EP0745816A1 - Arrangement for upholding a low temperature in a movable enclosure - Google Patents

Arrangement for upholding a low temperature in a movable enclosure Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0745816A1
EP0745816A1 EP96401136A EP96401136A EP0745816A1 EP 0745816 A1 EP0745816 A1 EP 0745816A1 EP 96401136 A EP96401136 A EP 96401136A EP 96401136 A EP96401136 A EP 96401136A EP 0745816 A1 EP0745816 A1 EP 0745816A1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
dry ice
container
carbon dioxide
enclosure
generator
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Granted
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EP96401136A
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German (de)
French (fr)
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EP0745816B1 (en
Inventor
Claude Gibot
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Carboxyque Francaise SA
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Carboxyque Francaise SA
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    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D3/00—Devices using other cold materials; Devices using cold-storage bodies
    • F25D3/12—Devices using other cold materials; Devices using cold-storage bodies using solidified gases, e.g. carbon-dioxide snow
    • F25D3/125—Movable containers

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to keeping a mobile enclosure at low temperature.
  • the invention was developed to solve problems relating to the trolleys used to transport food, and in particular prepared meal trays, between a preparation and storage room located in an airport and an airplane, and then to be taken on board at on board this aircraft, so as not to interrupt the cold chain.
  • the invention is applicable to the solution of similar problems which may be encountered in other fields, for example in the hospital field.
  • the trolleys which we have just mentioned consist of an enclosure with an insulated wall and a sealed door, fitted with rollers. Inside this enclosure, there is a loading volume equipped with means to contain the objects that one wishes to keep cold. These means are usually constituted by a dry ice drawer, located in the upper part of the enclosure. Usually, this drawer is partially removed from the carriage, in order to deposit a suitable number of loaves or wafers of dry ice, prepackaged in order to facilitate their handling. These are unit plates usually weighing 750 grams. Handling these ice cold loaves, which are very cold, would be an unpleasant task for the staff. It is therefore necessary to package them, which increases their cost. In addition, this operating mode does not allow the quantity of dry ice to be adjusted exactly, hence a waste which further increases the cost price of the operation.
  • the Applicant has proposed, see FR-A-2,706,990, to provide a dry ice bin provided with a lateral opening making it possible to inject liquid CO 2 therein using a distribution means provided with a solenoid valve comprising timing means making it possible to select the duration of injection of liquid CO 2 into the drawer, and consequently the desired quantity of dry ice.
  • the invention combines the advantages of the two prior techniques: the fact that a container is used which is not fixed relative to the enclosure allows, as for the technique using ice blocks, effective control of the quantity of 'refrigerants introduced into the enclosure. On the other hand, the advantages of the technique comprising the formation of carbon dioxide snow are preserved, namely a possibility of precise dosing of the quantity of refrigerants, and relatively easy handling for the personnel.
  • the carbon dioxide snow occupies, for an equal cooling capacity, a larger volume than if it were not, which can allow an increase in the useful volume of the enclosure, or, at volume useful equal, an increase in the shelf life of the products contained in this enclosure.
  • a second container for dry ice is determined by the internal face of the enclosure door and by a sheet , at least partially perforated, parallel to said internal face, and spaced from the latter by a distance small enough not to prevent the closing of the door.
  • this involves using a free space with a thickness of the order of a few millimeters. This container is closed at the sides and bottom, and it is open at the top.
  • a device comprising small dry ice generators can be introduced at least partially into the upper region of the container to form in it an additional quantity of dry ice.
  • this arrangement makes it possible to distribute the frigories in a more homogeneous manner, more particularly interesting the bottom of the enclosure, which is not the case with the refrigerant stored. in the upper part of this one.
  • Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of the installation and its mode of use.
  • Figure 2 is a vertical section of the filling station.
  • Figure 3 is a vertical section of one of the dry ice generators of the loading station.
  • Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating an additional element of the installation of Figure 1, and its mode of use.
  • Figure 5 is a section along line V-V in Figure 4 of the dry ice generator shown in this figure.
  • FIGS 1 and 4 show a cart for the refrigerated transport of pre-prepared meal trays.
  • a cart known to those skilled in the art under the name of "trolley", comprises a rectangular box provided with rollers and which has walls, a bottom and an upper wall made of insulating material.
  • the carriage 1 is also provided with a door 2, also made of insulating material, mounted on a vertical hinge and extending practically over the entire height of the carriage.
  • housings 3 intended to receive meal trays all prepared, not shown.
  • the housings 3 are designed so as to allow the free circulation of air from top to bottom of the interior space of the carriage 1.
  • the upper housing 4 is somewhat different from the others, since it comprises a container 5 for dry ice.
  • the carbon dioxide snow tank 5 is completely removable from its housing 4, as shown in FIG. 1. It is provided with a handle 6 made of insulating material intended to facilitate its gripping.
  • Figure 1 also shows a carbon dioxide snow loading station, consisting of a box 7, with a wall insulating.
  • the interior space of this box is divided, as shown in FIG. 2, into an upper compartment 8 and a lower compartment 10.
  • the upper compartment 8 comprises at its base means 9 which constitute a separation allowing the passage of gases to the lower compartment 10.
  • the separation means 9 are also designed to receive a dry ice bin 5, introduced into the box 7 through a slot 11, visible in FIG. 1.
  • the insulating handle 6 closes the slot 11 when a dry ice bin is in place in the compartment 8 of the box 7.
  • dry ice generators 12 are provided, distributed evenly above the surface of the tank 5. Three of them are visible in Figure 2 and Figure 3 shows a section through one of them.
  • Each generator consists of a vertical tube 13 open at the bottom and closed at its upper part by a partition 14 traversed by a nozzle 15 capable of spraying liquid CO 2 inside the tube 13.
  • the nozzle 15 is connected by the '' through an individual stop valve 16 to a manifold 17, itself connected to a pipe 18 for supplying liquid CO 2 via a thermally insulated pipe 19 provided with a stop valve 20 Line 18 supplies liquid CO 2 at -20 ° C, under a pressure of 20 bars.
  • the generator 12 produces carbon dioxide snow which falls into the tank 5.
  • the individual valves 16 make it possible to obtain a substantially uniform distribution of the amount of snow on the bottom surface of the tank 5.
  • the shut-off valve 20 can be controlled by computer according to the data of the problem: number of meal trays, duration of the flight, ambient temperature, etc.
  • the lower compartment 10 of the carbon dioxide snow filling station is used only for collecting the cold gases produced during the formation of carbon dioxide snow.
  • a pump 21 is used for the evacuation of these gases formed mainly of gaseous CO 2 .
  • the force of the jack is calculated so that the packing panel 22 does not allow the upper surface of the dry ice, once packed, to exceed the level of the edges of the tank 5. This would make the extraction of the tank 5 filled difficult, and a part of the dry ice would be retained by the slot 11 and would remain in pure loss in the box 7.
  • the panel 22 comprises a thick plate of material such as a foam having a suitable elasticity at the low temperature where it is used.
  • FIG. 1 there is also shown, schematically, an external carbon dioxide snow generator 30, connected to the box 7 by a liquid CO 2 supply duct 31.
  • This external generator is shown in more detail in FIGS. 4 and 5, which correspond to a complementary method of the invention.
  • the generator 30 is used. It is formed of a front plate 34 made of insulating material, and a rear plate 35, also made of insulating material. Dry ice generators are mounted on the back plate 35, and held in position in grooves provided in the front and back plates.
  • each generator 36 consists of a stainless steel tube of small diameter, for example 4 mm inside diameter, open at the bottom, and in which opens out a capillary 37 connected to a collecting chamber 38, itself connected to the supply line 31, which is flexible, and provided with a solenoid valve 39 and a stop valve 40.
  • the structure of the dry ice generators 36 is thus quite similar to that of the dry ice generators 12 described above but with much smaller dimensions.
  • the generator 30 is introduced, carrying it by handles 41, 42, of insulating material, in the space between the door 2 and the plate 32.
  • a holding part 43 fixed to the face of the rear plate 35 which is opposite to the generators 36, comes to rest on the upper edge of the door 2, to keep the generator 30 in a suitable position. It then suffices to open the valves 39 and 40 to fill the space between the door 2 and the plate 32 with a quantity of carbon dioxide snow which, despite the small size of the generators, is not negligible, because it can reach, in practice, up to 900 grams of dry ice.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Carbon And Carbon Compounds (AREA)
  • Handcart (AREA)

Abstract

The installation for maintaining a low temperature for food storage includes a fixed source of liquid carbon dioxide under pressure and a generator of dry ice connected to the source by a pipe. The dry ice generator includes a loading chamber (7) into which a tray can be inserted so that the dry ice is collected on the tray. The tray containing the dry ice is then transferred to a cabinet in which a number of individual meal portions may be stacked, with the dry ice tray occupying the uppermost slot in the cabinet. Within the dry ice generator there is a pivoting plate, arranged to ensure that the dry ice can be compressed into the tray after formation. This includes a surface made of a material which remains compressible at the temperature of formation of dry ice.

Description

La présente invention est relative au maintien à basse température d'une enceinte mobile.The present invention relates to keeping a mobile enclosure at low temperature.

L'invention a été mise au point pour résoudre des problèmes relatifs aux chariots utilisés pour transporter des aliments, et notamment des plateaux-repas préparés, entre un local de préparation et de stockage situé dans un aéroport et un avion, puis à être embarqués à bord de cet avion, de façon à ne pas interrompre la chaîne du froid. Bien entendu, l'invention est applicable à la solution de problèmes analogues qui peuvent se rencontrer dans d'autres domaines, par exemple dans le domaine hospitalier.The invention was developed to solve problems relating to the trolleys used to transport food, and in particular prepared meal trays, between a preparation and storage room located in an airport and an airplane, and then to be taken on board at on board this aircraft, so as not to interrupt the cold chain. Of course, the invention is applicable to the solution of similar problems which may be encountered in other fields, for example in the hospital field.

Les chariots dont on vient de parler sont constitués par une enceinte à paroi isolée et porte étanche, munie de roulettes. A l'intérieur de cette enceinte, on trouve un volume de chargement équipé de moyens pour contenir les objets qu'on désire conserver au froid. Ces moyens sont habituellement constitués par un tiroir à glace carbonique, situé en partie haute de l'enceinte. Habituellement, on sort partiellement ce tiroir du chariot, pour y déposer un nombre convenable de pains ou plaquettes de glace carbonique, préemballés en vue de faciliter leur manipulation. Il s'agit de plaques unitaires pesant habituellement 750 grammes. La manipulation de ces pains de glace, qui sont très froids, serait une tâche désagréable pour le personnel. Il est donc nécessaire de les emballer, ce qui augmente leur coût. En outre, ce mode opératoire ne permet pas d'adapter avec exactitude la quantité de glace carbonique, d'où un gaspillage qui augmente encore le prix de revient de l'opération.The trolleys which we have just mentioned consist of an enclosure with an insulated wall and a sealed door, fitted with rollers. Inside this enclosure, there is a loading volume equipped with means to contain the objects that one wishes to keep cold. These means are usually constituted by a dry ice drawer, located in the upper part of the enclosure. Usually, this drawer is partially removed from the carriage, in order to deposit a suitable number of loaves or wafers of dry ice, prepackaged in order to facilitate their handling. These are unit plates usually weighing 750 grams. Handling these ice cold loaves, which are very cold, would be an unpleasant task for the staff. It is therefore necessary to package them, which increases their cost. In addition, this operating mode does not allow the quantity of dry ice to be adjusted exactly, hence a waste which further increases the cost price of the operation.

La demanderesse a proposé, voir FR-A-2.706.990, de prévoir un bac à neige carbonique pourvu d'une ouverture latérale permettant d'y injecter du CO2 liquide à l'aide d'un moyen de distribution muni d'une électrovanne comportant des moyens de temporisation permettant de sélectionner la durée d'injection de CO2 liquide dans le tiroir, et par conséquent la quantité désirée de neige carbonique.The Applicant has proposed, see FR-A-2,706,990, to provide a dry ice bin provided with a lateral opening making it possible to inject liquid CO 2 therein using a distribution means provided with a solenoid valve comprising timing means making it possible to select the duration of injection of liquid CO 2 into the drawer, and consequently the desired quantity of dry ice.

Cette solution permet d'éviter les inconvénients indiqués plus haut. En outre, le tiroir n'a plus à être sorti à chaque chargement, car il suffit de brancher le conduit de CO2 liquide sur un embout approprié.This solution avoids the disadvantages indicated above. In addition, the drawer no longer has to be taken out each time it is loaded, as it suffices to connect the liquid CO 2 pipe to an appropriate nozzle.

Cette solution a néanmoins pour inconvénient qu'il est difficile d'obtenir un remplissage homogène du bac, qui remplace le tiroir de l'art antérieur, sur toute la surface de celui-ci. La neige carbonique a tendance à s'accumuler en quelques points, et à se déposer de façon insuffisante dans certaines zones. De plus, comme la formation de neige carbonique se fait à l'intérieur de l'enceinte, on ne peut la contrôler de façon efficace. En outre, la densité de la neige carbonique ainsi créée est relativement faible, si bien que, à poids égal, elle occupe un volume sensiblement plus important que les plaquettes de glace carbonique de l'usage antérieur.However, this solution has the disadvantage that it is difficult to obtain a uniform filling of the tray, which replaces the drawer of the prior art, over the entire surface thereof. Dry ice tends to accumulate at a few points, and to deposit insufficiently in certain areas. In addition, since carbon dioxide snow is formed inside the enclosure, it cannot be effectively controlled. In addition, the density of the dry ice thus created is relatively low, so that, for equal weight, it occupies a volume significantly greater than the dry ice wafers of the prior use.

La présente invention a pour but de remédier à ces inconvénients, et de fournir des moyens de création et d'introduction de neige carbonique qui soient encore améliorés. Pour obtenir ce résultat, l'invention fournit une installation pour le maintien à basse température d'une enceinte mobile, cette enceinte comportant un volume de chargement capable de contenir des objets qu'on désire porter ou maintenir à ladite basse température et au moins un récipient qui peut contenir de la neige carbonique,

  • l'installation comprenant en outre une source fixe de CO2 liquide sous pression et un moyen distributeur, relié à ladite source fixe par une conduite et apte à introduire le CO2 liquide dans ledit récipient de telle façon que ce CO2 liquide puisse se transformer en neige carbonique dans ledit récipient,
  • les particularités de cette installation étant qu'elle comprend une chambre de chargement fixe, qui est équipée dudit moyen distributeur, et dans laquelle on peut placer le récipient préalablement retiré de l'enceinte mobile,
  • et que la chambre de chargement fixe est équipée en outre d'un moyen capable de tasser dans le récipient de la neige carbonique formée dans ce récipient.
The object of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks, and to provide means for creating and introducing carbon dioxide snow which are further improved. To obtain this result, the invention provides an installation for maintaining a movable enclosure at low temperature, this enclosure comprising a loading volume capable of containing objects which it is desired to carry or maintain at said low temperature and at least one container which may contain dry ice,
  • the installation further comprising a fixed source of liquid CO 2 under pressure and a dispensing means, connected to said fixed source by a pipe and capable of introducing the liquid CO 2 into said container in such a way that this liquid CO 2 can be transformed in dry ice in said container,
  • the particularities of this installation being that it comprises a fixed loading chamber, which is equipped with said dispensing means, and in which the container previously removed from the mobile enclosure can be placed,
  • and that the fixed loading chamber is further equipped with a means capable of packing in the container carbon dioxide snow formed in this container.

L'invention cumule les avantages des deux techniques antérieures : le fait qu'on utilise un récipient qui n'est pas fixe par rapport à l'enceinte permet, comme pour la technique utilisant des blocs de glace, un contrôle efficace de la quantité d'agents réfrigérants introduite dans l'enceinte. D'autre part, on conserve les avantages de la technique comprenant la formation de neige carbonique, à savoir une possibilité de dosage précis de la quantité d'agents réfrigérants réfrigérés, et des manipulations relativement aisées pour le personnel.The invention combines the advantages of the two prior techniques: the fact that a container is used which is not fixed relative to the enclosure allows, as for the technique using ice blocks, effective control of the quantity of 'refrigerants introduced into the enclosure. On the other hand, the advantages of the technique comprising the formation of carbon dioxide snow are preserved, namely a possibility of precise dosing of the quantity of refrigerants, and relatively easy handling for the personnel.

Du fait que la neige carbonique a été tassée, elle occupe, pour un pouvoir frigorifique égal, un volume plus grand que si elle ne l'était pas, ce qui peut permettre une augmentation du volume utile de l'enceinte, ou, à volume utile égal, une augmentation de la durée de conservation des produits contenus dans cette enceinte.Because the carbon dioxide snow has been packed, it occupies, for an equal cooling capacity, a larger volume than if it were not, which can allow an increase in the useful volume of the enclosure, or, at volume useful equal, an increase in the shelf life of the products contained in this enclosure.

Pour une amélioration supplémentaire de la durée de conservation des produits, il est prévu, suivant une modalité complémentaire de l'invention, qu'un deuxième récipient à neige carbonique est déterminé par la face interne de la porte de l'enceinte et par une tôle, au moins en partie perforée, parallèle à ladite face interne, et écartée de celle-ci d'une distance assez faible pour ne pas empêcher la fermeture de la porte. Dans la pratique, il s'agit d'utiliser un espace libre d'une épaisseur de l'ordre de quelques millimètres. Ce récipient est fermé sur les côtés et en bas, et il est ouvert en haut.For a further improvement of the shelf life of the products, it is provided, according to a complementary method of the invention, that a second container for dry ice is determined by the internal face of the enclosure door and by a sheet , at least partially perforated, parallel to said internal face, and spaced from the latter by a distance small enough not to prevent the closing of the door. In practice, this involves using a free space with a thickness of the order of a few millimeters. This container is closed at the sides and bottom, and it is open at the top.

Un dispositif comportant des générateurs de neige carbonique de faibles dimensions peut être introduit au moins partiellement dans la région supérieure du récipient pour former dans celui-ci une quantité supplémentaire de neige carbonique.A device comprising small dry ice generators can be introduced at least partially into the upper region of the container to form in it an additional quantity of dry ice.

Outre une augmentation de la puissance frigorifique de l'ensemble, cette disposition permet de répartir les frigories d'une manière plus homogène en intéressant plus particulièrement le bas de l'enceinte, ce qui n'est pas le cas avec l'agent réfrigérant stocké en partie supérieure de celle-ci.In addition to an increase in the cooling capacity of the assembly, this arrangement makes it possible to distribute the frigories in a more homogeneous manner, more particularly interesting the bottom of the enclosure, which is not the case with the refrigerant stored. in the upper part of this one.

L'invention va maintenant être décrite de façon plus détaillée à l'aide d'un exemple pratique illustré avec les dessins, parmi lesquels :The invention will now be described in more detail with the aid of a practical example illustrated with the drawings, among which:

Figure 1 est une vue schématique, en perspective, de l'installation et de son mode d'utilisation.Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of the installation and its mode of use.

Figure 2 est une coupe verticale du poste de remplissage.Figure 2 is a vertical section of the filling station.

Figure 3 est une coupe verticale d'un des générateurs de neige carbonique du poste de chargement.Figure 3 is a vertical section of one of the dry ice generators of the loading station.

Figure 4 est une vue en perspective illustrant un élément complémentaire de l'installation de la figure 1, et son mode d'utilisation.Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating an additional element of the installation of Figure 1, and its mode of use.

Figure 5 est une coupe selon la ligne V-V de la figure 4 du générateur de neige carbonique représenté sur cette figure.Figure 5 is a section along line V-V in Figure 4 of the dry ice generator shown in this figure.

Les figures 1 et 4 montrent un chariot pour le transport réfrigéré de plateaux-repas préparés à l'avance. Un tel chariot, connu par les gens de métier sous le nom de "trolley", comprend une caisse rectangulaire pourvue de roulettes et qui comporte des parois, un fond et une paroi supérieure en matière isolante. Le chariot 1 est également pourvu d'une porte 2, également en matière isolante, montée sur une charnière verticale et s'étendant pratiquement sur toute la hauteur du chariot. A l'intérieur du chariot, sont prévus des logements superposés 3 destinés à recevoir des plateaux-repas tous préparés, non représentés. Les logements 3 sont conçus de façon à permettre la libre circulation de l'air du haut en bas de l'espace intérieur du chariot 1. Le logement supérieur 4 est quelque peu différent des autres, car il comprend un bac 5 à neige carbonique.Figures 1 and 4 show a cart for the refrigerated transport of pre-prepared meal trays. Such a cart, known to those skilled in the art under the name of "trolley", comprises a rectangular box provided with rollers and which has walls, a bottom and an upper wall made of insulating material. The carriage 1 is also provided with a door 2, also made of insulating material, mounted on a vertical hinge and extending practically over the entire height of the carriage. Inside the carriage, there are superposed housings 3 intended to receive meal trays all prepared, not shown. The housings 3 are designed so as to allow the free circulation of air from top to bottom of the interior space of the carriage 1. The upper housing 4 is somewhat different from the others, since it comprises a container 5 for dry ice.

Le bac 5 à neige carbonique est totalement amovible de son logement 4, comme le montre la figure 1. Il est pourvu d'une poignée 6 en matière isolante destinée à faciliter sa préhension.The carbon dioxide snow tank 5 is completely removable from its housing 4, as shown in FIG. 1. It is provided with a handle 6 made of insulating material intended to facilitate its gripping.

La figure 1 montre également un poste de chargement en neige carbonique, constitué d'un caisson 7, à paroi isolante. L'espace intérieur de ce caisson est divisé, comme le montre la figure 2, en un compartiment supérieur 8 et un compartiment inférieur 10. Le compartiment supérieur 8 comprend à sa base des moyens 9 qui constituent une séparation permettant le passage des gaz vers le compartiment inférieur 10. Les moyens de séparation 9 sont également conçus pour recevoir un bac à neige carbonique 5, introduit dans le caisson 7 à travers une fente 11, visible à la figure 1. Comme le montre la figure 2, la poignée isolante 6 obture la fente 11 quand un bac à neige carbonique est en place dans le compartiment 8 du caisson 7. A la partie supérieure du caisson 7, sont prévus des générateurs de neige carbonique 12 répartis de façon régulière au-dessus de la surface du bac 5. Trois d'entre-eux sont visibles à la figure 2 et la figure 3 montre une coupe de l'un d'eux. Chaque générateur est constitué d'un tube vertical 13 ouvert en bas et fermé à sa partie supérieure par une cloison 14 traversée par un gicleur 15 apte à pulvériser du CO2 liquide à l'intérieur du tube 13. Le gicleur 15 est relié par l'intermédiaire d'une vanne d'arrêt individuelle 16 à un collecteur 17, lui-même relié à une conduite 18 d'alimentation en CO2 liquide par l'intermédiaire d'un conduit calorifugé 19 pourvu d'une vanne d'arrêt 20. La conduite 18 fournit du CO2 liquide à -20°C, sous une pression de 20 bars.Figure 1 also shows a carbon dioxide snow loading station, consisting of a box 7, with a wall insulating. The interior space of this box is divided, as shown in FIG. 2, into an upper compartment 8 and a lower compartment 10. The upper compartment 8 comprises at its base means 9 which constitute a separation allowing the passage of gases to the lower compartment 10. The separation means 9 are also designed to receive a dry ice bin 5, introduced into the box 7 through a slot 11, visible in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the insulating handle 6 closes the slot 11 when a dry ice bin is in place in the compartment 8 of the box 7. At the upper part of the box 7, dry ice generators 12 are provided, distributed evenly above the surface of the tank 5. Three of them are visible in Figure 2 and Figure 3 shows a section through one of them. Each generator consists of a vertical tube 13 open at the bottom and closed at its upper part by a partition 14 traversed by a nozzle 15 capable of spraying liquid CO 2 inside the tube 13. The nozzle 15 is connected by the '' through an individual stop valve 16 to a manifold 17, itself connected to a pipe 18 for supplying liquid CO 2 via a thermally insulated pipe 19 provided with a stop valve 20 Line 18 supplies liquid CO 2 at -20 ° C, under a pressure of 20 bars.

Lorsque les vannes 16 et 20 sont ouvertes, le générateur 12 produit de la neige carbonique qui tombe dans le bac 5. Les vannes individuelles 16 permettent d'obtenir une répartition sensiblement uniforme de la quantité de neige sur la surface du fond du bac 5. La vanne d'arrêt 20 peut être commandée par ordinateur en fonction des données du problème : nombre de plateaux-repas, durée prévue pour le vol, température ambiante etc.. Le compartiment inférieur 10 du poste de remplissage en neige carbonique sert seulement à recueillir les gaz froids produits lors de la formation de neige carbonique. Une pompe 21 sert à l'évacuation de ces gaz formés principalement de CO2 gazeux.When the valves 16 and 20 are open, the generator 12 produces carbon dioxide snow which falls into the tank 5. The individual valves 16 make it possible to obtain a substantially uniform distribution of the amount of snow on the bottom surface of the tank 5. The shut-off valve 20 can be controlled by computer according to the data of the problem: number of meal trays, duration of the flight, ambient temperature, etc. The lower compartment 10 of the carbon dioxide snow filling station is used only for collecting the cold gases produced during the formation of carbon dioxide snow. A pump 21 is used for the evacuation of these gases formed mainly of gaseous CO 2 .

Le compartiment 8, outre les générateurs de neige carbonique et l'emplacement du bac 5, contient un panneau de tassage 22 monté sur une articulation horizontale 23 située le long d'une des parois du caisson 7, et qui peut être actionné par un vérin 24 de façon à passer d'une position verticale, représentée en trait plein sur la figure 2, où il n'empêche pas la neige carbonique produite par les générateurs 12 de parvenir jusque dans le bac 5, et une position horizontale, où il recouvre sensiblement toute la surface du bac 5 et tasse la neige qu'il peut contenir, sous l'effet de la force du vérin 24. On conçoit que, chaque fois que le vérin 24 est actionné, la neige est tassée. Il est possible, selon les circonstances, d'actionner plusieurs fois le vérin 24 jusqu'à obtenir le tassement désiré. De toute façon, la force du vérin est calculée pour que le panneau de tassage 22 ne permette pas que la surface supérieure de la neige carbonique, une fois tassée, dépasse le niveau des bords du bac 5. Cela rendrait l'extraction du bac 5 rempli difficile, et une partie de la neige carbonique serait retenue par la fente 11 et resterait en pure perte dans le caisson 7. Pour obtenir un tassage régulier, le panneau 22 comporte une plaque épaisse de matière telle qu'une mousse présentant une élasticité convenable à la basse température où elle est employée.The compartment 8, in addition to the dry ice generators and the location of the tank 5, contains a packing panel 22 mounted on a horizontal articulation 23 located along one of the walls of the box 7, and which can be actuated by a jack 24 so as to pass from a vertical position, shown in solid lines in FIG. 2, where it does not prevent the dry ice produced by the generators 12 from reaching into the tank 5, and a horizontal position, where it covers substantially the entire surface of the tank 5 and cup the snow it may contain, under the effect of the force of the jack 24. It is understood that, each time the jack 24 is actuated, the snow is packed. It is possible, depending on the circumstances, to actuate the jack 24 several times until the desired settlement is obtained. In any case, the force of the jack is calculated so that the packing panel 22 does not allow the upper surface of the dry ice, once packed, to exceed the level of the edges of the tank 5. This would make the extraction of the tank 5 filled difficult, and a part of the dry ice would be retained by the slot 11 and would remain in pure loss in the box 7. To obtain a regular packing, the panel 22 comprises a thick plate of material such as a foam having a suitable elasticity at the low temperature where it is used.

A la figure 1, on a représenté également, de façon schématique, un générateur de neige carbonique extérieur 30, relié au caisson 7 par un conduit d'alimentation en CO2 liquide 31. Ce générateur extérieur est montré de façon plus détaillée aux figures 4 et 5, qui correspondent à une modalité complémentaire de l'invention.In FIG. 1, there is also shown, schematically, an external carbon dioxide snow generator 30, connected to the box 7 by a liquid CO 2 supply duct 31. This external generator is shown in more detail in FIGS. 4 and 5, which correspond to a complementary method of the invention.

A la figure 4, on retrouve le chariot 1 décrit à la figure 1. A la figure 4, ce chariot présente comme particularité que sa porte 2 présente, sur sa face intérieure, une paroi supplémentaire 32, espacée de 6 à 7 mm de la porte elle-même. Cette double paroi 32 est maintenue contre la porte par des fers 33 disposés sur ces deux côtés, et à sa partie inférieure. Une telle surépaisseur est conçue pour ne pas gêner la fermeture de la porte et occupe un espace normalement laissé libre pour faciliter la circulation verticale de l'air à l'intérieur du chariot quand celui-ci est fermé. la porte 2 forme, avec la double paroi 32 et des fers de fixation 33, une sorte de poche ouverte vers le haut, qu'on va remplir de neige carbonique.In Figure 4, we find the carriage 1 described in Figure 1. In Figure 4, this carriage has the particularity that its door 2 has, on its inner face, an additional wall 32, spaced 6 to 7 mm from the wears itself. This double wall 32 is held against the door by irons 33 arranged on these two sides, and at its lower part. Such extra thickness is designed so as not to hinder the closing of the door and occupies a space normally left free to facilitate the vertical circulation of air inside the carriage when the latter is closed. door 2 forms, with the double wall 32 and fixing irons 33, a sort of pocket open upwards, which we will fill with carbon dioxide snow.

Pour cela on utilise le générateur 30. Celui-ci est formé d'une plaque avant 34 en matière isolante, et une plaque arrière 35, également en matière isolante. Des générateurs de neige carbonique sont montés sur la plaque arrière 35, et maintenus en position dans des rainures prévues dans les plaques avant et arrière. Comme le montre la figure 5, qui est une coupe dans le plan séparant les plaques avant et arrière, chaque générateur 36 est constitué d'un tube inox de faible diamètre, par exemple 4 mm de diamètre intérieur, ouvert vers le bas, et dans lequel débouche un capillaire 37 relié à une chambre collectrice 38, elle-même reliée à la conduite d'alimentation 31, laquelle est flexible, et pourvue d'une électrovanne 39 et d'une vanne d'arrêt 40.
La structure des générateurs de neige carbonique 36 est ainsi assez analogue à celle des générateurs de neige carbonique 12 décrits plus haut mais avec des dimensions beaucoup plus faibles. Pour remplir l'espace entre la plaque perforée 32 et la porte 2, on introduit le générateur 30, en le portant par des poignées 41, 42, en matière isolante, dans l'espace compris entre la porte 2 et la plaque 32. Une pièce de maintien 43, fixée sur la face de la plaque arrière 35 qui est à l'opposé des générateurs 36, vient reposer sur le bord supérieur de la porte 2, pour maintenir le générateur 30 dans une position convenable. Il suffit alors d'ouvrir les vannes 39 et 40 pour remplir l'espace entre la porte 2 et la plaque 32 avec une quantité de neige carbonique qui, malgré la faible dimension des générateurs, n'est pas négligeable, car elle peut atteindre, dans la pratique, jusqu'à 900 grammes de neige carbonique.For this, the generator 30 is used. It is formed of a front plate 34 made of insulating material, and a rear plate 35, also made of insulating material. Dry ice generators are mounted on the back plate 35, and held in position in grooves provided in the front and back plates. As shown in FIG. 5, which is a section in the plane separating the front and rear plates, each generator 36 consists of a stainless steel tube of small diameter, for example 4 mm inside diameter, open at the bottom, and in which opens out a capillary 37 connected to a collecting chamber 38, itself connected to the supply line 31, which is flexible, and provided with a solenoid valve 39 and a stop valve 40.
The structure of the dry ice generators 36 is thus quite similar to that of the dry ice generators 12 described above but with much smaller dimensions. To fill the space between the perforated plate 32 and the door 2, the generator 30 is introduced, carrying it by handles 41, 42, of insulating material, in the space between the door 2 and the plate 32. A holding part 43, fixed to the face of the rear plate 35 which is opposite to the generators 36, comes to rest on the upper edge of the door 2, to keep the generator 30 in a suitable position. It then suffices to open the valves 39 and 40 to fill the space between the door 2 and the plate 32 with a quantity of carbon dioxide snow which, despite the small size of the generators, is not negligible, because it can reach, in practice, up to 900 grams of dry ice.

Claims (5)

Installation pour le maintien à basse température d'une enceinte mobile, cette enceinte (1) comportant un volume de chargement capable de contenir des objets qu'on désire porter ou maintenir à ladite basse température et au moins un récipient (5) qui peut contenir de la neige carbonique,
   l'installation comprenant en outre une source fixe de CO2 liquide sous pression et un générateur (12) de neige carbonique, relié à ladite source fixe par une conduite et apte à pulvériser le CO2 liquide de telle façon qu'il se transforme en neige carbonique,
   caractérisée en ce qu'elle comprend une chambre de chargement (7) fixe, qui est équipée dudit générateur, dans laquelle on peut placer le récipient préalablement retiré de l'enceinte mobile,
   et la chambre de chargement fixe est équipée en outre d'un moyen (22) capable de tasser dans le récipient de la neige carbonique formée par ledit générateur et qui est tombée dans le récipient.Installation for maintaining a mobile enclosure at low temperature, this enclosure (1) comprising a loading volume capable of containing objects which it is desired to carry or maintain at said low temperature and at least one container (5) which can contain dry ice,
the installation further comprising a stationary source of liquid CO 2 under pressure and a carbon dioxide snow generator (12), connected to said stationary source by a pipe and capable of spraying the liquid CO 2 in such a way that it becomes dry ice,
characterized in that it comprises a fixed loading chamber (7), which is equipped with said generator, in which the container previously removed from the movable enclosure can be placed,
and the fixed loading chamber is further equipped with means (22) capable of packing carbon dioxide snow formed by said generator and which has fallen into the container into the container. Installation selon la revendication 1, caractérisée en ce que le moyen capable de tasser la neige carbonique comprend une plaque de pressage (22) mobile à l'intérieur de la chambre de chargement (7) entre une première position, où elle n'empêche pas la neige carbonique de tomber dans le récipient, et une deuxième position, où elle exerce une force verticale de haut en bas sur la neige carbonique tombée dans le récipient.Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the means capable of packing dry ice includes a pressing plate (22) movable inside the loading chamber (7) between a first position, where it does not prevent the carbon dioxide snow falling into the container, and a second position, where it exerts a vertical force from top to bottom on the carbon dioxide snow fallen into the container. Installation selon la revendication 2, caractérisée en ce que la plaque de pressage (22) comporte un matériau compressible et élastique à la température de formation de la neige carbonique.Installation according to claim 2, characterized in that the pressing plate (22) comprises a compressible and elastic material at the temperature of formation of the carbon dioxide snow. Installation selon l'une des revendications 1 à 3, caractérisée en ce qu'il est prévu en outre qu'un deuxième récipient à neige carbonique est déterminé par la face interne d'une porte (2) de l'enceinte (1) et par une tôle (32), au moins en partie perforée, parallèle à ladite face interne, et écartée de celle-ci d'une distance assez faible pour ne pas empêcher la fermeture de la porte, et qu'un dispositif (30) comportant des générateurs de neige carbonique (36) de dimensions telles qu'ils peuvent être introduits au moins partiellement dans la région supérieure du récipient pour former dans celui-ci une quantité supplémentaire de neige carbonique.Installation according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is further provided that a second dry ice container is determined by the internal face of a door (2) of the enclosure (1) and by a sheet (32), at least partially perforated, parallel to said face internal, and spaced therefrom by a distance small enough not to prevent the closing of the door, and that a device (30) comprising dry ice generators (36) of dimensions such that they can be introduced at least partially in the upper region of the container to form in it an additional quantity of dry ice. Installation selon la revendication 4, caractérisée en ce que le dispositif (30) comportant des générateurs est constitué de deux plaques (34, 35) de matière isolante superposées et maintenant entre elles des générateurs de neige carbonique, l'ensemble ayant une épaisseur assez faible pour pouvoir pénétrer au moins en partie dans ledit espace libre.Installation according to claim 4, characterized in that the device (30) comprising generators consists of two plates (34, 35) of insulating material superimposed and holding between them dry ice generators, the assembly having a relatively small thickness to be able to penetrate at least partially into said free space.
EP19960401136 1995-05-30 1996-05-24 Arrangement for upholding a low temperature in a movable enclosure Expired - Lifetime EP0745816B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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FR9506351A FR2734894B1 (en) 1995-05-30 1995-05-30 INSTALLATION FOR THE LOW TEMPERATURE HOLDING OF A MOBILE SPEAKER
FR9506351 1995-05-30

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EP0745816A1 true EP0745816A1 (en) 1996-12-04
EP0745816B1 EP0745816B1 (en) 1999-09-29

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CA (1) CA2177727A1 (en)
DE (1) DE69604446T2 (en)
ES (1) ES2140797T3 (en)
FR (1) FR2734894B1 (en)

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FR2760826A1 (en) * 1997-03-11 1998-09-18 Carboxyque Francaise REFRIGERATED TROLLEY AND REFRIGERANT RELOADING SYSTEM
FR2761144A1 (en) * 1997-03-24 1998-09-25 Hydrogas France Sa Transport of fresh produce in units cooled by rods of snow or dry ice
WO1999043996A1 (en) * 1998-02-27 1999-09-02 Messer France S.A. Fill and bleed module for a refrigerating module and a method for filling a refrigerating module
EP0964214A1 (en) * 1998-06-11 1999-12-15 Colpo Company Limited Compact chilling system for containers and method for preserving cold
WO2011031012A2 (en) * 2009-09-14 2011-03-17 Lg Electronics Inc. Mobile cooler with ice maker
EP2873937A1 (en) 2013-11-13 2015-05-20 ACP Belgium N.V. Warehouse system for products storage and transport at low temperature
EP3653976A1 (en) 2018-11-16 2020-05-20 Neopost Technologies Locker system for delivery of heat sensitive products

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FI20106098A0 (en) * 2010-10-25 2010-10-25 Jarmo Aurekoski Aircraft serving trolley cooling solution
DE102023104629A1 (en) * 2023-02-24 2024-08-29 Viessmann Refrigeration Solutions Gmbh Regeneration magazine for active regeneration of discharged temperature control elements
DE102023104627A1 (en) * 2023-02-24 2024-08-29 Viessmann Refrigeration Solutions Gmbh Storage and transport device, temperature control system with such a storage and transport device and use
DE102023104630A1 (en) * 2023-02-24 2024-08-29 Viessmann Refrigeration Solutions Gmbh Temperature control system and method for controlling it
DE102023104628A1 (en) * 2023-02-24 2024-08-29 Viessmann Refrigeration Solutions Gmbh Regeneration magazine for active regeneration of discharged temperature control elements
DE102023104626A1 (en) * 2023-02-24 2024-08-29 KNAPP Nano Warehousing Beteiligungs GmbH Storage system and method for its operation

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WO1999043996A1 (en) * 1998-02-27 1999-09-02 Messer France S.A. Fill and bleed module for a refrigerating module and a method for filling a refrigerating module
EP0964214A1 (en) * 1998-06-11 1999-12-15 Colpo Company Limited Compact chilling system for containers and method for preserving cold
WO2011031012A2 (en) * 2009-09-14 2011-03-17 Lg Electronics Inc. Mobile cooler with ice maker
WO2011031012A3 (en) * 2009-09-14 2011-06-03 Lg Electronics Inc. Mobile cooler with ice maker
US8973389B2 (en) 2009-09-14 2015-03-10 Lg Electronics Inc. Mobile cooler with ice maker
EP2873937A1 (en) 2013-11-13 2015-05-20 ACP Belgium N.V. Warehouse system for products storage and transport at low temperature
EP3653976A1 (en) 2018-11-16 2020-05-20 Neopost Technologies Locker system for delivery of heat sensitive products
US11378323B2 (en) 2018-11-16 2022-07-05 Quadient Technologies France Locker system for delivery of heat sensitive products

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR2734894A1 (en) 1996-12-06
EP0745816B1 (en) 1999-09-29
CA2177727A1 (en) 1996-12-01
DE69604446D1 (en) 1999-11-04
DE69604446T2 (en) 2000-05-18
ES2140797T3 (en) 2000-03-01
FR2734894B1 (en) 1997-07-25

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