Moisture adsorption in palletised corrugated fibreboard cartons under shipping conditions: A CFD modelling approach

Corrugated fibreboard packages (cartons) must support considerable mechanical loads during long term transport of fresh produce in refrigerated freight containers (RFCs). Fresh produce are transported under high relative humidity to reduce fruit moisture loss and preserve quality. However, these conditions can progressively reduce carton mechanical strength over time as a result of mechano-sorptive creep. Little is known regarding the actual moisture dynamics in stacked cartons in RFCs, which is important for mechanical strength assessments. To this end, a portion of a fully loaded RFC was investigated using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, with respect to moisture transport in the air and the corrugated fibreboard. Simulations included the effects of loading, defrost cycles, fruit respiration and transpiration.Results showed relatively low moisture content gradients in fibreboards through the stacked cartons under optimal shipping conditions. However, the initial activation of the RFC considerably accelerated the development of moisture content gradients in the cartons. Additionally, the most significant factor influencing spatial moisture gradients through the cartons was heat conduction from outside through the container wall. (C) 2018 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.