Transport container for transporting temperature-sensitive transport goods

Abstract

A transport container for transporting temperature-sensitive transport goods, including an interior for receiving the transport goods, is definable by an enclosure made up of several layers including at least one latent heat accumulator layer or at least one latent heat accumulator element, at least one energy distribution layer made of a highly heat-conductive material disposed on a side facing away from the interior, and/or on the side facing the interior, of the at least one latent heat accumulator layer and/or the at least one latent heat accumulator element.

Claims

1. A transport container for transporting temperature-sensitive transport goods, including an interior for receiving the transport goods, which is defined by an enclosure having walls defining sides of the transport container, the sides including a top side and a bottom side, the walls surrounding and enclosing the interior on all sides, said enclosure walls comprising several superimposed layers including a first layer being an energy distribution layer, a second layer being a flat chemical latent heat accumulator layer comprising phase change material or comprising a latent heat accumulator element, and a third layer being an energy distribution layer, wherein the first layer is disposed on a side of the second layer facing away from the interior of the transport container, wherein the second layer has a side facing towards the first layer and an opposite side facing towards the interior of the transport container, wherein the third layer is disposed on the opposite side of the second layer facing the interior of the transport container, wherein in the enclosure the first layer surrounds the interior of the transport container on all sides thereby causing thermal energy acting thereon to be distributed over the entire periphery of the enclosure, wherein in the enclosure the third layer surrounds the interior of the transport container on all sides thereby causing thermal energy acting thereon to be distributed over the entire periphery of the enclosure, wherein the first layer and third layer are not connected to each other, and wherein the first layer and the third layer in each wall are made of a highly heat-conductive material having a thermal conductivity λ>200 W/(m.Math.K).

2. The transport container according to claim 1, wherein said several superimposed layers in each wall further comprise a fourth layer being an insulation layer, wherein the first layer in each wall is disposed between the second layer and the fourth layer.

3. The transport container according to claim 2, wherein said several superimposed layers in each wall further comprise a fifth layer being an energy distribution layer made of a highly heat-conductive material having a thermal conductivity λ>200 W/(m.Math.K), wherein the fourth layer in each wall is disposed between the first layer and the fifth layer.

4. The transport container according to claim 2, wherein the fourth layer exhibits a conductivity λ<0.05 W/(m.Math.K).

5. The transport container according to claim 4, characterized in that the fourth layer exhibits a conductivity λ<0.03 W/(m.Math.K).

6. The transport container according to claim 2, wherein the fourth layer has a thickness of 10 to 200 mm.

7. The transport container according to claim 1, wherein the first layer and the third layer are made at least partially of aluminum, copper, or carbon nanotubes.

8. The transport container according to claim 1, wherein the first layer and/or the third layer is each comprised of at least two different materials having different thermal conductivities.

9. The transport container according to claim 1, wherein the first and/or the third layer comprises portions of smaller cross section and portions of larger cross section.

10. The transport container according to claim 1, wherein the first and/or the third layer comprises openings.

11. The transport container according to claim 1, wherein the enclosure further comprises an active temperature-control layer.

12. A transport container for transporting temperature-sensitive transport goods, having an interior for receiving the transport goods, the interior having sides including a bottom side and a top side; and an enclosure that surrounds and defines the interior, said enclosure comprising walls having several layers, wherein each wall comprises layers in the following order, an outer energy distribution layer having an outer face directed away from the interior and an inward face, an insulation layer having an outer face that is disposed over and contiguous with the inward face of the outer energy distribution layer, and the insulation layer having an inner face, an inner energy distribution layer having an outer face that is disposed over and contiguous with the inner face of the insulation layer, and the inner energy distribution layer having an inner face, a flat chemical latent heat accumulator layer having an outer face disposed over and contiguous with the inner face of the inner energy distribution layer, and the latent heat accumulator having an inner face, and an internal energy distribution layer having an outer face disposed over and contiguous with the inner face of the latent heat accumulator layer, wherein the internal energy distribution layer has an inner face that faces the interior of the transport container, wherein the internal energy distribution layer and the inner energy distribution layer are not connected to each other, and wherein each energy distribution layer comprises a highly-heat conductive material, has a thermal conductivity of λ>200 W/(m.Math.K), and surrounds the interior on all sides.

13. The transport container according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the energy distribution layers is at least partially comprised of aluminum, copper, or carbon nanotubes.

14. The transport container according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the energy distribution layers is comprised of at least two different materials having different thermal conductivities.

15. The transport container according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the energy distribution layers comprises portions of smaller cross section and portions of larger cross section.

16. A transport container for transporting temperature-sensitive goods comprising an enclosure comprising walls with each wall having several layers, said walls surround and define an interior for receiving temperature-sensitive goods, said interior having sides including a bottom side and a top side, and said walls comprising layers in the following order, an outer energy distribution layer having an outer face directed away from the interior and an inward face, an insulation layer adjoining the outer energy distribution layer, the insulation layer having an outer face directed away from the interior, wherein the inward face of the outer energy distribution layer is superimposed on and contiguous with the outer face of the insulation layer, and the insulation layer having an inner face, an inner energy distribution adjoining the insulation layer, the inner energy distribution layer having an outer face directed away from the interior, wherein the inner face of the insulation layer is superimposed on and contiguous with the outer face of the inner energy distribution layer, and the inner energy distribution layer having an inner face, a flat chemical latent heat accumulator layer adjacent the inner energy distribution layer, the latent heat accumulator layer having an outer face directed away from the interior, wherein the inner face of the inner energy distribution layer is superimposed on and contiguous with the outer face of the latent heat accumulator layer, and the latent heat accumulator having an inner face, and an internal energy distribution layer adjoining the latent heat accumulator, the internal energy distribution layer having an outer face directed away from the interior, wherein the inner face of the latent heat accumulator layer is superimposed on and contiguous with the outer face of the internal energy distribution layer, wherein the internal energy distribution layer has an inner face that faces the interior of the transport container, wherein the internal energy distribution layer and the inner energy distribution layer are not connected to each other, and wherein the energy distribution layers comprise a highly-heat conductive material, have a thermal conductivity of λ>200 W/(m.Math.K), and surround the interior on all sides.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Exemplary embodiments of a transport container are schematically illustrated in the Figures.

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates a first configuration of the transport container according to the invention.

(3) FIG. 2 depicts a second configuration of the transport container according to the invention.

(4) FIG. 3 illustrates a third configuration of the transport container according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) A transport container for transporting temperature-sensitive transport goods includes an interior for receiving the transport goods, which is characterized by an enclosure made up of several layers comprising at least one latent heat accumulator layer or at least one latent heat accumulator element, wherein at least one energy distribution layer made of a highly heat-conductive material is disposed on the side facing away from the interior, and/or on the side facing the interior, of the at least one latent heat accumulator layer or the at least one latent heat accumulator element.

(6) A transport container according to any embodiment can be further characterized with further a feature(s) as described herein.

(7) A transport container can be further characterized in that at least one insulation layer is disposed on a side facing away from the interior, of the at least one latent heat accumulator layer and/or the at least one latent heat accumulator element, wherein the energy distribution layer disposed on the side facing away from the interior, of the at least one latent heat accumulator layer or the at least one latent heat accumulator element is preferably disposed between the insulation layer and the latent heat accumulator layer (10) or the latent heat accumulator element.

(8) A transport container can be further characterized in that at least two energy distribution layers made of a highly heat-conductive material are disposed on the side facing away from the interior, of the at least one latent heat accumulator layer or the latent heat accumulator element, the insulation layer being preferably disposed between the two energy distribution layers.

(9) A transport container can be further characterized in that the insulation layer exhibits a conductivity λ<0.05 W/(m.Math.K), preferably <0.03 W/(m.Math.K).

(10) A transport container can be further characterized in that the insulation layer has a thickness of 10 to 200 mm.

(11) A transport container can be further characterized in that the at least one energy distribution layer comprises a thermal conductivity λ>200 W/(m.Math.K).

(12) A transport container can be further characterized in that the at least one energy distribution layer is made at least partially of aluminum, copper or carbon nanotubes.

(13) A transport container can be further characterized in that the at least one energy distribution layer is comprised of at least two different materials having different thermal conductivities.

(14) A transport container can be further characterized in that at least one of the energy distribution layers comprises portions of smaller cross section and portions of larger cross section.

(15) A transport container can be further characterized in that at least one of the energy distribution layers comprises openings.

(16) A transport container can be further characterized in that the enclosure further comprises an active temperature-control layer.

(17) A transport container can be further characterized in that on the side facing away from the interior and on the side facing the interior of the at least one latent heat accumulator layer at least one energy distribution layer is each arranged, which surrounds the interior of the transport container on all sides, respectively, and that on the side facing away from the interior of the at least one latent heat accumulator layer at least one insulation layer is arranged, wherein the energy distribution layer disposed on the side facing away from the interior of the at least one latent heat accumulator layer is preferably disposed between the insulation layer and the latent heat accumulator layer.

(18) An illustrative transport container is explained in more detail by way of exemplary embodiments schematically illustrated in the Figures. It will be appreciated that other embodiments are described herein.

(19) An exemplary embodiment is depicted in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 depicts a parallelepiped-shaped transport container 1 whose walls are denoted by 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. On the sixth side, the transport container 1 is shown open to visualize the layered structure of the walls. The open side can, for instance, be closed by a door, which preferably has the same layered structure as the walls 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. By preference, all of the six walls of the transport container 1 have identical layered structures. The layered structure comprises an external energy distribution layer 7, e.g. of aluminum, an insulation layer 8, a further energy distribution layer 9, a latent heat accumulator layer 10 and an internal energy distribution layer 11.

(20) The configuration according to FIG. 2 corresponds to the configuration according to FIG. 1 but with the difference in that an insulation layer 12 is additionally provided as an innermost layer.

(21) In the configuration according to FIG. 3, the latent heat accumulator is not designed as a latent heat accumulator layer surrounding the interior of the transport container on all sides, but is designed as a latent heat accumulator element 13 arranged only in the region of the wall 4. The layered structure of the walls merely comprises an insulation layer 8 and an energy distribution layer 9.