Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B61—RAILWAYS
  • B61D—BODY DETAILS OR KINDS OF RAILWAY VEHICLES
  • B61D5/00—Tank wagons for carrying fluent materials
  • B61D5/04—Tank wagons for carrying fluent materials with means for cooling, heating, or insulating
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D88/00—Large containers
  • B65D88/74—Large containers having means for heating, cooling, aerating or other conditioning of contents
  • B65D88/745—Large containers having means for heating, cooling, aerating or other conditioning of contents blowing or injecting heating, cooling or other conditioning fluid inside the container
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23L—FOODS, FOODSTUFFS, OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES A21D OR A23B-A23J; THEIR PREPARATION OR TREATMENT, e.g. COOKING, MODIFICATION OF NUTRITIVE QUALITIES, PHYSICAL TREATMENT; PRESERVATION OF FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS, IN GENERAL
  • A23L3/00—Preservation of foods or foodstuffs, in general, e.g. pasteurising, sterilising, specially adapted for foods or foodstuffs
  • A23L3/34—Preservation of foods or foodstuffs, in general, e.g. pasteurising, sterilising, specially adapted for foods or foodstuffs by treatment with chemicals
  • A23L3/3409—Preservation of foods or foodstuffs, in general, e.g. pasteurising, sterilising, specially adapted for foods or foodstuffs by treatment with chemicals in the form of gases, e.g. fumigation; Compositions or apparatus therefor
  • A23L3/3418—Preservation of foods or foodstuffs, in general, e.g. pasteurising, sterilising, specially adapted for foods or foodstuffs by treatment with chemicals in the form of gases, e.g. fumigation; Compositions or apparatus therefor in a controlled atmosphere, e.g. partial vacuum, comprising only CO2, N2, O2 or H2O
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2588/00—Large container
  • B65D2588/74—Large container having means for heating, cooling, aerating or other conditioning of contents
  • B65D2588/743—Large container having means for heating, cooling, aerating or other conditioning of contents blowing or injecting heating, cooling or other conditioning fluid inside the container
  • B65D2588/746—Large container having means for heating, cooling, aerating or other conditioning of contents blowing or injecting heating, cooling or other conditioning fluid inside the container with additional treatment function

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the field of devices for storing articles under a controlled atmosphere. We know that in many branches of industry
• the storage atmosphere can typically be dry air or a nitrogen atmosphere containing not more than a given limit content of residual oxygen or residual water vapor.
• Cabinets or storage modules have variable volumes, in an approximate range commonly ranging from 100 liters to 2,000 liters, the flows injected continuously being generally quite low, of the order of 50 to 150 liters / h.
• One of the easy ways to better visualize the operating problems of such storage cabinets is to calculate the time of reconditioning of the atmosphere after a door opening.
• V P Vo x log (Xo X F )
• V P representing the volume of gas injected
• V 0 the volume of the enclosure
• X 0 the initial content of the enclosure in the element under consideration (for example oxygen, 21% when a door has been opened and enter air)
• X F representing the desired final content of the element under consideration.
• Xo therefore corresponds to air (21% residual oxygen), following a door opening.
• the nitrogen flow injected here for this first example permanently is 0.25 m 3 / h.
• the device for storing articles in an atmosphere then comprises: i) at least one storage module capable of accommodating the articles to be stored, j) means for setting up the storing atmosphere inside of the module, and is characterized in that at least one of the said storage modules is of substantially parallelepiped shape, having two substantially vertical opposite walls, and in that the means for setting up the storage atmosphere comprise a first system gas supply located near one of said two substantially vertical walls of the module, the first supply system being capable of producing a substantially lateral and laminar gas flow towards the second substantially vertical wall of the module which is opposite it .
• the device according to the invention can also adopt one or more of the following characteristics:
• At least one of said storage modules comprises means for evacuating gas from the interior of the module to the exterior of the module, capable of carrying out the evacuation of the gas from the top of the device;
• Said at least one of said storage modules comprises a second gas diffusing system, located near said second substantially vertical wall of the module, and defining with this wall a second chamber, the first supply system and the second diffusing system gas defining between them a space for storing articles;
• - Said second substantially vertical wall of said at least one of said storage modules is formed of a second gas diffuser system, capable of allowing the passage of gas from the module in question towards a storage module which is juxtaposed to it;
• the first supply system defines with said first wall a first chamber, and it comprises means for injecting gas into this first chamber;
• the device comprises several stackable storage modules, to obtain the desired overall storage volume for the articles, and each module comprises means for evacuating gas from inside the module towards the outside of the module, said evacuation means comprising at least one flue / chimney system, one of the said flue / chimney systems being located between the two second chambers of two superimposed modules, capable of allowing the evacuation of gas from the second chamber of the lower module to the second chamber of the upper module of the two superimposed modules considered; each of the modules includes its own first gas supply system, capable of supplying it with gas independently of the other modules;
• the device comprises several juxtaposable storage modules, in order to obtain the desired overall storage volume for the articles, and each module is provided with its own first gas supply system capable of supplying it with gas independently of the other modules, and from its own second chamber, and it comprises means for evacuating gas from the interior of each module to the exterior of each module, each of the evacuation means being connected to the second chamber of each module considered;
• the device comprises several juxtaposable and communicating storage modules, to obtain the desired overall storage volume for the articles, thus defining a first module of the juxtaposition and a last module of the juxtaposition, and only the first module of the juxtaposition is provided with a first gas supply system located near one of its two substantially vertical walls forming an outer wall of the juxtaposition, and capable of achieving a substantially lateral and laminar gas circulation towards the other of its two substantially vertical walls opposite it, then from there to the next modules in the juxtaposition;
• the last module of the juxtaposition comprises a second gas diffuser system, located near one of its two substantially vertical walls which forms the external wall of the juxtaposition, and defining with this wall a second chamber, the second chamber being provided with a gas evacuation means, capable of evacuating to the outside the gas arriving at the last module of the juxtaposition coming from the module preceding it;
• one of the two substantially vertical walls of the last module of the juxtaposition, which forms the external wall of the juxtaposition, is formed of a second gas diffusing system, capable of allowing evacuation to the outside of the gas arriving at the last module of the juxtaposition coming from the module preceding it;
• the device comprises at least two parallel series of modules juxtaposed and in communication, only the first module of each juxtaposition being provided with a first gas supply system, the last module of each juxtaposition being provided with a second diffusing system located near its vertical wall forming the external wall of the juxtaposition, and forming with this external wall a second chamber, the second chamber being provided with a gas evacuation means, capable of evacuating the gas reaching outwards the last module of the juxtaposition from the module preceding it in the considered juxtaposition;
• the device comprises at least two parallel series of modules juxtaposed and in communication, only the first module of each juxtaposition being provided with a first gas supply system, the vertical wall of the last module of each juxtaposition, forming the external wall of the considered juxtaposition, being formed of a second diffusing system, capable of evacuating towards the outside the gas arriving at the last module of the juxtaposition coming from the module preceding it in the considered juxtaposition;
• the device is formed by an arrangement of at least two superimposed series of modules juxtaposed and in communication, capable of allowing the circulation of gas from the last module of a series to the module which is above it in the superposition , and so on until the last module of the upper series of the superimposition, the last module which is provided with a gas evacuation means, capable of evacuating towards the outside the gas reaching this last module from the module preceding it, the arrangement being supplied with gas at the level of a single gas supply system supplying the first module of the arrangement by considering the direction of circulation of the gas.
• the communication between two juxtaposed modules is carried out by a gas diffuser system forming a common wall between the two juxtaposed modules considered;
• Said first supply system comprises a first gas diffuser system defining with said first wall a first chamber, and comprises means for injecting gas into this first chamber;
• Said first supply system consists of one or more porous tubes opening into the interior of the module and extending along said first vertical wall;
• At least one of the device's gas diffusing systems consists of a plate made of porous material
• At least one of the device's gas diffusing systems consists of a ceramic plate, sintered metal, polymer, or textile;
• At least one of the device's gas diffusing systems consists of a metal grid
• the two gas diffusing systems said at least one of the said storage modules, are constituted by plates of porous material, and the thickness of the second gas diffusing system is greater than the thickness of the first gas diffusing system ;
• the two gas diffusing systems, of said at least one of said storage modules, are constituted by plates of porous material, and the porosity of the second gas diffusing system is lower than the porosity of the first gas diffusing system;
• the means for injecting gas into the first chamber consist of an orifice formed in one of the walls of the module;
• the gas injection means in the first chamber are constituted by one or more pipes opening out inside the first chamber, and provided with gas injection orifices, the orifices being directed towards said first substantially vertical wall of the module;
• the gas injection means in the first chamber consist of one or more porous tubes, opening into the interior of the first chamber;
• the invention also relates to a method for storing articles in an atmosphere, in an arrangement of at least one storage module, capable of accommodating the articles to be stored, and of substantially parallelepiped shape, having two substantially vertical opposite walls, using means for setting up the storage atmosphere inside said at least one module, the setting up means being capable of producing a substantially lateral circulation of the gas and laminar from one of said two substantially vertical walls towards the other of said two walls opposite it.
• the method according to the invention can use arrangements of several superimposable and / or juxtaposable storage modules, to obtain the desired overall storage volume for the articles, in gaseous communication or not.
• the positioning means comprise a first gas supply system located near one of said two substantially vertical walls of the module and a second gas diffuser system, located at proximity of the other of said two substantially vertical walls of the module, defining with this other wall a second chamber, and the gas is evacuated from the top of the arrangement using at least one chimney flue system , one of the said chimney flue systems being located between the two second chambers of two superposed modules, to allow the evacuation of gas from the second chamber of the lower module to the second chamber of the upper module of the two superimposed modules considered.
• the module or the arrangement of several modules used is supplied with gas, in order to set up said atmosphere, according to one or the other of the following regimes:
• conditioning time te is perfectly adjustable and controllable by an external member such as a programmable automaton, according to the specifications of the atmospheres sought.
• it is the closing of the door of a module (after an opening that has occurred previously), which triggers the transition to conditioning mode (for example by triggering a timed relay which goes to him even actuate a solenoid valve on the gas circuit).
• - Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a device according to the invention implementing an arrangement of superimposed modules, each module of the superposition being supplied with gas separately;
• - Figure 2 provides another schematic representation of a device according to the invention implementing an arrangement of superimposed modules, the device being supplied at a single incoming point;
• FIGS. 3 and 4 are schematic representations of devices according to the invention, implementing an arrangement of juxtaposed modules
• FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a device according to the invention, implementing an arrangement of two superimposed series of modules juxtaposed and in communication, the arrangement being supplied with gas at a single system gas supply supplying the first module of the arrangement considering the direction of gas flow;
• FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of a device according to the invention, implementing an arrangement of four parallel series (superimposed) of modules juxtaposed and in communication, only the first module of each juxtaposition being provided with a system gas supply;
• FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of a global installation including storage devices according to the invention, and whose performance is controlled and regulated.
• FIG. 1 illustrates a case of a gas supply by module, the evacuation taking place through the second chambers of the superimposed modules (duct / chimney systems).
• the module X (like the other storage modules which are superimposed on it) is of substantially parallelepiped shape, then defining a first substantially vertical wall P ⁇ , and a second substantially vertical wall P ⁇ 2 .
• the module X also comprises a first gas diffusing system 5 as well as a second gas diffusing system 6, defining between the two diffusing systems a space 1 for storing articles, a storage space in which the presence has been provided here. a shelf 2.
• the two plates are here made of sintered polymer material, in this case sintered polyethylene, the plate 5 being of a thickness close to 2 mm while the plate 6 has a thickness close to 4 mm.
• the first gas diffuser system 5 defines with the first wall P ⁇ a first chamber 3, while the second gas diffuser system 6 defines with the second wall P ⁇ 2 a second chamber 4.
• the gas source can be extremely varied.
• injection orifices of the pipe 7 are here directed towards the first wall P ⁇ of the module, forcing the injected gas to perform a back and forth movement towards the first diffuser system 5, as shown schematically by the arrows 8 on the figure.
• the gas injected through the pipe 7 then goes, through the first diffusing system 5, and along the storage space 1, to the second diffusing system 6, which it crosses, to enter the second chamber 4.
• the gas is then evacuated from the second chamber 4 of the module X to the second chamber 12 of the module Y (which is superimposed on it) via a duct / chimney 10, then from there to the second chamber of the storage module Z also via a duct / chimney 11 connecting the second chamber of the module Y to the second chamber of the module Z, and so on ...
• a gas circulation is carried out, in the arrangement of modules shown, from the bottom of the device to the top of the device, with evacuation of the gas through the upper part of this device;
• the second diffusion system 6 allows on the one hand to isolate the evacuation corridor 4 from the storage area 1, in particular avoiding gas returns, therefore air from the evacuation corridor to the storage chamber (non-return system);
• the presence of the second diffuser system 6 also makes it possible to maintain a slight overpressure in the storage area 1; - the group "pipe 7 / first diffuser 5" allows a substantially lateral diffusion and at low speed (preferably a few centimeters per second) of the gas at the outlet of the diffuser;
• FIG. 1 shows an embodiment where the gas injection system in the first chamber 3 consists of a simple pipe 7 comprising injection orifices. It is nevertheless possible to envisage, without departing from the scope of the present invention, other advantageous systems for injecting gas inside the chamber 3, such as those reported in documents EP-A-659 515 and EP-A -686 844, on behalf of the Applicant, documents presenting gas injection assemblies making it possible to achieve excellent levels of homogenization over the entire surface of an enclosure and therefore suitable for the implementation of the present invention.
• gas supply systems constituted by the combination of a pipe 7 and a diffuser system 5 along the first wall of the module
• other supply systems making it possible to obtain such lateral and laminar gas circulation, such as a porous tube extending over all or part of a dimension of the wall Pxi of the module X .
• FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 illustrate other embodiments of devices according to the invention, implementing, as appropriate, arrangements of superimposed or juxtaposed modules, modes which will be described in the following more briefly:
• the superposition of the modules X, Y and Z is here supplied through the only pipe 7 opening into the first chamber of the module X, the gas s' then flows substantially laterally and laminarly through the module X, to enter the second chamber of X, and from there into the second chamber of Y via the duct / chimney 10, to then enter the module Y and traverse it laterally before being evacuated via the chimney 11 to the module Z and so on ...
• FIG. 3 illustrates for its part a case of juxtaposition where each module X, Y and Z is supplied by a separate gas supply (pipe 7 in each first chamber), and for each module, the gas escapes by its own duct / chimney (10, 11) connected to the second chamber of each module.
• This mode also illustrates a case where it has been preferred to evacuate the gas through the upper part of the device. - with regard to FIG. 4, the juxtaposition of the modules X, Y and
• Z is in communication here, and therefore supplied through the only pipe 7 located in the first chamber of module X, the gas then flows substantially lateral and laminar through module X, to enter Y which it crosses and from there in Z, the communication between two juxtaposed modules being carried out by a gas diffuser system forming a common wall between the two juxtaposed modules considered (13 and 14 in the figure).
• FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate two arrangements of modules in accordance with the invention: - the device in FIG. 5 is formed of an arrangement of two superimposed series of modules juxtaposed and in communication, the arrangement being supplied with gas at a single gas supply system 50 -not detailed in the figure- supplying the first module (50A) of the arrangement considering the direction of gas flow.
• the gas thus passes from one module to the other of the lower juxtaposition, until it reaches the last module (50F) of this lower juxtaposition, then from there to the module (50G) which is above it in the superposition, and so on until the last module (50L) of the upper series of superposition, last module which is provided with a means 51 for discharging gas, capable of evacuating to the outside the gas reaching this last module from the module preceding it.
• the discharge means 51 is advantageously provided with a valve.
• the device of Figure 6 is formed by an arrangement of 4 parallel series (superimposed) of juxtaposed and communicating modules (60A to 60F, 70A to 70F, 80A to 80F, and 90A to 90F) only the first module of each juxtaposition being provided with a first gas supply system (-not detailed in the figure- respectively 60, 70, 80, and 90), the vertical wall of the last module of each juxtaposition, forming the external wall of the juxtaposition considered , being formed of a second diffuser system, capable of evacuating to the outside, through a chimney duct, the gas arriving at the last module of the juxtaposition coming from the module preceding it in the considered juxtaposition.
• a first gas supply system -not detailed in the figure- respectively 60, 70, 80, and 90
• the vertical wall of the last module of each juxtaposition forming the external wall of the juxtaposition considered
• being formed of a second diffuser system capable of evacuating to the outside, through a chimney duct, the gas arriving at the last module of the juxtaposition coming from the module preceding it
• FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of a global installation including storage devices according to the invention, and whose performance can be controlled and regulated.
• Each device 20A and 20B then comprises arrangement of one or more stackable and / or juxtaposable storage modules.
• the installation also includes an oxygen sensor 25 located in the room or workshop where the storage 20A and 20B are located, a data acquisition and processing system 26 (for example a programmable controller), as well as a system 27 display as a PC.
• a data acquisition and processing system 26 for example a programmable controller
• an action 40B of the automaton on the valve 24 allowing, if necessary, to stop or modify the gas supply.
• such a two-way circulation can exist between the controller 26 and the PC 27, to send regularly to the PC selected data and thus allow regular supervision by the user (nitrogen consumption, evolution over time of the residual oxygen content in the storage, reconditioning time, etc.) but also in the opposite direction to alert the automaton when a drift is observed and allow it to react accordingly.
• each module has an internal volume of 27 liters and is supplied by a dedicated nitrogen supply (of cryogenic origin), the flow rate of which is close to 2 Nm 3 / h;
• each module is equipped with 2 porous diffusers (5 and 6 in FIG. 1) made of polyethylene having a porosity of 40 microns, the thickness of the diffuser 5 being 2 mm while the thickness of the diffuser 6 is 4 mm;
• duct / chimney connects the second chamber of the bottom module to the second chamber of the module which is superimposed on it;
• the oxygen content of the atmosphere of the module concerned drops from 21% to a level below 100 ppm in just over 4 minutes; - following this same door opening, the dew point (representative of the water vapor content) of the atmosphere of the module concerned goes from + 12 ° C to - 27 ° C in about 5 minutes.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Polymers & Plastics (AREA)
• Nutrition Science (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Food Science & Technology (AREA)
• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Transportation (AREA)
• Filling Or Discharging Of Gas Storage Vessels (AREA)
• Warehouses Or Storage Devices (AREA)
• Storage Of Harvested Produce (AREA)
• Circuit Arrangement For Electric Light Sources In General (AREA)
• Container, Conveyance, Adherence, Positioning, Of Wafer (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9529414

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (11)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (4)

Family Cites Families (5)

• 1998
  • 1998-08-05 FR FR9810051A patent/FR2782068B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1999
  • 1999-07-26 TW TW088112603A patent/TW431999B/zh not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1999-07-27 JP JP2000563544A patent/JP2002522315A/ja active Pending
  • 1999-07-27 WO PCT/FR1999/001841 patent/WO2000007906A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1999-07-27 CA CA002338167A patent/CA2338167A1/fr not_active Abandoned
  • 1999-07-27 HU HU0103320A patent/HUP0103320A3/hu unknown
  • 1999-07-27 BR BR9912750-4A patent/BR9912750A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1999-07-27 CN CN99809325A patent/CN1311748A/zh active Pending
  • 1999-07-27 KR KR1020017001521A patent/KR20010079614A/ko not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1999-07-27 AU AU50443/99A patent/AU5044399A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1999-07-27 EP EP99934779A patent/EP1102713A1/fr not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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