ATP / FRC testing

In order to confirm the compliance of a manufactured insulated body (truck, van, trailer, semi-trailer, container, or tank), knowledge of the heat transfer coefficient value, the so-called K coefficient, is required. The value of this parameter can be determined by performing a test at an authorized ATP testing station.

The ATP Agreement provides for two insulation classes:

• IR, when the K coefficient is equal to or less than 0.40 W/(m2K) - for heavily insulated equipment
• IN, when the K coefficient is equal to or less than 0.70 W/(m2K) - for normally insulated equipment

Notes:

1. If the test shows that the coefficient value exceeds 0.70 W/(m2K), then the body will not comply with the requirements of the ATP Agreement and will not obtain an ATP certificate.
2. In the case of insulation class IN, it is not possible to issue an ATP certificate in a class allowing the transport of frozen food (e.g., FRC class for mechanically refrigerated equipment).
3. For the transport of frozen food in accordance with the ATP Agreement, a reinforced insulation class – IR – is required, i.e., when the K coefficient is less than or equal to 0.40 W/(m2K).”

/Annex 1, Appendix 1, para 5/
“The bodies of equipment designated as 'insulated', 'refrigerated', 'mechanically refrigerated', 'heated' or 'mechanically refrigerated and heated', along with their thermal appliances, shall be affixed by the manufacturer with permanent nameplates in a clearly visible and accessible position on a part not subject to replacement in use. It shall be possible to read this nameplate without the use of tools. In the case of insulated bodies, the manufacturer's nameplate shall be affixed on the outside. The following particulars shall be inscribed legibly and indelibly on the manufacturer's nameplate:

• Country of manufacture or letters used in international road traffic;
• Name of manufacturer or company;
• Model (figures and/or letters);
• Serial number;
• Month and year of manufacture.”

The coefficient test is a basic test. Classes IN and IR confirm the insulating properties of the body; however, in order to confirm the ability of mechanically refrigerated equipment to lower/raise the temperature inside the empty body and subsequently maintain it constantly at the required level (e.g., to obtain a certificate in class FNA, FRC, etc.), a unit with appropriate capacity must be selected. The selection should be made in accordance with the guidelines of the ATP Agreement. The capacity values of the refrigeration, heating, or mechanically refrigerated and heated unit should also be confirmed by appropriate ATP tests. Such a test is usually commissioned by unit manufacturers; therefore, before purchasing and installing the device, it is worth checking with the manufacturer if they have a test report in accordance with the ATP Agreement. In order to confirm the correctness of the selection, calculations must also be performed in accordance with the requirements of the ATP Agreement.

Note:
In the absence of a unit test report, it is possible to obtain an ATP certificate after performing and passing additional tests with a positive result; however, this is a more time-consuming and costly process.

/ Annex 1, Appendix 1, para 6 /
“ (a) New equipment of a specific type serially produced may be approved by testing one unit of that type. If the unit tested meets the class requirements, the resulting test report shall be regarded as a Type Approval Certificate. This certificate shall expire at the end of a period of six years beginning from the date of completion of the test.
The date of expiry of the test report shall be stated in months and years.

(b) The competent authority shall take steps to verify that the production of other units is in conformity with the approved type. For this purpose it may check by testing a sample or samples drawn at random from the production series.

(c ) A unit shall not be regarded as being of the same type as the unit tested unless it satisfies the following minimum conditions:

• (i) in the case of insulated units, the reference equipment may be insulated, refrigerated, mechanically refrigerated, or heated equipment, provided that:
  • the construction is comparable and, in particular, the insulating material and the method of insulation are identical;
  • the thickness of the insulating material is not less than that of the reference equipment;
  • the interior fittings are identical or simplified;
  • the number of doors and the number of hatches or other openings is the same or less; and
  • the inside surface area of the body is not as much as 20% greater or smaller.
• slight and limited modifications of added or exchanged interior and exterior fittings may be permitted:
  • if the equivalent volume of accumulated insulation material of all such modifications is less than 1/100th of the total volume of the insulating material in the insulated unit;
  • if the K coefficient of the tested reference equipment, corrected by a calculation of the added thermal losses, is less than or equal to the K coefficient limit for the category of the equipment; and
  • if such modifications of interior fittings are carried out using the same technique, particularly as concerns glued fittings.

/ Annex 1, Appendix 1, para 3 /
“In the case of equipment transferred to another country which is a Contracting Party to the ATP Agreement, it shall be accompanied by the following documents so that the competent authority of the country in which the equipment is to be registered or recorded can issue a certificate of compliance:

• (a) in all cases, the test report of the equipment itself or, in the case of serially produced equipment, of the reference equipment;
• (b) in all cases, the certificate of compliance issued by the competent authority of the country of manufacture or, for equipment in service, the competent authority of the country of registration. This certificate will be treated, if necessary, as a provisional certificate valid for a maximum period of six months;
• (c) in the case of serially produced equipment, the technical specification of the equipment to be certified as issued by the manufacturer of the equipment or his duly accredited representative (this specification shall cover the same items as the descriptive pages concerning the equipment which appear in the test report and shall be drawn up in at least one of the three official languages).

In the case of equipment transferred after it has been put into service, it may be subject to a visual inspection to confirm its identity before the competent authority of the country where it is to be registered or recorded issues a certificate of compliance.”

In this case, a so-called periodic inspection is performed. It is carried out, among other things, when the 6-year validity period of the certificate issued for a new body has expired, when a refrigeration unit in service (“used”) has been selected for a new body, or when the certificate validity period for a body in service for a longer time has expired.

In such cases, knowledge of the heat transfer coefficient "K" value is also necessary.

The periodic inspection aims to confirm the technical condition and allows determining whether the equipment still meets the requirements of the previously assigned class - if it does, the validity of the ATP certificate may be extended.

If the equipment does not meet the requirements (when, e.g., due to the age of the body, condition of the body, etc., there is a suspicion of deterioration of insulating properties), it may be sent for re-testing to check its insulating properties (determination of the "K" coefficient for the body after years of service).

Based on the determined "K" coefficient value after years of service, the existing insulation class may be confirmed, and the vehicle will obtain an ATP certificate as before; otherwise, a lower class may be assigned to the equipment, and in a situation where the heat transfer coefficient exceeds 0.70 W/(m2K), it will not be possible to obtain a certificate of compliance with the ATP Agreement.”

It is required that equipment intended for the transport of frozen products (reinforced insulation IR, equipment class e.g., FRC) be fitted with appropriate temperature recorders meeting the requirements.

/ Annex 2, Appendix 1 /
Transport equipment shall be fitted with an instrument capable of measuring and recording air temperatures and storing the data obtained (hereinafter referred to as the instrument) to monitor the air temperatures to which quick-frozen foodstuffs intended for human consumption are subjected.

The instrument shall be verified in accordance with EN 13486 by an accredited body and the documentation shall be available for the approval of ATP competent authorities.

The instrument must comply with the EN 12830 standard.

Temperature recorders complying with EN 12830 may continue to be used.

Temperature recordings obtained in this manner must be dated and stored by the operator for at least one year or longer, depending on the nature of the food.

We cordially invite you to familiarize yourself with our GDP testing and certification offer.

https://www.coch.pl/en/good-distribution-practice-gdp/

https://www.coch.pl/en/gdp-dpd-mapping/

Detailed information can be found in the text of the ATP Agreement.

To clarify any doubts or in case of questions, please contact us.