CN112313461A

CN112313461A - Refrigeration container provided with ventilation system

Info

Publication number: CN112313461A
Application number: CN201980041685.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: J·D·斯卡塞拉; K·汉利
Original assignee: Carrier Corp
Current assignee: Carrier Corp
Priority date: 2018-06-21
Filing date: 2019-05-13
Publication date: 2021-02-02
Anticipated expiration: 2039-05-13
Also published as: WO2019245669A1; US20210278128A1; EP3811008A1; SG11202012504TA; CN112313461B

Abstract

A ventilation system includes a leak sensor (52), a controller (56), and at least one of an injection port (70) and a ventilation door. The leak sensor (52) is disposed within an interior space of a refrigeration container (10) and is arranged to provide a signal indicative of a concentration of refrigerant (18) within the interior space. The controller (56) is arranged to receive the signal. At least one of the injection port (70) and the vent door is disposed on at least one of a floor (30), a front wall (32), and a side wall (38) of the refrigerated container (10).

Description

Refrigeration container provided with ventilation system

Background

The product (e.g., produce or meat) may be transported a relatively long distance and may be placed within a refrigerated container. These refrigerated containers are specifically designed for conditioning the interior space with refrigerated air over an extended period of time. These refrigerated containers utilize a refrigeration unit that circulates cooled air inside the interior space by means of an evaporator fan that directs said air from the front to the rear of the container. The refrigerant from the refrigeration unit may leak inside the refrigeration container.

Disclosure of Invention

A refrigeration container is disclosed that includes an interior space and a ventilation system. The interior space is defined by a floor, a top disposed opposite the floor, a front wall extending between the floor and the top, a rear wall disposed opposite the front wall and extending between the floor and the top, and a pair of side walls extending between the floor and the top and extending between the front wall and the rear wall. The ventilation system includes a ventilation door movably disposed on at least one of: the bottom panel, the front wall, and one of the pair of side walls. The vent door is movable between a closed position and an open position.

Also disclosed is a refrigeration container including a front wall extending between a floor and a top, a rear wall disposed opposite the front wall and extending between the floor and the top, and a pair of side walls extending between the floor and the top and extending between the front wall and the rear wall. The refrigerated container also includes a ventilation system including an injection port and a ventilation port. The injection port extends through at least one of: the front wall, the rear wall, and one of the pair of side walls. The vent port is spaced apart from the fill port. The ventilation port extends through at least one of: the front wall, the rear wall, and one of the pair of side walls.

Further disclosed is a ventilation system including a leak sensor, a controller, and at least one of an injection port and a ventilation door. The leak sensor is disposed within an interior space of a refrigerated container and is arranged to provide a signal indicative of a concentration of refrigerant within the interior space. The controller is arranged to receive the signal. At least one of the injection port and the vent door is disposed on at least one of a floor, a front wall, and a side wall of the refrigerated container.

These and other advantages and features will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

The subject matter regarded as the disclosure is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features and advantages of the disclosure are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a refrigerated container employing a ventilation system;

FIG. 2 is a partial schematic view of the ventilation system in a closed position;

FIG. 3 is a partial schematic view of the ventilation system in an open position;

FIG. 4 is a partial schematic view of a refrigerated container employing a ventilation system;

FIG. 5 is a partial schematic view of the ventilation system in a closed position; and is

Figure 6 is a partial schematic view of a ventilation system in an open position.

Detailed Description

Referring now to the drawings, wherein the disclosure will be described with reference to specific embodiments, but not limited thereto, it is understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely illustrative of the disclosure that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present disclosure.

Referring to the drawings, a refrigerated trailer or refrigerated container 10 may be provided with a refrigeration system 12, the refrigeration system 12 providing conditioned or cooled air 14 to an interior space 16 of the refrigerated container 10. The refrigeration system 12 may be adapted to operate using a refrigerant 18 (e.g., a low global warming potential refrigerant, including a1, A2, A2L, A3, etc.). The refrigerant 18 may leak into the interior space 16 of the refrigeration container 10 as shown in fig. 4. The refrigerant 18 may be hazardous if the concentration of leaking refrigerant within the confined space exceeds a threshold level. The threshold level may be a lower flammability limit of the refrigerant 18. A ventilation system 20 may be provided to mitigate leakage of refrigerant by venting the leaked refrigerant to the outside environment.

Referring to fig. 1 and 4, the interior space 16 of the refrigerated container 10 is defined by a floor 30, a front wall 32, a rear wall 34, a top wall 36, and a pair of side walls 38. The floor 30 extends between the front wall 32, the rear wall 34, and proximal ends of the pair of side walls 38. The floor 30 is spaced from the top wall 36 and is positioned opposite the top wall 36. The front wall 32 extends between the floor 30 and a first end of the top wall 36. A rear wall 34 is disposed opposite the front wall 32 and extends between the floor 30 and a second end of the top wall 36. A top wall 36 extends between the front wall 32, the rear wall 34, and the distal ends of the pair of side walls 38. The top wall 36 is positioned opposite the floor 30. The pair of side walls 38 extend between the floor 30 and the top wall 36, and the pair of side walls extend between the front wall 32 and the rear wall 34.

Referring to fig. 1-3, the ventilation system 20 is arranged to mitigate leakage of refrigerant 18 from within the interior space 16 by allowing the refrigerant 18 to drain or escape through the floor 30, the front wall 32, and/or one of the pair of side walls 38. The ventilation system 20 includes a baffle or ventilation door 50, a leak sensor 52, an actuator 54, and a controller 56.

The vent door 50 may be movably disposed on at least one of: the bottom panel 30, the front wall 32, or one of the pair of side walls 38. The vent door 50 is movable between a closed position (as shown in fig. 2 and 5) and an open position (as shown in fig. 3 and 6). The vent door 50 is shown as being hingedly movable between the closed position and the open position, but the vent door 50 may be movable between the closed position and the open position in a variety of ways that permit or facilitate the discharge of the refrigerant 18 from the interior space 16, such as a sliding motion, a hinged motion, a folding motion, a pivoting motion, or other motion that selectively opens and closes the vent door 50 of the refrigerated container 10.

In at least one embodiment, at least one of the floor 30, the front wall 32, and one of the pair of side walls 38 can define a flow equalization region 58. The flow equalization region 58 may be positioned adjacent to the vent door 50 or an opening in the refrigerated container 10 that receives the vent door 50.

The leak sensor 52 is arranged to provide a signal indicative of a concentration of refrigerant that may be present within the interior space 16. Leak sensor 52 may be positioned within interior space 16 proximate floor 30.

The actuator 54 is arranged to facilitate movement of the vent door 50 between the closed position and the open position. Actuator 54 may include a first lock member 60 disposed on a surface of vent door 50 and a second lock member 62 disposed on a surface of refrigerated container 10.

The actuator 54 may facilitate opening of the vent door 50 by gravity due to disengagement of the first lock member 60 from the second lock member 62. The first lock member 60 engages or connects with the second lock member 62 to inhibit movement of the vent door 50 from the closed position toward the open position. The first lock member 60 is disengaged from the second lock member 62 to facilitate movement of the vent door 50 from the closed position toward the open position. In this arrangement, the first and

second lock members

60, 62 may be part of a mechanical lock, a magnetic lock, or the like.

The actuator 54 may drive or move the vent door 50 from the closed position toward the open position such that the first lock member 60 may be a motor having a driving member that drives a driven member of the second lock member 62, or vice versa.

The controller 56 may be provided with the refrigeration system 12 or may be a stand-alone controller. In at least one embodiment, the controller 56 may be provided as a stand-alone controller in communication with the refrigeration system 12.

Controller 56 is in communication with leak sensor 52 and actuator 54, and in some embodiments, controller 56 is also in communication with vent door 50. Controller 56 is provided with an input communication channel arranged to receive signals from leak sensor 52, and in some embodiments, from a pressure sensor. The controller 56 is provided with an output communication channel arranged to provide a signal or command to the actuator 54 or vent door 50 to facilitate movement of the vent door 50 from the closed position toward the open position.

The controller 56 is provided with at least one processor programmed to implement control logic, control algorithms or functions to command the actuator 54 to facilitate movement of the vent door 50 from the closed position toward the open position based on the signal indicative of the concentration level of the refrigerant 18 within the interior space 16 of the refrigerated container 10. The control logic, control algorithm or function may be implemented as a closed loop control system.

The controller 56 is programmed to output an indicator for display via the output communication channel in response to a signal from the leak sensor 52 indicating that the concentration of the refrigerant 18 within the interior space 16 is greater than the threshold concentration.

The arrangement of the ventilation system 20 as shown in fig. 1-3 facilitates the evacuation of the refrigerant 18 from within the interior space 16 of the refrigerated container 10 without the use of fans or other fresh air exchanges. The ventilation system 20 enables the refrigerant 18 that may collect near the bottom panel 30 of the refrigerated container 10 to be discharged to the outside environment via gravity. The opening of the vent door 50 promotes the migration of the refrigerant 18 toward the opening of the vent door 50 that is selectively opened and closed.

Referring to fig. 4, the ventilation system 20 may include an injection port 70, a pressure relief device or ventilation port 72, a compressor 74, a pressure sensor 76, the leak sensor 52, and the controller 56.

The injection port 70 extends through at least one of: a front wall 32, a rear wall 34, a top wall 36, and one of the pair of side walls 38. The injection port 70 is arranged to facilitate the entry of a fluid stream (e.g., air) from the external environment into the interior space 16 of the refrigerated container 10.

The vent port 72 is spaced from the fill port 70 and is positioned proximate the floor 30. In this arrangement, the ventilation port 72 may also extend through at least one of: a front wall 32, a rear wall 34, a top wall 36, and one of the pair of side walls 38. The vent port 72 is arranged to facilitate the discharge of refrigerant 18 that may be present within the interior space 16 of the refrigeration container 10. The vent port 72 is normally in a closed position and acts as a vent or pressure relief device to prevent the refrigerated container 10 from exceeding an internal pressure threshold. In at least one embodiment, the ventilation port 72 may be a ventilation fan.

A compressor 74 is fluidly connected to the injection port 70 and is arranged to inject air into the interior space 16 of the refrigerated container 10 through the injection port 70.

The pressure sensor 76 is in communication with the controller 56. The pressure sensor 76 is arranged to provide a signal indicative of the pressure within the interior space 16 of the refrigerated container 10.

The controller 56 is arranged to receive a signal from the leak sensor 52 indicative of the concentration of refrigerant within the interior space 16. The controller 56 is programmed to output, for display, the indicator via the output communication channel in response to a signal indicating that the concentration of refrigerant within the interior space 16 is greater than the threshold concentration. In at least one embodiment, the indicator may be an audible signal, i.e., a message indicating to an operator that the concentration of the refrigerant 18 within the interior space 16 is greater than a threshold concentration. In at least one embodiment, the indicator may notify an operator to connect the compressor 74 to the injection port 70 and apply a flow of air through the injection port 70 to pressurize the refrigerated container 10 with air.

The controller 56 is programmed to command the compressor 74 via the output communication channel to supply or apply an air flow through the injection port 70 and into the interior space 16 in response to a signal indicating that the concentration of the refrigerant 18 within the interior space 16 is greater than the threshold concentration.

In response to the signal provided by the pressure sensor 76 indicating that the pressure within the interior space 16 is greater than the threshold pressure, the vent port 72 opens, thereby facilitating the discharge of at least a portion of the refrigerant 18 from within the interior space 16 to the external environment through the vent port 72.

In at least one embodiment, if the vent port 72 is a vent fan, the controller 56 may command the vent fan to operate via the output communication channel in response to the pressure within the interior space 16 being greater than a threshold pressure or in response to the signal indicating that the concentration of the refrigerant 18 within the interior space 16 is greater than a threshold concentration.

The compressor 74 may continue to apply the flow of air into the interior space 16 through the injection ports 70 at least until the atmosphere within the interior space 16 is improved by the concentration of the refrigerant 18 falling below the threshold concentration.

The arrangement of the ventilation system 20 as shown in fig. 4 provides positive pressure ventilation to expel the refrigerant 18 from within the interior space 16 of the refrigerated container 10 to the outside environment. The arrangement of the ventilation system 20 replaces the refrigerant 18 from within the interior space 16 of the refrigerated container 10 with fresh air.

Referring to fig. 5 and 6, several aspects of the embodiments shown in fig. 1-4 may be combined. In this embodiment, the ventilation system 20 includes a ventilation door 50, a leak sensor 52, an actuator 54, a controller 56, an injection port 70, and a compressor 74.

The controller 56 is arranged to receive a signal from the leak sensor 52. The controller 56 is programmed to command the compressor 74 through the injection port 70 and apply an air flow into the interior space 16 via the output communication channel in response to a signal indicating that the concentration of the refrigerant 18 within the interior space 16 is greater than a threshold concentration. The controller 56 is programmed to command the actuator 54 to facilitate movement of the vent door 50 from the closed position toward the open position via the output communication channel in response to at least one of: the signal from the leak sensor 52 indicates that the concentration of the refrigerant 18 within the interior space 16 is greater than a threshold concentration and/or the signal from the pressure sensor 76 indicates that the pressure within the interior space 16 is greater than a threshold pressure.

The arrangement of the ventilation system 20 as shown in fig. 5 and 6 facilitates positive pressure ventilation of the refrigerant 18 from the interior space 16 to the external environment and gravity fed ventilation through the ventilation doors 50.

While the disclosure has been described in detail in connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that the disclosure is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the disclosure can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Additionally, while various embodiments of the disclosure have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the disclosure may include only some of the described embodiments, or may be combined to provide yet further embodiments. Accordingly, the disclosure is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description.

Claims

1. A refrigeration container, comprising:

an interior space defined by: a floor, a top disposed opposite the floor, a front wall extending between the floor and the top, a rear wall disposed opposite the front wall and extending between the floor and the top, and a pair of side walls extending between the floor and the top and extending between the front wall and the rear wall; and

a ventilation system, the ventilation system comprising:

a vent door movably disposed on at least one of: the floor, the front wall, and one of the pair of side walls, the vent door being movable between a closed position and an open position.

2. The refrigerated container of claim 1, wherein the ventilation system further comprises:

a leak sensor disposed within the interior space and arranged to provide a signal indicative of a concentration of refrigerant within the interior space, an

An actuator arranged to facilitate movement of the vent door between the closed position and the open position.

3. The refrigerated container of claim 2, wherein the flow equalization zone is defined by at least one of: the floor, the front wall, and the side wall of the pair of side walls.

4. The refrigerated container of claim 2, wherein the ventilation system further comprises:

a controller arranged to receive the signal.

5. The refrigerated container of claim 4, wherein the controller is programmed to command the actuator to move the vent door from the closed position toward the open position in response to a signal indicating a concentration of refrigerant within the interior space greater than a threshold concentration.

6. The refrigerated container of claim 4, wherein the controller is programmed to output an indicator for display in response to a signal indicating a concentration of refrigerant within the interior space greater than a threshold concentration.

7. A refrigeration container, comprising:

a front wall extending between a floor and a top, a rear wall disposed opposite the front wall and extending between the floor and the top, and a pair of side walls extending between the floor and the top and extending between the front wall and the rear wall; and

a ventilation system, the ventilation system comprising:

an injection port extending through at least one of: the front wall, the rear wall, and one of the pair of side walls, an

A vent port spaced from the injection port, the vent port extending through at least one of: the front wall, the rear wall, and one of the pair of side walls.

8. The refrigerated container of claim 7, further comprising:

a leak sensor arranged to provide a signal indicative of a concentration of refrigerant within the interior space of the refrigeration container, an

A controller arranged to receive the signal.

9. The refrigerated container of claim 8, wherein the vent port is disposed proximate to the floor.

10. The refrigerated container of claim 8, wherein the controller is programmed to output an indicator for display in response to a signal indicating a concentration of refrigerant within the interior space greater than a threshold.

11. The refrigerated container of claim 10, wherein a compressor is arranged to apply an air flow through the injection port and into the interior space.

12. The refrigerated container of claim 11, wherein at least a portion of the refrigerant within the interior space is discharged through the vent port in response to the pressure within the interior space being greater than a threshold pressure.

13. A ventilation system, comprising:

a leak sensor disposed within an interior space of a refrigeration container and arranged to provide a signal indicative of a concentration of refrigerant within the interior space;

a controller arranged to receive the signal; and

at least one of an injection port and a vent door disposed on at least one of: the floor, front wall, and side walls of the refrigerated container.

14. The vent system of claim 13, wherein the injection port extends through at least one of the front wall and the side wall.

15. The ventilation system of claim 13, wherein the ventilation door is movable between a closed position and an open position.

16. The ventilation system of claim 15, further comprising:

an actuator arranged to facilitate movement of the vent door between the closed position towards the open position.

17. The ventilation system of claim 16, wherein the controller is programmed to command the actuator to move the ventilation door from the closed position toward the open position in response to a signal indicating a concentration of refrigerant within the interior space is greater than a threshold concentration.

18. The ventilation system of claim 14, further comprising:

a compressor fluidly connected to the injection port.

19. The ventilation system of claim 18, wherein the controller is programmed to command the compressor through the injection port and apply an air flow into the interior space in response to a signal indicating a concentration of refrigerant within the interior space is greater than a threshold concentration.