An appliance having a storage tank disposed on its back surface wherein the storage tank comprises a front cover and a back cover that matingly engages the front cover to form a liquid tight seal with the front cover. The storage tank further includes a phase-changing material disposed within the storage tank and a heat exchanger containing refrigerant tubing which transfers cooling from refrigerant tubing to the phase-changing solution. The storage tank, when fully charged with cooling capacity, maintains the food storage compartment at a temperature of 45 F. or less for at least 8 hours without activating a compressor.

A storage unit comprises a casing defining an interior space for holding at least one item, a thermal element lining an interior surface of at least one side of the casing, and at least one thermal battery thermally coupled to the thermal element.

The freezable insulated crate liner generally relates to devices and methods for transporting items, and more specifically relates to crate liners for use in delivering temperature-controlled items such as perishable food. The crate liners are insulated to maintain a temperature-controlled environment within the liner. The crate liners may also be collapsible to minimize the space required for storing the crate liner when not in use.

A storage box and storage box system that has connectors to connect horizontally and vertically adjacent storage boxes. A lid of the boxes is releasably retained to the body via hinge members that selectively hinge the lid such that the lid can be opened from different sides of the body Furthermore, the lid can be removed entirely, should it be desired, by unlocking all hinge members. The storage boxes can have a liner to provide thermal insulation.

A water tank, including: a dry ice compartment arranged inside the tank to be brought in contact with water to be cooled inside the tank. The compartment is provided with a hole for discharging evaporated gas from the compartment into a space that is closer to a top wall of the tank than a bottom wall of the tank. A side wall of the tank connects the top and the bottom walls of the tank, and extends above the water volume within the tank. A water outlet extends from the bottom wall of the tank. An aircraft cabin trolley, an aircraft galley and an aircraft with such a water tank are also provided.

Method for monitoring thermal performance of temperature-controlled transport container. External temperature sensor is provided for measuring ambient temperature of container and internal temperature sensor is provided for measuring internal temperature. Ambient and internal temperature are measured and recorded while passing through first interior temperature range during first time period, and ambient and interior temperature are measured and recorded while passing through second interior temperature range during second time period. The phase change temperature is in first temperature range, and second temperature range is above or below the first temperature range. Thermal conductivity of the insulation layer is calculated based on temporal change of interior temperature relative to ambient temperature while passing through second temperature range, and subsequently enthalpy of phase change material is calculated based on temporal change of interior temperature relative to ambient temperature while passing through first temperature range and based on thermal conductivity of insulation layer.

A personal use cooler includes a cooler body having three chambers, each having an open end. Each of the chambers includes a respective lid movable relative to the cooler body. Each of the chambers is sealed when a respective lid is in the closed position. A drain is provided for draining a respective one of the chambers. At least one of the chambers is configured for personal use to minimize hygienic risk.

An apparatus, comprising an environmental control element configured to control at least one environmental condition of a substance contained within a chamber, the environmental control element includes a thermal insulator configured to provide a thermal shield to the substance and a phase change material (PCM) configured to thermally regulate at least one environmental condition. The environmental control element is configured to control the environmental condition without use of an external power source, thereby allowing the apparatus to be thermally self-recharging.