Conservation insulated container and/or transportation of perishable or heat sensitive products

Abstract

An isothermal container for preserving and/or transporting perishable or heat-sensitive products, includes a cryogenic compartment for a mass of a cryogenic fluid, a product storage compartment for the products to be preserved or transported, at least one Seebeck module, and at least one fan positioned within the product compartment to create forced convention therein that is electrically powered by the Seebeck module, which generates a voltage from the difference in temperature between the mass of cryogen and the ambient air temperature of the product compartment.

Claims

1-6. (canceled)

7. An isothermal container for preserving and/or transporting perishable or heat-sensitive products, comprising a cryogenic compartment adapted and configured to accept a mass of a cryogen comprising lateral surfaces and a lower part that comprises a cold plate; a product storage compartment adapted and configured to store perishable or heat-sensitive products, wherein cooling of the products takes place through contact between the cold plate and air from the product compartment; at least one Seebeck module adapted and configured to generate a voltage from the difference in temperature between the mass of cryogen and an ambient temperature of air in the product compartment through the Seebeck effect; and at least one fan positioned within the product compartment that is adapted and configured to create forced convection in the product compartment and to be electrically powered by the voltage generated by the at least one Seebeck module.

8. The container of claim 7, wherein each of the at least one Seebeck module has: a cold side comprising a metallic surface that is in thermal contact with the cryogenic mass via the cold plate or one of the lateral surfaces; and a hot side in contact with the air in the product compartment.

9. The container of claim 7, further comprising a radiator within the product compartment that is adapted and configured to dissipate coldness thereby allowing a temperature in the product compartment to be lowered and/or maintained.

10. The container of claim 7, wherein the cryogenic compartment further comprises a cryogenic reservoir that is adapted and configured to be filled with the mass of cryogen.

11. The container of claim 7, wherein all of part of vertical walls of the container are provided with metallic plates or a low-emissivity coating for allowing a radiative effect to be set in place within the product compartment.

12. The container of claim 7, wherein the cryogenic fluid is dry ice.

13. A method of preserving and/or transporting perishable or heat-sensitive products, comprising the steps of: providing the isothermal container of claim 7; and cooling perishable or heat-sensitive products through contact between the cold plate and air from the product compartment.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of transporting the products while stored in the isothermal container.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the cryogenic fluid is dry ice.

16. The container of claim 13, wherein the at least one fan is used only during a pull-down phase in which a temperature within the product compartment is quickly lowered.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0028] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a container for preserving and/or transporting perishable products.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a partial schematic view of the container of FIG. 1 that also illustrates the location of a Seebeck module used to power a fan.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] FIG. 1 depicts an overall diagram of a container 1 preserving and/or transporting perishable products (of parallelepipedal conventional structure equipped with an access and loading door, not visible in this highly schematic figure), of the type comprising a cryogenic compartment 2 able to receive a mass of a cryogenic fluid, for example of dry ice, and a product storage compartment 3 for the products to be preserved or transported, situated in the bottom part of the container, where cooling takes place by contact between the air of the product compartment and the cold plate (10 in FIG. 2) that constitutes the lower part of the cryogenic compartment.

[0031] This figure indicates the location of a Seebeck module 4 which will be detailed in the context of FIG. 2.

[0032] Note that this FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram providing detail and a better understanding of one of the implementations of the invention; it is not drawn to scale and is a kind of zoom in on the Seebeck part quite simply permitting a better understanding of this part.

[0033] This FIG. 2 shows the cold plate 10 that constitutes the lower part of the cryogenic compartment 2, in contact with which is positioned the Seebeck module 4, the two connectors of which are connected to the fan 5.

[0034] The detailed view in the left-hand part of FIG. 2 shows one example of a standard Seebeck module that can be used.

[0035] It is also possible to note the presence of a radiator 6, for dissipating cold and thus lowering and/or maintaining a temperature in the product compartment.

[0036] The experiments successfully conducted by the applicant company demonstrated that a container according to the invention, combining the presence of the fan and of the radiative heat transfer, allowed the following results to be obtained:

[0037] an approximately +17% increase in the pull-down speed of the product compartment after the loading of the cryogen

[0038] an approximately 45 min reduction in the duration of the pull-down phase

[0039] in terms of the maintain phase, an approximately +58% increase in the duration of this phase (therefore in the temperature stability around the desired set point)

[0040] an at least 22% overall reduction in dry ice consumption for a 58% improvement in maintain performance as signaled hereinabove.

[0041] This lower mass of cryogen carried furthermore makes it possible to increase the transported payload accordingly, and has a direct beneficial effect on the cost of the technical solution proposed here.

[0042] While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description, Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims. The present invention may suitably comprise, consist or consist essentially of the elements disclosed and may be practiced in the absence of an element not disclosed. Furthermore, if there is language referring to order, such as first and second, it should be understood in an exemplary sense and not in a limiting sense. For example, it can be recognized by those skilled in the art that certain steps can be combined into a single step.

[0043] The singular forms a, an and the include plural referents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0044] Comprising in a claim is an open transitional term which means the subsequently identified claim elements are a nonexclusive listing i.e. anything else may be additionally included and remain within the scope of comprising. Comprising is defined herein as necessarily encompassing the more limited transitional terms consisting essentially of and consisting of; comprising may therefore be replaced by consisting essentially of or consisting of and remain within the expressly defined scope of comprising.

[0045] Providing in a claim is defined to mean furnishing, supplying, making available, or preparing something. The step may be performed by any actor in the absence of express language in the claim to the contrary.

[0046] Optional or optionally means that the subsequently described event or circumstances may or may not occur. The description includes instances where the event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does not occur.

[0047] Ranges may be expressed herein as from about one particular value, and/or to about another particular value. When such a range is expressed, it is to be understood that another embodiment is from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value, along with all combinations within said range.

[0048] All references identified herein are each hereby incorporated by reference into this application in their entireties, as well as for the specific information for which each is cited.