Thermal Protection
The figure at right shows the different sources of heat that can affect the packaged product and the thermal protection offered by the different layers of the insulated package.
FIGURE: Cut-view of an insulated shipping package that shows the sources of heat transmission to the product and the different packaging layers that offer thermal protection. In a typical cold chain operation using insulated shipping containers, the product is packaged after being held in cold storage. Therefore, the primary role of the cooling agent (e.g. Gel Ice Pacs) is to “absorb” the heat entering the package through the various layers. The idea of an insulated shipping package is to be an effective barrier against the three types of heat transfer mechanisms that can increase the temperature of the product.
How Gel Ice Works