport container, the required chemical purity of the target and the irradiation schedule in the reactor. The calculated activity of the source after 75 effective days of irradiation was 3.55 MCi. The activity of the source was measured by the calorimetric method and amounted to 3.41 MCi at the time of its delivery to the Baksan Neutrino Observatory. This is the most intense chemically pure neutrino source ever produced.

Developing an Arduino-based control system for temperature-dependent gas modification in a fruit storage container

Temperature is the most important factor affecting the quality and shelf life of fresh prduce. Varying temperature conditions are often observed during the supply chain of fresh produce. This poses a big challenge in designing modified atmosphere storage and transport containers. In this study, a system was developed to actively control CO2 and O2 concentrations inside a storage container under constant and changing temperatures. A mini air blower was used for gas exchange between the container and the external atmosphere. A thin and long tube prevented air from entering the container but facilitated air exchange when the blower was switched ON. The blower ON frequency (s h−1) was modelled as a function of storage temperature, taking into account the type and amount of fruit, blower properties, tube dimension, and the setpoint of O2 concentration. The model was then used in programming an Arduino microcontroller to control the blower in response to real-time measurement of storage temperature. The gas control system was then validated by the storage of sweet cherries. The system could control the CO2 concentration at the setpoint level (12.5%) for constant temperature of 6 °C and 17 °C and changing temperature from 17 °C to 9 °C. The blower ON frequency ranged from 32 s h−1 at 6 °C to 350 s h−1 at 17 °C. There was a good agreement between the measured and predicted values of gas concentration obtained from the simulation. The maximum RMSE value of predictions was 0.30 % at 17 °C storage temperature.

System Performance and Economic Analysis of a Phase Change Material Based Cold Energy Storage Container for Cold Chain Transportation

We studied a shipping container integrated with phase change material (PCM) based thermal energy storage (TES) units for cold chain transportation applications. A 40 ft container was used, which was installed with ten plate-like TES units containing PCM and a charging loop. An appropriate PCM was selected for meeting the requirement of the transportation of fresh vegetables (7-12°C). The charging loop was linked to a separate charging facility via quick coupling valves. The discharging performance of the container under dynamic conditions was investigated. The COP of the system was estimated to be 1.73. Economic analyses showed that energy and operation costs of the PCM-based container were, respectively, 71.3% and 85.6% lower than the same container but powered by a diesel engine (called reefer container). The results also showed that the PCM-based container was able to maintain not only the temperature range (7-12°C) but also the humidity range (85-95%), leading to better quality and longer shelf-life of the goods.

Optimization analysis of HTR-PM600 fresh fuel transport container under multiple impact loading conditions

Reliable transportation of Spherical Fuel Element (SFE) is vital for the stable operation of a High-Temperature Reactor (HTR) power plant. As a solution, Tsinghua University has developed the HTR-PM600 transport container, for transporting the inner storage canister and the SFEs. However, the cost of fabrication and transportation has been a major obstacle for the implementation of it. Thus, one of the most feasible methods is to make a lightweight design. Accordingly, this present study aims to investigate and optimize the lightweight and safety performance of the HTR-PM600 transport container under multiple impact loading conditions. In this study, the parametric study is conducted to reveals the effect of the thickness of HTR-PM600 transport container components under multiple impact loading conditions. On the basis, the ε-Constraint method coupled with the Taguchi method is utilized to explore the optimal design of HTR-PM600 transport container for multi-objective optimization for lightweight and safety performance, which is verified through a comparison between the initial and optimal design. The optimal design presents a superior safety performance and a 15.7% improvement on lightweight under multiple impact loading conditions.

Automatic reagent handling and assay processing of human biospecimens inside a transportation container for a medical disaster response against radiation.

Biological materials can be shipped off-site for diagnostic, therapeutic and research purposes. They usually are kept in certain environments for their final application during transportation. However, active reagent handling during transportation from a collection site to a laboratory or biorepository has not been reported yet. In this paper, we show the application of a micro-controlled centrifugal microfluidic system inside a shipping container that can add reagent to an actively cultured human blood sample during transportation to ensure a rapid biodosimetry of cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay. The newly demonstrated concept could have a significant impact on rapid biodosimetry triage for medical countermeasure in a radiological disaster. It also opens a new capability in accelerated sample processing during transportation for biomedical and healthcare applications.

Socio-demographic and water handling practices affecting quality of household drinking water in Kisii Town, Kisii County, Kenya

Household drinking water quality is dependent on a number of determinants which could be arising at the source, during transportation or due to storage and handling practices. The challenge of unsafe water is even big in urban settings that are often characterized by exponential population growth, increased urbanization, industrialization and poor sanitary facilities. Contaminated water is a leading cause of water borne diseases which are a major public health and policy makers concern. In fact, Water borne diseases are third cause of mortality in Kenya whereas they are ranked second in Kisii. The study was designed to investigate the factors affecting household drinking water quality in Kisii Town that has four main zones which include: Mwembe, Jogoo, Nyanchwa and CBD. Demographics, level of awareness in terms of water quality as well as hygiene and sanitation practices of the study population were studied using questionnaires. The questionnaires were filled by interviewing household heads from 422 sampled households. Qualitative data was also obtained by use of Focused group discussions (FGDs). Perspectives of key people such as public health officers were acquired through Key informant interviews (KIIs). The study found a significant relationship between household size and water quality in terms of presence of total coliforms. The following hygiene and sanitation factors were found to be having significant relationship with presence of E. coli in household drinking water; source of water (p = 0.002), transportation container (p = 0.029), covering during transportation (p = 0.012), storage container (p < 0.001), method of drawing from storage container (p < 0.001), feces disposal (p = 0.001) and garbage disposal method (p = 0.04). The conclusion of this study is that good hygiene and sanitation practices are important in ensuring total safety of drinking water at the point of use. There is therefore need for more capacity building in this region to ensure that people do not consume contaminated water which is a major contributing factor to water-borne diseases.

신선식품 콜드체인 EPS 패키징 시스템의 택배 유통환경 계측

The food cold chain refers to a technology and distribution supply chain applied to maintain a constant temperature suitable for the product from production (harvest) to delivery to consumers. In particular, in Korea, the insulation material used in the food cold chain is mostly EPS (Expanded Polystyrene), which is used as a transport container for various food cold chains. However, according to the government's eco-friendly policy, companies charge environmental contributions to the use of EPS, but due to its low price and convenience of handling, it is still used as a container for delivering food. In this study, in order to measure the domestic delivery environment of general refrigerated foods, changes in impact, temperature, and humidity during transport of the EPS packaging system containing foods and ice pack refrigerants were measured. As a result, there were 2?3 sections in which a high impact force of 40 G or more was generated during transport. This can cause damage to the product and EPS container. The difference in temperature and humidity changes by parcel transport routes is more than 30%, so it is necessary to present accurate standards for the domestic cold chain distribution environment. As a result of microbial experiments. the transportation period had a dominant effect on the increase in total viable count and E. coli count.

Feasibility of a refurbished shipping container as a transportable laboratory for rapid SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics.

BackgroundAustralia’s response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic relies on widespread availability of rapid, accurate testing and reporting of results to facilitate contact tracing. The extensive geographical area of Australia presents a logistical challenge, with many of the population located distant from a laboratory capable of robust severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) detection. A strategy to address this is the deployment of a mobile facility utilizing novel diagnostic platforms. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a fully contained transportable SARS-CoV-2 testing laboratory using a range of rapid point-of-care tests.MethodA 20 ft (6.1 m) shipping container was refurbished (GeneWorks, Adelaide, South Australia) with climate controls, laboratory benches, hand-wash station and a class II biosafety cabinet. Portable marquees situated adjacent to the container served as stations for registration, sample acquisition and personal protective equipment for staff. Specimens were collected and tested on-site utilizing either the Abbott ID NOW or Abbott Panbio rapid tests. SARS-CoV-2 positive results from the rapid platforms or any participants reporting symptoms consistent with COVID-19 were tested on-site by GeneXpert Xpress RT-PCR. All samples were tested in parallel with a standard-of-care RT-PCR test (Panther Fusion SARS-CoV-2 assay) performed at the public health reference laboratory. In-laboratory environmental conditions and data management-related factors were also recorded.ResultsOver a 3 week period, 415 participants were recruited for point-of-care SARS-CoV-2 testing. From time of enrolment, the median result turnaround time was 26 min for the Abbott ID NOW, 32 min for the Abbott Panbio and 75 min for the Xpert Xpress. The environmental conditions of the refurbished shipping container were found to be suitable for all platforms tested, although humidity may have produced condensation within the container. Available software enabled turnaround times to be recorded, although technical malfunction resulted in incomplete data capture.ConclusionTransportable container laboratories can enable rapid COVID-19 results at the point of care and may be useful during outbreak settings, particularly in environments that are physically distant from centralized laboratories. They may also be appropriate in resource-limited settings. The results of this pilot study confirm feasibility, although larger trials to validate individual rapid point-of-care testing platforms in this environment are required.

Detecting the Presence of Intrusive Drilling in Secure Transport Containers Using Non-Contact Millimeter-Wave Radar

We employ a 77–81 GHz frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) millimeter-wave radar to sense anomalous vibrations during vehicle transport at highway speeds for the first time. Secure metallic containers can be breached during transport by means of drilling into their sidewalls but detecting a drilling signature is difficult because the large vibrations of transport drown out the small vibrations of drilling. For the first time, we demonstrate that it is possible to use a non-contact millimeter-wave radar sensor to detect this micron-scale intrusive drilling while highway-speed vehicle movement shakes the container. With the millimeter-wave radar monitoring the microdoppler signature of the container’s vibrating walls, we create a novel signal-processing pipeline consisting of range–angle tracking, time–frequency analysis, horizontal stripe image convolution, and principal component analysis to create a robust and powerful detection statistic to alarm if drilling is present. To support this pipeline, we develop a statistical model combining the vibrating container and the random vibrations induced by vehicle movement to explore the robustness of the sensor’s detection capabilities. The presented results strongly support the inclusion of a millimeter-wave radar vibration sensor into a transport security system.

An Approach to the Localization of Technology for a Transport and Storage Container for Very Low-Level Radioactive Liquid Waste

An Approach to the Localization of Technology for a Transport and Storage Container for Very Low-Level Radioactive Liquid Waste

A multi-stage stochastic inventory management model for transport companies including several different transport modes

ABSTRACT This paper deals with modeling and solving a multi-stage stochastic inventory management problem for transport companies, including several different transport modes. This model aims to determine the amount of stored cargo and transport containers and trucks to the appropriate locations. Due to the uncertainty of environmental conditions, the demand and transfer costs parameters are considered uncertainly in different scenarios in the proposed model. Since the uncertain model is insoluble, a new robust-fuzzy-probabilistic method has been used to control the model’s parameters. As a result, the final model minimizes the total cost of maintaining cargo and transporting trucks and containers. Three genetic algorithms, particle swarm optimization and gray wolf optimization have been employed to solve the proposed stochastic inventory management model. The results of the problem analysis show that the increase of uncertainty rate in different scenarios due to the increase in the amount of demand from cargo, transmission, and maintenance costs have increased. In return, the total network costs have also increased.

Determination and Verification of GISSMO Fracture Properties of Bolts Used in Radioactive Waste Transport Containers.

Transport containers for radioactive materials should withstand drop tests according to the regulations. In order to prevent a loss or dispersal of the internal radioactive materials in the drop tests, a tightening of the lid of the transport container should be maintained. The opening of the lid, due to the drop impact, might cause the dispersion of internal contents or a loss of shielding performance. Thus, it is crucial to predict damage to the fastening bolt and its fracture. In this study, the damage parameters of the fastening bolt were acquired, and its fracture was predicted using the generalized incremental stress state-dependent damage model (GISSMO), a phenomenological damage model. Since the dedicated transport container is large and heavy, various jigs that can simulate the fall of the container were designed, and the accuracy of fracture prediction was verified. Digital image correlation (DIC) was introduced for the accurate measurement of the displacement, and load–displacement data for tensile, shear, and combined loads were successfully acquired. Finally, the load–displacement curve of the finite element analysis (FEA) with GISSMO until the point of the bolt fracture was compared with the curve obtained from the experiment, where a good agreement was observed.

Decision Analysis of Alternative River Debris to Landfill Transportation Systems in Jakarta

River debris in Jakarta is generated in several locations by conventional transportation. Waste transportation with traditional models is usually not time-efficient, primarily when river debris is generated every time. Transport systems that can be used for river debris include compactor systems, pre-compactor systems, and baller systems. This research uses literature study and secondary data in determining alternatives. Meanwhile, the alternative selection was carried out using the Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method. This study uses four criteria for selecting alternatives: initial capital, type of transport container, operation and maintenance, and processing capability. The utility value of waste transportation with compaction and pre-compacting systems does not significantly have utility values of 0.722 and 0.833, respectively. At the same time, the baller system has a utility value of 0.222. This shows that the compacted system is more suitable to be applied to SPA river debris in Jakarta. The presence of a pr-compactor can also reduce the water content in-river debris.