Modular insulated container and method for operating same

Abstract

A modular insulated container for storing goods at constant temperatures. The container has, in an outwardly insulating manner, at least one base, at least one cover and at least four side walls of insulating material, which enclose an inner chamber provided for accommodating the goods in a thermally insulating manner. The at least four side walls are mounted separately with the at least one base and the at least one cover. At least one of the mounted, outwardly insulating side walls has temperature control elements, which face the inner chamber and contain thermal storage fluids, which are separated from the inner chamber by thermally conductive material.

Claims

1. A modular insulated container with an inner volume for storing goods at constant temperatures, said modular insulated container comprising; a base, a cover and at least four side walls which enclose the inner volume and each of the base, the top and the side walls being provided with a heat insulating structure wherein the at least four side walls are each mounted separately with the base and the cover, and at least one of the side walls has a temperature control element, which faces the inner volume and contains a thermal storage fluid, wherein the temperature control element is separated from the inner volume by a thermally conductive material consisting of a transparent barrier film made of one of PET, PE and polyamide (PA) and with a further barrier layer of at least one of ethylenevinyl-alcohol (EVOH), a polyester with a barrier of at least one of PET coated with polyvinylidenchloride ((PETX)(PVDC)), oriented polypropylene with a barrier (OPPX or BOPP), polyester with a barrier (PETXP), PAX, polyamide/EVOH (barrier)/polyamide (PA-EVOH-PA) and oriented polyimide (OPA), and wherein the container is provided with a detector and a recorder for recording temperature, pressure and vibration values detected by the detector.

2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the insulating material comprises expanded polystyrene, expanded polypropylene or polyurethane hard foam.

3. The container according to claim 1, wherein the side-walls are between 60 and 200 mm thick.

4. The container according to claim 3, wherein the side walls are rectangular and are provided along peripheries thereof, respectively, with a tongue or groove.

5. The container according to claim 1, wherein the at least one base is shaped like a pallet.

6. The container according to claim 1, wherein the thermally conductive material is 5 to 150 micrometer thick.

7. The container according to claim 1, wherein the barrier film is in the form of a transparent barrier film bag.

8. The container according to claim 7, wherein the PET barrier film bag is aluminum coated or provided with polyethylene plastic sheets which are attached to the at least four side-walls, the base and the cover.

9. The container according to claim 7, wherein the PET high barrier film bag is flat, between 1 mm and 30 mm thick, and provides at least 60% surface coverage of the inner volume.

10. The container according to claim 1, wherein up to 1000 high barrier film bags are provided on each side-wall.

11. The container according to claim 1, wherein the thermal storage fluid comprises pure n-paraffin with a chain-length of C16, C17, C18, pure tetradecan C14, tetradecan/pentadecan mix of C14 and C15, pure pentadecan, n-paraffin mix of C10 to C18, water, eutectic salt solutions, salt mixes, saturated salt solution of ammonium hydrate or 2,3-butandiol.

12. The container according to claim 1, wherein the temperature control element is covered with a corrugated card board, PE-board aluminum board or PE-film.

13. The container according to claim 1, wherein the detector and recorder are liquid crystal thermometer and a temperature data logger, respectively.

14. The container according to claim 13, wherein the detector and recorder are provided with a transmitter for detected and recorded data.

15. The container according to claim 1 further comprising; heat insulating panels arranged respectively at a side oriented towards an inside of the base and the at least four sidewalls and in the cover, and a cover member perforated towards the inner volume with at least one cavity and at least one temperature control element is provided between this cover member and one of the heat insulating panels which is located in the cover.

16. The container according to claim 15, wherein cavities are provided for storing the heat insulating panels respectively at the side oriented towards the inside of the at least one base and the at least four Side walls.

17. The container according to claim 15, wherein the at least one heat insulating panel above the at least one temperature control element towards the inner volume perforated cover member is provided with a protection layer, which is laid on the at least one heat insulating panel above temperature control element on the cover member.

18. The container according to claim 11, wherein the at least one temperature control element on the cover member is water-based.

19. The container according to claim 7, wherein the temperature control element is welded to one of the metal coated transparent film and the barrier film bag.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further features, specifications and advantages of the invention are presented in the drawings and will be described below.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective total view of a modular insulated container according to the invention,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a base of the modular insulated container according to the invention,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the base with a side-wall of the modular insulated container according to the invention,

(5) FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the base with the side-wall of a loaded modular insulated container according to the invention.

(6) FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the base with three side-walls of a pallet loaded modular insulated container according to the invention,

(7) FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the base with four side-walls of the loaded modular insulated container according to the invention,

(8) FIG. 7 shows a perspective total view of an along the side-walls cut free loaded modular insulated container according to the invention,

(9) FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of the base and three side-walls of an unloaded modular insulated container according to the invention,

(10) FIG. 9 shows a perspective sectional view of a modular insulated container with lead-sealing according to the invention,

(11) FIG. 10 shows a perspective exploded view of a further modular insulated container according to the invention, and

(12) FIG. 11 shows a perspective total view of the further modular insulated container according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(13) FIG. 1 shows a modular insulated container 1 with an inner volume with a rectangular layout for the distribution of drugs to be maintained at a temperature between 2 to 25 C. or 15 to 25 C. or 2 to 8 C.

(14) Four respectively individually separable side walls 3-6 and a cover 7 are mounted on a base 2 of the inventive modular insulating container 1 and respectively for insulating effect towards the outside are provided with insulating material, such as expanded polystyrene or expanded polypropylene or polyurethane hard foam.

(15) The modular insulating container 1 is adapted with the inner volume for storage of complete pallets with goods, e. g. Euro-pallets or US-pallets loaded with drug boxes. For sufficiently insulating effect towards the outside and for stability the base 2, the four respectively individually separable side walls 3-6 and the cover 7 are each between 60 and 200 mm thick. The modular insulating container 1 has outer dimensions with the maximal allowable height for air freight of less than 160 cm.

(16) The four respectively individually separable side walls 3-6 are rectangular and each provided with a tongue and groove system along its periphery for coupling each other and/or with the base 2 and/or the cover 7. The base 2 is shaped like a Euro-pallet. The outer surfaces of the separable side walls 3-6 and the cover 7 are provided with deepened grooves 8 for mounting of webbing load restraint assemblies. The deepened grooves 8 of the separable side walls 3-6 are respectively linked to deepened grooves 8 of the cover 7. Along top edges of the cover 7 the deepened grooves 8 are covered with rectangular edge protection 9 after accommodation of the webbing load restraint assemblies. The side walls 3-6 may as well be provided with lugs and may be sealed with cable seals (FIG. 9).

(17) FIGS. 2-8: Corresponding features are referred to with the references of FIG. 1. First of all, before assembly of the modular insulated container 1, the base 2 with a Euro-pallet 10 is loaded with goods (s. FIG. 5). Subsequently the side walls 3-6 are mounted separately on the base 2 and are fixed together by means of its tongue and groove system (s. FIGS. 3, 5, 6, and 8) in order to avoid thermal bridges. Eventually the cover 7 is on top of the side walls 3-6 (s. FIG. 7). The inner volume mounted of the modular insulated container 1 has dimensions of 120 cm80 cm120 cm.

(18) In at least one inner side of the insulating side walls 3-6 oriented to the inner volume mounted of the modular insulated container 1, of the base 2 and/or the cover 7 are provided thermal storage fluids in temperature control elements 11 (s. FIG. 4) with windows or made of transparent high barrier film. The thermal storage fluid serves as storage for thermal energy and is mounted on the inner sides for fast cold- or heat-exchange with the inner volume of the modular insulated container 1. The thermal storage fluid is preferably 1. pure n-paraffin, C16, C17 or C18, 2. n-paraffin mix of C16, C17 and/or C18, 3. pure tetradecan C14, 4. tetradecan/pentadecan mix of C14 and C15, 5. pure pentadecan, 6. n-paraffin mix of C10 to C18, 7. water, 8. saturated NaClsalt solution, 9. saturated salt solution of ammonium hydrate or 10. 2,3-butandiol.

(19) The thermal storage fluid is filled in the temperature control elements 11 as PET bags, particularly in aluminium coated PET bags or in PE plastic sheaths. The PET bags are adhered to the insulating side-walls 3-6, to the base 2 and/or to the cover 7 or fixed with connecting-type components. For higher stability and increased heat transfer to the inner volume the temperature control elements (not shown) integrated in at least one of the side-walls 3-6, the base 2 and/or the cover 7 are covered with corrugated cardboard (not shown) or PE-boards or aluminum boards or PE-film with high heat conductivity.

(20) The PET bags 11 are flat between 1 mm and 30 mm and provide at least 60% coverage of the surface of the inner volume for possible evenly stable temperatures in the inner volume of the modular insulated container 1. 1 to 100 high barrier film bags are foreseen for each of the side-walls 3-6, the base 2 and/or the cover 7.

(21) FIG. 9: Corresponding features are referred to with the references of FIGS. 1-8. Webbing load restraint assemblies 12 enclosing the modular insulated container 1 in the deepened grooves 8 are perforated at cross points and closed on the cover 7 by means of a numbered customs seal 13.

(22) FIG. 10: Corresponding features are referred to with the references of FIGS. 1-9. The base 2 made of insulating material with a rectangular layout with its side oriented towards the inner volume of the modular insulated container 1 is provided with a rectangular cavity 18 for reception of a heat insulated panel 14. The heat insulated panel 14 extends substantially across the entire layout of the base 2 and has a heat conductivity of less than 0.02 W/(mK). The base 2 may be conceived as underridable pallet.

(23) The four respectively individually separable side-walls 3-6 made of insulating material with a rectangular layout with its side oriented towards the inner volume of the modular insulated container 1 are respectively provided with a rectangular cavity 18 for reception of the heat insulated panel 14.

(24) The rectangular cavities 18 are respectively enclosed like in frames by fillets 19 oriented towards the inner volume, said fillets 19 being large between 5 and 50 mm parallel to the plane of the cavities 18 such that after assembly between base 2 and each of the at least four side-walls 3-6 the heat insulating panels 14 enclosed in the cavities 18 along the edges between base 2 and each of the at least four side-walls 3-6 have respectively a distance of at least 10 mm and at most 100 mm from each other for a thermally not entirely closed, fragmentary insulating body made of panels.

(25) A perforated cover member 15 of the cover 7 with a rectangular layout and perforations 16 is provided with a rectangular cavity 18 on the side turned away from the inner volume of the modular insulated container 1 for reception of water based temperature control elements 11, colder than 2 C. and preferably pre-cooled to less than 0 C. and being in solid state. The perforations 16 are conceived towards the inner volume of the modular insulated container 1, such that no closed sheathing of the transported goods with insulation is effected.

(26) The side walls 3-6 may be clipped reversibly with the base 2 by means of a clip system, particularly by means of a tongue and groove system in order to provide an inner volume insulated towards the outside. The dimensions of the inner volume are such that temperature control elements 11, so called latent heat-storage units may be positioned inside of all four side-walls 3-6.

(27) Water based temperature control elements 11 or latent heat-storage units are provided in the inner volume having their fluid melt-point next to the stipulated product temperature, with in case of 2 to 8 C. water based temperature control elements 11 possibly in combination with 2 to 6 C. latent heat-storage units inserted in the inner volume in the cover 7 and 2 to 6 C. latent heat-storage units inserted in the inner volume at the side-walls. Supplemental temperature control elements 11 can be inserted between the pallets of the transported goods and the goods to be tempered.

(28) These temperature control elements 11 consist of a plastic sheathing filled with thermal storage fluid, said temperature control elements 11 as so called accu boards being individually or in numbers packed together in supplemental film, preferably welded transparent film or hose bag film for faster loading of the modular insulated container 1. The supplemental film or hose bag film as heat conductive material separates with a thickness of 5-150 m the thermal storage fluids from the inner volume. The temperature control elements 11 are alternatively wrapped into card- or plastic-boxes with windows or exemptions, to allow visual recognition of correct pre-cooling by means of the aggregate state of the thermal storage fluid.

(29) The cover 7 is as well reversible connectable by means of a tongue and groove system with the four vertically standing side-walls 3-6. The at least one cavity 18 in the cover member 15 with the therein inserted temperature control elements 11 is covered to the outside with a heat insulating panel 14. A protective layer 17 as well connected with the cover member is laid on top of the heat insulating panel 14 towards the outside.

(30) For the assembly of the modular insulating container 1 first of all the perforated cover member 15 is mounted on the side-walls 3-6. Subsequently the pre-tempered elements 11 are implemented in the cavity 18 of the perforated cover member 15 and eventually the heat insulating panel 14 and the protective layer 17 are mounted.

(31) The peripheral edges of the side-walls 3-6 of the modular insulating container 1 are provided with cut-outs for the provision of edge protection. The peripheral parts respectively have at least one recess for a webbing load restraint assembly for safe closure and sealing of the entirely packed modular insulated container 1. Sealing may be achieved by means of e. g. a seal pulled through the webbing load restraint. Corners and edges of the modular insulated container 1 are rounded in order to introduce mechanic forces more evenly into the material of the side-walls 3-6 and thus to increase stability.

(32) Method of pre-tempering of the side-walls 3-6, of the base 2 and/or of the cover 7

(33) The pre-tempering of the separate side-walls 3-6, of the base 2 and/or of the cover 7 is already achieved due to the high heat conductivity of the temperature control element 11 at 1 C. to 2 C. below the solidifying temperature of the thermal storage fluid, i. e. for a thermal storage fluid with a melting-point between 20 and 22 C. pre-cooling temperatures of 2 to 18 C. are sufficient. The pre-cooling of the temperature control element 11 is effected till solidification of the thermal storage fluid occurs and thus its optimal storage energy is achieved. The time needed for pre-cooling depends on temperature difference and air convection at the surface of temperature control element 11 and may last a few hours till up to a couple of days according to the configuration.

(34) After pre-cooling the separate side-walls 3-6, the base 2 and/or the cover 7 act themselves as thermal storage transferring rapidly on their inner side their thermal storage energy to the inner volume of the temperature control element 11 and being insulated towards the outside.

(35) The inner sides of the separate side-walls 3-6, of the base 2 and/or of the cover 7 should be circulated freely by the ambient air transferring heat or cold for the pre-tempering, thus providing an as possible fast heat exchange.

(36) The pre-tempering of the side-walls 3-6, of the base 2 and/or of the cover 7 may already be achieved during delivery in a thermo-trailer or a lorry-trailer (not shown) with active cooling means. Therefore the temperature control elements 11 are wrapped and loaded to the separate side-walls 3-6, of the base 2 and/or of the cover 7 in a way that the circulating cold air of the thermo-trailer thermally charges the integrated thermal storage fluid and subsequently the temperature control elements 11 can be used directly without any need for further pre-tempering of the side-walls by means of integrated thermal storages or for example not integrated cooling element. If the respective temperature control element 11 is operable can be checked visually through windows on the inner sides of the side-walls 3-6, of the base 2 and/or of the cover 7.