SEAFOOD SHIPPING CONTAINER

Abstract

An apparatus and method for shipping live seafood in a container having oxygen enriched water, the apparatus comprising a container having four side walls, a bottom surface and a top surface; an oxygen generator; an infusion unit in communication with the oxygen generator, wherein the infusion unit comprises a collection chamber, a diffusion chamber, and a membrane having microporous, hydrophobic, hollow fibers.

Claims

1. An apparatus for shipping live seafood, comprising: a container having four side walls, a bottom surface and a top surface; an oxygen generator; an infusion unit in communication with the oxygen generator, wherein the infusion unit comprises a collection chamber, a diffusion chamber, and a membrane having microporous, hydrophobic, hollow fibers.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a circulation pump.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the container is at least partially filled with water such that at least the infusion unit is submerged by the water.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a circulation pump, and wherein the container is at least partially filled with water such that at least the infusion unit is submerged by the water and the circulation pump forces water past the membranes of the infusion unit.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the oxygen generator is replaced with a supply line in communication with source of oxygen enriched gas.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a gas lift unit.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The invention is described below in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, and wherein:

[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a seafood shipping container and an apparatus in accordance with an example of the present invention;

[0014] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a gas diffusion unit used in the apparatus of FIG. 1;

[0015] FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the gas diffusion unit of FIG. 2 on a larger scale;

[0016] FIG. 4 is a front view of a fiber used in the gas diffusion unit of FIGS. 2 and 3;

[0017] FIG. 5 is a schematic top view of a seafood shipping container and a second embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, and;

[0018] FIG. 6 is a schematic, partly sectional side view of the apparatus of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] With reference to FIG. 1, an example embodiment of the present invention is intended for use in association with a seafood shipping container 1. In its simplest form, the apparatus includes an off-the-shelf oxygen generator 2 and an infusion unit 3 located in the container 1. Air is fed into the generator 2 via an inlet line 4. An oxygen rich stream exiting the generator 2 passes through a line 5 to the infusion unit 3 located in the container 1, and other slightly oxygen depleted exhaust gas is discharged from the generator to the atmosphere via outlet line 6.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the infusion unit 3 includes a housing defined by a stainless steel cylindrical side wall 9 and top and bottom walls 11 and 12 respectively defined by epoxy discs. An epoxy partition 14 divides the interior of the housing 8 into a smaller, lower collection chamber 15 and a larger, upper diffusion chamber 16. Oxygen enriched gas (referred to hereinafter simply as oxygen) from the generator 2 is fed into the collection chamber 15 via the line 5, which extends through the bottom wall 12 of the housing. The oxygen passes down through the bores of the generally inverted U-shaped, microporous, hydrophobic hollow fibers 17 of the type described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,209,855 and 7,537,200, which issued to Craig Glassford on Apr. 3, 2001 and May 26, 2009, respectively, and both incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0021] At the same time, water from the container 1 is drawn through openings 19 in the side wall 8 of the unit 3 by a pump 20 mounted on an outlet line 21 in the top wall 11 of the unit. Some of the oxygen diffuses through the micropores of the fibers 17 to the outside surface of the fibers. The pressure of the oxygen is insufficient to cause the oxygen to bubble into the water because the head pressure of the water is greater than that of the oxygenyet insufficiently so, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,209,855 and 7,537,200, to enter the micropores due to surface tension. However, some of the oxygen will dissolve in the water. Simultaneously, some of the dissolved nitrogen present in the water, due to equilibrium forces, will dissolve in the oxygen. The nitrogen will diffuse through the micropores and join the bulk oxygen stream. As the oxygen passes up the fibers, the oxygen concentration within the fiber bore must necessarily decline. Similarly, the nitrogen content must necessarily increase. However, as the gas flows upwards in the fiber bores, the head pressure in the water outside the fibers falls. By the time the gas within the fiber bores reaches the looped end of the fibers, there is insufficient water head pressure and the remaining gas bubbles out of the micropores and into the suction of the infusion unit pump. The oxygen-containing water exiting the pump passes through line 23 (FIG. 1) into the water in the container 1. Thus, water in the container 1 is circulated through the infusion unit 3 to increase the oxygen content of the water as needed.

[0022] An example gas diffusion unit 3 may include a 25 cm long stainless steel side wall 8 with an outer diameter of 10 cm. The unit contains 2200 looped microporous hollow fibers 17, one of which is shown in FIG. 4. The bottom ends 22 of the fibers 17 are potted in the epoxy partition 14 of the unit 3. Of course, other dimensions are possible, depending upon the size of the container 1 and the quantity of oxygen to be added to the water.

[0023] With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, a second example embodiment of the invention includes the same elements as the apparatus of FIGS. 1 to 4 in a container 1 and a tubular gas lift unit 25. Instead of venting it to atmosphere, the non-oxygen exhaust gas from the oxygen generator 2 is discharged via line 6 to the gas lift unit 25. The gas lift unit 25 includes a cylindrical side wall 26, a top wall 27 and a bottom wall 28. Exhaust gas from the generator 2 is fed into a bubbler 30 located near the lower end of the unit 25. At the same time water from the container 1 passes through openings in the side wall 26 of the unit. The bubbler 30 draws water into the unit 25 and pushes it through a packing cartridge 33 designed to remove CO.sub.2 from the gas entrained in the water. The water with the CO.sub.2 removed flows through an outlet 34 at the upper end of the unit 25 into the top of the container 1. The gas from the bubbler 30 is exhausted to the atmosphere via a line 35 extending through the top wall 27 of the gas lift unit 25.

[0024] Particular embodiments of the subject matter have been described. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.