EP1782005A1

EP1782005A1 - Vacuum-insulated cryogenic container

Info

Publication number: EP1782005A1
Application number: EP05747523A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hans Eberhard Zucker
Original assignee: Stahl- und Anlagenbau Joachim Sroka KG
Current assignee: Stahl- und Anlagenbau Joachim Sroka KG
Priority date: 2004-05-05
Filing date: 2005-04-28
Publication date: 2007-05-09
Also published as: DE102004022159B3; WO2005108883A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a vacuum-insulated cryogenic container comprising at least one latent reservoir, a storage chamber (24) and a temperature measurement, storage and data transfer system for storing and transporting temperature-sensitive material. The inventive vacuum-insulated cryogenic container essentially consists of two multi-walled containers (1, 2), whose openings are sealed by one another, the first of said multi-walled containers (1) being inserted in the second container (2) in such a way that the first container (1) seals the second container (2). Locking and/or spacing means separate the inner wall (5) of one container (2) from the outer wall (12) of the other container (1) so that when the cryogenic container is closed, the respective inner (5) and outer surfaces (12) of the two double-walled containers (1, 2) do not come into contact with one another. The inner atmosphere of the first and second container (1, 2) is evacuated to obtain a high vacuum.

Description

Vacuum insulated cryogenic container

The invention relates to a vacuum insulated cryogenic container with at least one

Latent storage, a storage room and a temperature measurement, storage and data transmission system for the storage and transport of temperature-sensitive material.

There are various, mostly double-walled containers for storing different media or materials, for storing low-boiling liquefied gases, but also as combined transport and storage containers for temporarily storing a predetermined temperature range for keeping hot or warm or cold - or keep cool known. These containers have very different insulating components, such as polyurethane, styrofoam, cork sheets, evacuated spaces and / or vacuum insulation panels as a casing. Containers are known for the transport of fresh fish, for food, living organs, microorganisms and other materials that have to be stored and / or transported in a certain temperature range. When storing such materials, there are generally no problems in storing them in a certain temperature range, since in the case of stationary containers, temperature differences that occur can be easily compensated on site. The situation is different with transport containers. So when transporting biological material over long distances - e.g. B. an intercontinental flight - compliance with a constant temperature range can only be guaranteed over a predetermined period of time if relatively large and therefore expensive containers are used. [0003] WO 02/28741 A2 discloses a transport system for long-term transport and a transport container, preferably for long-term transport. The transport container described consists of an insulation vessel with an energy store, various thermally insulating components, the container wall being designed as a high vacuum super insulator. On the basis of this described transport container, exchangeable temperature-controllable containers were further developed, as described in the patents DE 101 13 183 Cl and DE 101 48 586 Cl. The exchangeable temperature-controlled containers described have a storage space with an internal energy store, the storage space being encased by a hollow body which has been evacuated up to the high vacuum region. In the case of the containers described, particular weight is placed on the end faces near the connection between the outer and inner tubes in order to prevent thermal bridges. For this purpose, formations or necklines are provided, which have at least two degrees of freedom as spring or. Expansion elements work and extend the heat path.

Although the exchangeable temperature-controlled containers described have very good insulation properties due to their special construction and already allow downtimes in the low-temperature range up to 100 hours without the energy stores needing to be charged or recharged, they are, however, for over 100 hours Transport not suitable. In the edge areas, where foot parts are connected to the vacuum insulation or the lid to the vacuum insulation, there are still thermal bridges that lead to a rapid rise in temperature in the storage room after a certain period of storage.

A demountable, thermally insulating container, in particular for a latent heat store or for a cool box, is described in DE 195 27 465 C2. The container consists of two pot-shaped, double-walled partial insulation bodies based on a gas-tight, evacuated fiber or powder material, the inner cross section of one partial insulation body roughly corresponding to the outer cross section of the other partial insulation body, so that the two partial insulation bodies can be fitted together to form a closed container to build. The outer lateral surface of the partial insulation body arranged inside lies on the inner lateral surface of the partial insulation body arranged outside. The jacket surfaces consist of a thin sheet or metal foil and form a thermal bridge between the partial insulation body arranged on the inside and the partial insulation body arranged on the outside. The filling of the evacuated space between the walls of the partial insulation body preferably consists of powder fiber, aerogels and tempered fiber materials. The filling must be such that it can absorb the atmospheric pressure due to the thin sheet thickness. Because of its constructive design of the very thin and therefore very sensitive jacket surfaces and its design-dependent, small dimensions, such a demountable, thermally insulating container is not a transport or storage container for biological materials, especially in the low-temperature range below -100 ° C with a service life of more than Can be used for 40 hours in an almost constant temperature range.

It is an object of the invention to propose a vacuum-insulated cryogenic container in which thermal bridges are so considerably reduced that downtimes of more than ten days without recharging the energy store at approximately stable temperatures in a range from -90 ° C to -60 ° C can be achieved.

This object is achieved with the features of claim 1. Advantageous refinements are described in the subclaims. The vacuum-insulated cryogenic container according to the invention essentially consists of at least two multi-walled, pot-shaped or trough-shaped containers, a first of these multi-walled containers being inserted with its opening into the opening of a second multi-walled container, so that the bottom of the first container opens the opening of the second container closes and the second container encloses the vertical extent of the first container at least up to half its height, preferably completely, and does not touch the respective inner and outer surfaces of the two double-walled containers when the cryocontainer is closed. Locking and / or spacing means space the inner wall of one container from the outer wall of the other container. A cover with means for closing corresponds to the bottom of the first container. The inner atmosphere between the respective inner and outer walls of the first and second container is evacuated to a high vacuum.

With a novel construction of various insulation components, a vacuum insulated cryogenic container with at least one latent storage, a storage room and proposed a temperature measurement and storage system for the storage and transport of temperature-sensitive material, which has highly effective insulation properties and the critical zones, in particular the transition areas of inner and outer walls, the opening areas and the transition areas of different materials, from incoming heat protects.

The construction according to the invention, in particular the elements with vacuum insulation, are based on the coordinated use of - high vacuum super insulation in stainless steel containers, - dimensionally stable foam insulation, - reflection materials with spacers between the inner and outer walls of the high vacuum super insulation, - the application well-known gettering of the evacuated interior, - the use of weakly arched container walls made of stainless steel as well as - weak and elongated transitions of inner and outer walls made of stainless steel that can be moved in at least two degrees of freedom to reduce or lengthen the heat flow - and the shifting of the transition from the inner atmosphere of the storage room to the ambient atmosphere in the lower section of the second container, so that only at the edge of the opening of the second container there is a very slight material bridge as a thermal bridge to the ambient atmosphere.

[0010] The multi-walled, preferably double-walled, pot-shaped or trough-shaped containers have an outer wall, an inner wall and a bottom. A storage room with at least one cold source and / or a cold store is arranged in the cryocontainer. The respective space between the outer wall and the inner wall of the pot-shaped or trough-shaped containers is evacuated to a high vacuum. According to the invention, the cold source and / or the cold accumulator is enclosed in a highly insulating manner by a first of these pot-shaped or trough-shaped containers, which is referred to hereinafter as a lid container, so that the cold internal atmosphere flowing down from the cold source and / or the cold accumulator surrounds the storage space penetrates. Since the storage room is essentially vertical from the inner and outer walls of the Cover container is enclosed, the cold interior atmosphere can leave the storage room only at the bottom of the storage room and rise between the outer wall of the lid container and the inner wall of the second pot-shaped or trough-shaped container, hereinafter referred to as the storage container. Only at the upper edge of the storage container does the cold interior atmosphere meet material bridges between the lid container and the storage container. This is where the immediate first thermal bridge for the ascending cold interior atmosphere to the ambient atmosphere is created.

[0011] As already mentioned above, the lid container is slipped with its opening into the opening of the storage container and locking and / or spacing means arranged in the cryocontainer space the inner wall of the storage container from the outer wall of the lid container. Further spacing and / or anting means also space the interior of the storage container, i.e. the actual storage space and the cold source and / or the cold storage, from the inner wall of the cover container, so that only a very small amount of heat exchange as radiant heat via the spaced and up to for the high vacuum evacuated interiors of the storage container and the inserted cover container.

The bottom of the storage container consists of an inside plate and an outside plate, the inside plate with the inner wall and the outside plate with the outside wall of the storage container hermetically connected, preferably welded. This double floor formed in this way consists of defined preformed cambered floor plates. For this purpose, before the storage container was installed, the bottom plates were flanged at an edge at approximately a right angle and provided with a bulge or beads toward their center. The continuous connection of the inner and outer wall with the respective base plate and the hermetic connection of the front upper ends of the inner and outer plate of the storage container creates the continuous interior, which, as already emphasized, is evacuated up to the high vacuum area. Likewise, the covering bottom of the lid container is pretreated with an inside cover plate and an outside cover plate and is connected to the inside or outside wall of the lid container. The bottom of the storage container is additionally provided over the entire area with a stainless steel base in order to provide protection for the outer curved or cambered base plate and the connections of the outer base plate with the outer wall of the storage container. Knob-shaped feet are incorporated in the additional protective base plate, which simultaneously serve as a stacking aid when stacking several cryogenic containers. The knob-shaped feet snap into the lid unit.

The capping bottom of the lid container and the bottom of the storage container, which, as described, are connected to the interior between the respective inner and outer walls, that is, are also evacuated to the high vacuum area, were designed so that their inner and outer casings are arranged further apart, so that here a correspondingly good insulation is ensured by the high vacuum in the interior between the raised floors.

The front end pieces of the connection between the inner and outer wall of the lid container and the storage container are provided with formations or neckings. These ends have at least two degrees of freedom and thus act as a spring or expansion element. These ends are weaker due to their material processing, therefore they conduct heat to a lesser extent and extend the heat path due to their shapes.

At least one shielding means is arranged in the interior of the cryocontainer. The function of this deslagging agent is to delimit the actual storage space and / or the space for introduction from a cold source and / or a cold store. An intermediate space is thus created between the scraper and the inner wall of the storage container, which ensures problem-free insertion of the lid container into the storage container. Such a shielding means can be a shaft insert of preferably tubular shape, the diameter of the shielding means being slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the lid container.

Alternatively, the shielding means can be a container, in the usable space of which the biological material to be stored and / or the cold source and / or the cold store is arranged are. Such a container is used when, on the one hand, the goods to be stored are to be particularly shielded and, on the other hand, when it is intended to remove this container from the cryogenic container after a corresponding transport and to continue to store it in an intermediate storage facility, for example in a freezer. The use of such a container is also of particular advantage if the intention is to cool the goods to be stored together with the cold store in liquid nitrogen to the desired temperature.

[0018] If such a container is used for the purposes described, it serves on the one hand as a shielding means and on the other hand also as a distance means. For this purpose, spacer means in the form of nubs, beads and / or rings are attached to the container in its lower and / or upper area, which, if they are attached at the top, create a corresponding distance from the inner wall of the lid container and, if they are attached at the bottom, a spacer to the inside wall of the storage container. If such a container is used, there is no need to use insulating materials which are placed on the inner floor of the storage container, since the container is expediently designed with feet that only stand up in a punctiform manner on the inner floor plate of the storage space and thus an insulation cushion Ensure air. If spacing and / or locking means for spacing the inner wall of the lid container from the outer wall of the shielding means are arranged on the upper edge of the shielding means, these spacing and / or locking means also serve as holders for one or more cold sources and / or cold stores.

The screening means mentioned, preferably in the form of a described

The shaft insert or a container extends vertically at least up to half the height of the storage container, but is preferably dimensioned such that, when the cryocontainer is closed, it extends to just below the inside cover plate of the cover bottom of the inserted cover container.

To distance the outer wall of the lid container from the inner wall of the storage container or the shielding means to the inner wall of the lid container, further spacing means are used according to the invention. The outer wall of the lid container can be Ren all-round, inwardly facing beads provided, the inner wall of the storage container is preferably designed smooth. Alternatively, it is provided that the outer wall of the lid container and the inner wall of the storage container are provided with beads in such a way that the vertical expansion of the two walls is parallel and undulating. This significantly extends the heat path in the material of the walls. In this case too, in order to maintain a sufficient spacing between the outer wall of the lid container and the inner wall of the storage container and to ensure problem-free insertion, the diameter of the outer wall of the lid container is kept correspondingly smaller than the inner diameter of the inner wall of the storage container.

[0021] If a shielding means is used in the form of a shaft insert already described, it is expedient to insert a spacer ring either directly on the bottom of the storage container or with an intermediate insulation washer. The shaft insert is now placed in this spacer ring and is spaced exactly by the spacer ring from the inner wall of the storage container, so that there is a precisely fitting insertion space for the cover container.

The cold source and / or the cold store are, depending on the customer's request or

Type of use with and without shielding agent introduced into the storage room of the cryocontainer. The cold source and / or the cold store can be arranged in a ring vertically around the storage space or the useful space or be arranged vertically in the storage room such that the goods to be stored are arranged in a ring around the cold source and / or the cold store. An arrangement of the cold source and / or the cold store on the bottom of the storage room or usable space is also conceivable. The most advantageous, however, is the attachment of the cold source and / or the cold store on the upper edge of the shielding means, provided that a shaft insert is used or in the upper segment of a container. This arrangement has the advantage that, according to the invention, the cold internal atmosphere, as described in the introduction, flows from the cold source and / or the cold store into the useful or storage space located under the cold source and / or the cold store. For this purpose, spacing and / or locking means are arranged on the shaft insert or the container, which at the same time serve as holders for the cold source and / or the cold store. It is also advantageous to use the use or in the container to be arranged cold source and / or cold storage to provide a cover so that the radiation is reduced upwards. Depending on the desired temperature and service life, one or more cold sources are set up in the cryocontainer, hung up and / or coupled to one another. At least one latent storage device should be used as a cold store.

[0023] Up to now, only the functional parts which have a high insulating effect have been described for the lid container. In order to give the lid container a further insulation, a lid unit is placed on the bottom cover of the lid container that covers the outside. This cover unit sits with its insulating plate directly on the cover plate. A handle for handling the lid container is arranged in the center and a stacking aid on the outer edge. The stacking aid is all-round and creates a height compensation for the seated handle and accommodates a temperature measurement, storage and transmission system. The temperature measurement, storage and transmission system can either be wired or wireless. Recesses are arranged in the all-round stacking aid, which hold the feet of the bottom of a cryocontainer placed thereon when several cryocontainers are placed one above the other.

[0024] The lid unit also includes a step formed from the outer wall of the lid container in the upper edge area. This outwardly shaped step is created during the manufacture of the outer wall of the lid container by arching the outer wall outward at approximately a right angle and shaping it upward at a right angle. This multiple material processing results in a significant rejuvenation of the material and the heat path is extended. When the cryocontainer is closed, the step serves as a further locking means, in that it is placed on an insulation ring which lies on the edge of the shape of the inner wall of the storage container. This insulation ring is designed as a hollow ring and therefore has a higher insulation effect.

Another special feature of the lid unit according to the invention is an annular bead that extends vertically downward from the stacking aid over the outwardly shaped step.

On the one hand, this ring bead isolates the connection point from the outer wall of the cover container. ters with the capping outer floor panel, serves to accommodate locking elements and is worked out in a ring on its lower edge as a lid edge. When the cryocontainer is closed, this ring-shaped edge of the lid lies firmly on the upper connecting seam of the inner and outer wall of the storage container only in a linear manner. This ensures that the lowest possible thermal bridges exist in the connection of the lid container via its lid unit to the storage container, which at the same time take on the important function of locking the lid container in the storage container.

The outwardly shaped step not only reduces the heat path over the walls, but also serves as a spring or expansion element due to its special shape and lower material thickness. This step can be moved in at least two degrees of freedom and thus compensates for the considerable pressure and temperature differences in the lid container.

For the use and handling of the vacuum-insulated cryogenic container according to the invention, the storage container and the lid container as well as the cold stores or cold sources to be used and the shielding means are cleaned and disinfected in the form of the shaft insert or a container. Depending on the desired storage temperature and the required service life, the individual functional parts are cooled down in liquid nitrogen or in a freezer. For example, in order to transport a biological sample in a temperature range below -60 ° C for ten to eleven days, the individual functional parts are cooled down to -189 ° C to -184 ° C using liquid nitrogen. It is advantageous here to use the container described, in which both the biological material to be stored and one or more latent stores are arranged. This container is also cooled down and, when the desired minimum temperature is reached, placed in the likewise cooled down storage container and immediately closed with the lid container. At the end of the transport route, the container can be removed, stored deep-freeze in an interim storage facility, and the vacuum-insulated cryocontainer returns to its destination. It is also within the scope of the invention to use this vacuum-insulated cryocontainer in other temperature ranges, with another storage medium being used in the cold source or in the latent storage when used in higher temperature ranges.

The invention is explained and described below with reference to the embodiment shown in the drawing. The features to be gathered from the drawing and the description can be used in other embodiments of the invention individually or in combination in any combination.

The drawing shows in

Fig. 1 is a front view of a vacuum-insulated cryogenic container with cutouts of a first pot-shaped or trough-shaped container and with cutouts of a second pot-shaped or trough-shaped container, the opening of which is embedded in the opening of the first pot-shaped or trough-shaped container and closes it.

According to this embodiment, a vacuum insulated cryogenic container made of stainless steel is described. The cryogenic container essentially consists of two double-walled, pot-shaped or trough-shaped containers. The first of these double-walled, pot-shaped or trough-shaped containers is referred to below as lid container 1 and the second of these double-walled, pot-shaped or trough-shaped containers is referred to below as storage container 2. In the closed state of the cryocontainer, the lid container 1 is slipped with its opening into the opening of the storage container 2 in such a way that the covering bottom 3 of the lid container 1 closes the opening of the storage container 2 and the storage container 2 almost completely encloses the lid container 1 in its vertical extent. The storage container 2 consists of an outer wall 4, an inner wall 5 and a bottom 6, an hermetically sealed inner space 7 being formed by the outer wall 4 and the inner wall 5 and the bottom 6, the inner atmosphere of which is evacuated to the high vacuum region.

To avoid heat loss, the front ends 8 are circumferentially thinner in the transition from the outer wall 4 to the inner wall 5 at the opening of the storage container 2 trained and have elongated and single or multiple curved ends that are welded together vacuum-tight. These ends have at least two degrees of freedom and thus act as a spring or expansion element. These formations or necklines of the front ends 8 of the outer wall 4 and inner wall 5 form an imaginary circumferential annular chamber, which has the shape of a body which, when a planar figure moves along a closed curve - for example by its rotation about the axis, which in lies on the plane of this figure and does not intersect - results. The circumferential formations or necklines on the end faces of the inner wall 5 and the outer wall 4 have different shapes and are preferably double-sinusoidal or S-shaped or circular-arc-shaped. In any case, the formations or neckings extend the heat path between the connection between the inner wall 5 and the outer wall 4.

The bottom 6 of the storage container 2 is closed by an inner plate 6 ^r and an outer plate 6 ", the inner plate 6 'with the inner wall 5 and the outer plate 6" with the outer wall 4 of the storage container 2 is hermetically connected - preferably welded. This double floor 6 formed in this way consists of defined preformed cambered floor plates. The hermetic connection of the inner wall 5 and the outer wall 4 with the respective floor panel creates the continuous interior space 7, which - as already described - is hermetically sealed and thus forms the cavity which has an internal atmosphere which has been evacuated up to the high vacuum region. Before they are installed in the storage container 2, the base plates 6 '; 6 "has been flanged at the edge approximately at a right angle in an arc shape and has been provided with one or more curvatures or beads toward its center. The flanged edge is hermetically welded to the bottom plates 6 ';6" with the inner and outer wall 5; 4 of the storage container 2. Alternatively, the bottom plates 6 '; 6 "like the formations or necklines of the upper front ends 8 of the outer wall 4 and inner wall 5.

[0034] The storage container 2 is clad in its base area by a foot part. The

The foot part can be an outer sheath made of dimensionally stable plastic, a stainless steel casing or a stainless steel sheet 9 protecting the bottom 6, as shown in FIG. 1. Knob-shaped feet 10 are incorporated into the stainless steel sheet 9. To close the cryocontainer, the lid container 1 is placed in the storage container 2 with its opening into the opening of the storage container 2 in such a way that the covering bottom 3 of the lid container 1 closes the opening of the storage container 2 and thus the storage container 2 closes the lid container 1 almost completely encloses in its vertical extent. The lid container 1 is also a double-walled container made of stainless steel, which consists of an outer wall 12, an inner wall 11, an inner cover plate 3 'and an outer cover plate 3 ", the two cover plates 3';3" with the inner wall 11 or are hermetically connected - preferably welded - to the outer wall 12.

This from the two sheets 3 '; 3 "existing covering base 3 consists of preformed cambered sheets which, like the storage container 2, are flanged at a right angle in an arc shape at the edges and are provided with one or more curvatures or beads towards their center. The flanged edge is hermetically welded of the sheets 3 '; 3 "forming the capping floor 3 with the inner or with the outer wall 11; 12 of the lid container 1.

In the upper part of the cover container 1, a cover unit 14 is connected to the outer cover plate 3 "of the cover 3. This cover unit 14 consists of peripherally arranged stacking aids 15, a handle 16 with a handle holder 17, an annular bead 18 and an insulating plate 19. According to this exemplary embodiment, the lid unit 14 is made of stainless steel sheet and is provided with an insulating material in its cavity, in particular in the stacking aid 15. A temperature measuring, storage and data transmission system 20 is embedded in the side wall of the stacking aid 15 measures, stores and transmits the storage space 21. On the top of the ring-shaped stacking aid 15, one or more groove grooves - not shown in the figure - can be arranged, which, when stacking several cryogenic containers one above the other, enables a cryocontainer stacked above them to snap into place by means of its knob-shaped feet 10 . The handle 16 is connected to the lid container 1 by means of a handle holder 17, which in turn is welded onto the externally arranged lid plate 3 ″. The annular bead 18 of the lid unit 14 is located on the periphery below the annular stacking aid 15 and leads down over the edge region 21 of the lid container 1 and forms the annular lid edge 22, which in turn is on the front end 8 of the

Storage container 24 rests.

The outer wall 12 of the lid container 1 is provided all around in the lid area with an outwardly directed step 23. This outwardly directed, all-round step 23 is bent at a right angle upwards at its periphery and merges into the final edge region 21. The edge region 21 in turn corresponds to the annular bead 18 of the cover unit 14 adjoining the edge region 21 on the outside.

The step 23 serves, as will be described in more detail later, for locking the cover container 1 with its cover unit 14 on an insulation ring 25 which rests on a necking of the inner wall 5 of the storage container 2. At the same time, the outward-facing step 23 fulfills an insulation function since it extends the heat path. On the side wall of the stacking aid 15 of the lid unit 14, closure elements are arranged at the level of the annular bead 18 for closing the lid unit 14 of the lid container 1 with the storage container 2.

The front end pieces of the lid container 1 are in the transition from the inner wall 11 to the outer wall 12, as with the storage container 1, provided with formations or necklines as spring and expansion elements and welded at their ends. These formations or neckings can also be moved in at least two degrees of freedom. The between the inner wall 11 and the outer wall 12 and the two sheets 3 '; 3 "formed interior 13 is evacuated to high vacuum.

Inside the storage container 2 is the storage room 24. At the bottom of the

According to this exemplary embodiment, storage space 24 has a disk 26 made of a well-insulating plastic material over the entire surface. A spacer ring 27, preferably made of the same insulating material, lies on the disk 26. A shaft insert 28 is located on the circumferential profile rubber within the spacer ring 27. This shaft insert 28 shields the storage space 24 and extends inside the lid container 1 which is pushed in almost to the inside Cover plate 3 'of the cover bottom 3. Above the upper edge of the shaft insert 28 there are brackets 29 on which one or more latent storage devices 30 are suspended. If several latent memories 30 are used, these are coupled to one another by means of fastening elements. The brackets 29 on the upper edge of the shaft insert 28 are designed such that they serve simultaneously as locking means and spacing means for spacing the inner wall 11 of the lid container 1 from the outer wall of the shaft insert 28 and lock the shaft insert 28 itself as a shield around the storage space 24.

If a cryocontainer described in this way is used, it is prepared as follows and loaded with a biological material: after disinfecting the lid container 1, the storage container 2, the latent storage 30 and the disk 26 to be inserted with a spacer ring 27 and the like Shaft insert 28, latent storage 30 is cooled down in liquid nitrogen at -196 ° C to approximately -185 ° C. In the appropriately prepared and cooled storage container 2, the disk 26 is inserted with the spacer ring 27 and the shaft insert 28 is placed on the disk 26 within the spacer ring 27. The latent storage 30, which has cooled down to approximately -185 ° C., is suspended in the shaft insert 28 by means of holders 29. Immediately beforehand, the biological material to be stored and intended for transport lasting several days is stored in the storage room 24.

On the neckings or formations in the transition area of the outer wall

4 and the inner wall 5 of the storage container 2, an insulation ring 25 is placed and the lid container 1 is inserted into an insertion space 31 between the inner wall 5 of the storage container 2 and the shaft insert 28. The insertion space 31, as a space between the outer wall of the shaft insert 28 and the inner wall 5 of the storage container 2, enables the lid container 1 to be inserted into the storage container 2 without problems and at the same time ensures that the inner wall 5 of the storage container 2 is spaced apart from the outer wall 12 of the lid container 1.

In the closed state of the cryocontainer, the lid unit 14 rests only linearly with its edge region 21 of the annular bead 18 on the front ends 8 of the connection between the outer wall 4 and the inner wall 5 of the storage container 2. Thanks to the precisely fitting set and lock the lid container 1 between the shaft insert 28 and the inner wall

5 of the storage container 2, a slight thermal bridge is created only far above the actual storage space 24 at the point where the cover unit 14 presses the insulating ring 25 onto the aforementioned shaping or necking or on the support of the edge region 21 on the front ends 8 of the storage container 2 ,

To support the high vacuum in the storage container 2 and the lid container

1, a known reflection material with appropriate spacers is arranged in the spaces between the walls. Gettering of the evacuated interiors is also planned.

The inner and / or outer walls of the storage container 2 and the lid container 1 are provided with inwardly and / or outwardly bulging circumferential beads to support the necessary spring and expansion effects, on the one hand by the high vacuum and on the other hand the large temperature differences between the inner and outer walls arise.

The inventive design of the vacuum-insulated cryogenic container, each with double-walled containers, the openings of which are mutually closed, ensures a high insulating effect and is therefore suitable for long-term storage and the transport of biological material in a temperature range from -90 ° C. to -60 ° C and suitable for downtimes of more than ten days without recharging the energy storage. Shorter standing times, up to five days, in a temperature range between -185 ° C and -100 ° C without recharging the energy store are possible with the cryocontainer according to the invention. The temperature control with a corresponding warning device takes place via the temperature measuring, storage and data transmission system 20, which is preferably arranged in the cover unit 14. By using the vacuum-insulated cryocontainer according to the invention with the functional parts described, in particular the contactless mounting of the lid container 1 in the storage container 2, there is an almost complete thermal decoupling between the usable space and the outside atmosphere.

Claims

claims

1. Vacuum insulated cryocontainer with at least two, multi-walled, pot-shaped or trough-shaped containers, each with an outer wall (4; 12), an inner wall (5; 11) and a bottom (3; 6), with at least one storage room (24), with at least one cold source and / or a cold store and an evacuated interior (7; 13) lying between the respective outer walls (4; 12) and inner walls (5; 11), the cold source and / or the cold store of a first of these multi-walled containers as a lid container (1) is arranged so that it is highly insulating and encircling so that the cold internal atmosphere flowing down from the cold source and / or the cold store penetrates the storage room (24) and from the bottom of the storage room (24), outside the storage room ( 24) rises between the outer wall (12) of the lid container (1) and the inner wall (5) of the second container as a storage container (2) and in the area of the upper edge of the storage container ( 2), with the small material bridges arranged there between the lid container (1) and the storage container (2), there is a thermal bridge for the rising cold inner atmosphere to the ambient atmosphere.

2.Vacuum-insulated cryocontainer with at least two multi-walled, pot-shaped or trough-shaped containers, each with an outer wall (4; 12), an inner wall (5; 11) and a bottom (3; 6), with at least one storage room ( 24), with at least one cold source and / or a cold store and an evacuated interior (7; 13) lying between the respective outer walls (4; 12) and inner walls (5; 11), the lid container (1) with its opening is slipped into the opening of the storage container (2) and, in the thus closed state of the cryocontainer, locking and / or spacing means space the inner wall (5) of the storage container (2) from the outer wall (12) of the lid container (1).

3. Vacuum insulated cryocontainer according to claims 1 and 2, wherein the interior (7) of the storage container (2) and the interior (13) of the lid container (1) are evacuated to high vacuum.

4. Vacuum insulated cryogenic container according to claims 1 and 2, wherein the lid container (1) is double-walled and preferably of hollow cylindrical shape, has at least two different outer diameters and an inner wall (11) and an outer wall (12) and the upper opening of the hollow cylinder through one cover bottom (3) is closed with an internally arranged cover plate (3 ') and an outside cover plate (3 "), the inside cover plate (3') with the inner wall (11) and the outside cover plate (3") with the outer wall (12) and at the lower opening of the lid container (1) the inner wall (11) with the outer wall (12) are hermetically connected to one another and thus a continuous interior (13) between the outer wall (12) and the inner wall (11 ) and form the cover plates (3 '; 3 ").

5. Vacuum insulated cryogenic container according to claims 1 and 2, wherein the storage container (2) is double-walled and preferably of hollow cylindrical shape, has at least two different outer diameters and an inner wall (5) and an outer wall (4) and the lower opening of the hollow cylinder through one closing bottom (6) is closed with an inside plate (6 ') and an outside plate (6 "), the inside plate (6') with the inner wall (5) and the outside plate (3" ) are hermetically connected with the outer wall (4) and at the upper opening of the storage container (2) the inner wall (5) with the outer wall (4) and thus a continuous interior (7) between the outer wall (4), the inner wall ( 5) and the sheets (6 '; 6 ") form.

6. Vacuum insulated cryogenic container according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein at least one shielding means is arranged in the interior of the cryogenic container so that there is such a distance as an insertion space (31) between the latter and the inner wall (5) of the storage container (2) problem-free insertion of the lid container (1) into the storage container (2) guaranteed.

, Vacuum insulated cryocontainer according to claim 6, wherein the shielding means is a shaft insert (28) of preferably tubular shape, which approximately corresponds to the inside diameter of the lid container (1) and preferably encloses the storage space (24) in a vertical extension.

8. Vacuum insulated cryocontainer according to claim 6, wherein the shielding means is a container, preferably with a centering bottom and in the usable space of the container to be stored goods and / or the cold source and / or the cold storage are arranged and the container outside the storage container (2) by means liquid nitrogen or in a heat exchanger to a desired temperature.

9. Vacuum insulated kiyo container according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the shielding means has spacing means in the form of nubs, beads and / or rings and the spacing means are preferably arranged at the lower edge or the bottom of the shielding means and the inner wall (5) is only punctiform. and / or touch the sheet (6 ') of the base (6) arranged on the inside.

10. Vacuum-insulated cryocontainer according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the shielding means in its vertical extent at least up to half the height of the storage container (2) and in the closed state of the cryocontainer, preferably up to directly below the cover plate 3 ′ of the cover base 3 arranged on the inside of the inserted lid container (1) is sufficient.

11. Vacuum insulated cryogenic container according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein spacing means and / or locking means for spacing the inner wall (11) of the lid container (1) from the outer wall of the shielding means are arranged on the upper edge of the shielding means and preferably these spacing means at the same time as locking means, namely are designed as brackets (29) in such a way that on the one hand a cold source and / or a cold store is held in the shielding means and on the other hand the outer wall of the shielding means is spaced from the inner wall (11).

12. Vacuum-insulated cryocontainer according to claim 2, wherein the inner wall (5) of the storage container (2) and the outer wall (12) of the lid container (1) are designed differently as spacing means.

13. Vacuum insulated cryogenic container according to claim 2, wherein the outer diameter of the outer wall (12) of the lid container (1) is smaller than the inner diameter of the storage container (2) as a spacer.

14. Vacuum insulated cryocontainer according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the outer wall (12) of the lid container (1) and the inner wall (5) of the storage container (2) are provided with beads as spacers so that the two walls are vertical in their Extend parallel parallel wave-like.

15. Vacuum insulated cryocontainer according to claim 2, wherein a further spacing means, preferably in the form of a spacing ring (27), made of a well-insulating plastic material is arranged on the bottom of the storage container (2).

16. Vacuum insulated cryocontainer according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the cold source and / or the cold storage is seated on the upper edge of the shielding means and closes the shielding means.

17. Vacuum insulated cryocontainer according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the cold source and / or the cold store is arranged vertically around the storage space (24) or around the usable space, preferably in an annular manner.

18. Vacuum insulated cryocontainer according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the cold source and / or the cold store is arranged vertically in the storage space (24) or in the usable space such that the goods to be stored are preferably around the cold source and / or the cold store annular, is arranged.

19. Vacuum insulated cryocontainer according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the cold source and / or the cold store is arranged below the storage space (24) or the useful space.

20. Vacuum insulated cryocontainer according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein a plurality of cold sources and / or cold stores are coupled to one another.

21. Vacuum insulated cryocontainer according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the cold source and / or the cold store is at least one latent store (30).

22. Vacuum-insulated cryocontainer according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the lid container (1) has a lid unit (14) which consists essentially of an insulating plate (19) connected to the lid-bottom (3), a stacking aid (15), one Handle (16) and an annular bead (18) extending over an outwardly shaped step (23).

23. The vacuum-insulated cryocontainer according to claim 22, wherein the annular bead (18) is arched over an edge region (21) of the step (23) which is shaped outwards and, when the cryocontainer is closed, on a further locking means, namely an upper end at the end ( 8) of the storage container (2), rests only linearly with its annular lid edge (22).

24. Vacuum-insulated cryocontainer according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the outer wall (12) of the lid container (1) in the region of the lid base (3) is formed peripherally all round so through the outwardly shaped step (23) and thus reduced in material thickness was that the step (23) in connection with the cover plate (3 ") arranged on the outside can be moved in at least two degrees of freedom as a spring or expansion element

25. Vacuum-insulated cryocontainer according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a temperature measuring, storage and transmission system (20) is arranged in the lid unit (14), preferably in the stacking aid (15).

26. Vacuum-insulated cryocontainer according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the temperature measurement, storage and transmission system (20) arranged in the cover unit (14) wirelessly transmits measured values to a central unit.

27. Vacuum insulated cryogenic container according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein in the closed state of the cryogenic container, the locking and / or spacing means completely space the inner wall (5) of the storage container (2) from the outer wall (12) of the lid container (1).