The ComfortPro auxiliary power unit (APU) from Carrier Transicold has been improved with a 1000-hour service interval, industry-standard R-134a refrigerant, and a powerful 60-amp alternator. These are among several performance-boosting enhancements that also lower life-cycle costs according to Carrier.

The ComfortPro APU provides air conditioning, heating and household electrical current for a truck sleeper cab, plus battery charging and truck engine warming. Uniquely, it offers an all-electric architecture – the award-winning Deltek hybrid diesel-electric technology found in Carrier’s
Vector 1800MT trailer refrigeration units.

Using a larger oil reservoir and new oil filter doubled the oil-service interval. “The longer interval helps ensure that a truck won’t have to perform a maintenance stop exclusively for an APU oil change,” says Eduardo Andrade, business manager – Special Products.

“By changing to R-134a, we brought the ComfortPro’s refrigerant in synch with automotive air conditioning systems, making service simpler for technicians due to standardized parts and procedures,” he added.

The new alternator provides 50% more power than the original. Other improvements include a new condenser with a proven fin-and-tube design, use of a thermostatic expansion valve rather than a capillary tube mechanism, and addition of a low-pressure sensor to protect the unit by shutting it down in the event of a refrigerant leak.

The original ComfortPro was introduced early in 2006, when it was announced that Carrier would be the exclusive distributor of APUs made by Teleflex, the company that pioneered the APU industry with its ProHeat units.
Its energy source is a 4000-watt generator driven by its diesel engine. Its air conditioning system uses a sealed electric compressor located inside the cabin. All ComfortPro APUs have a two-year, 4000-hour warranty.