FI102098B - Building for cold storage of goods - Google Patents

Description

102098

BUILDING FOR COLD STORAGE OF GOODS

The invention relates to a building as defined in the preamble of claim 1.

Food distribution chains need large storage facilities to store food. Stocks are kept cold with expensive and energy-intensive refrigeration equipment.

Previous studies have shown that methods based on the seasonal storage of ice have the potential to significantly save the electrical energy required for cold storage, i.e. ice could be used for the seasonal storage of cooling energy. In technical terms, it is possible to build a cold storage system that requires almost no electrical energy.

15 In previously known solutions, a building requiring cooling and a seasonal storage room for ice used for cooling are designed as separate parts. However, the space required for seasonal storage of ice used for cooling is approximately equal to the storage space to be cooled, resulting in a large construction volume.

In some other solutions, already introduced in the 1950s, the load-bearing structure of the entire cold store is «« «•, but the construction of such stores is not: 25 widespread due to the difficulty and high maintenance requirements of the special technologies required for construction.

As a problem in already known buildings • · · ·. ···. sa is that due to the large construction volume • · · investment and ice construction technical difficulties. . Due to 30 plants, the cooling of the building I »* * ·] · * based on seasonal ice storage has not been economically competitive with traditional solutions.

··· The technique of ice construction has been presented in the publication. ’··. U.S. Pat. No. 3,289,425, DE 2 337 274, FI 26482 and FI 86337, 35 which, however, do not represent the state of the art for this: * 'application.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,289,425 relates to a method for strengthening ice so that it can be used e.g. as a building material. There are other related publications and the topic has been extensively discussed in, e.g., Ice and Construc- tion, L. Makkonen (ed.), Chapman & Hall, 1994, 132 pp.

The building of the present application is made of structural elements containing refrigerant containers made of another material and thus not using ice as a load-bearing material.

DE 2337274 also relates to the use of ice as a building material. DE 2337274 describes buildings which are kept frozen by artificial cooling and e.g. by circulating air on the outside and inside of the building.

15 FI-86337 relates to a building made by spraying water with a lightweight support. The method results in a massive self-supporting ice-building. The building according to FI-86337 is a massive self-supporting ice structure that requires annual repairs to stay together. FI-26482 has a similar solution to Fl-86337. Here, too, the load-bearing structure is ice. The thermal insulation and cooling arrangement is similar to that in DE 2337274.

t 1 25 WO 93/24797 relates to an ice container, i.e. a so-called cold storage module, which is intended to be frozen in · ** · frozen food. To make the simultaneous freezing of several modules more efficient, several modules can be assembled into a structure which allows air circulation between the modules. WO 93/24797 is in no way related to cold storage buildings and does not form part of the prior art in the field of the present application.

*. The object of the invention is to eliminate the drawbacks associated with the prior art.

* ··· * 35 In particular, the object of the invention is to provide a new type of building which makes cold storage based on seasonal storage of ice economically viable.

The building according to the invention is characterized by what is stated in claim 1.

According to the invention, the frame structure is formed of a plurality of interconnected self-supporting structural elements, each of which includes a container for a refrigerant, the containers together forming a refrigerant reservoir, and the elements including connecting members 10 for connecting the structural elements to each other. Thus, the refrigerant storage is integrated with the load-bearing frame structure of the building.

The advantage of the invention is that by combining the cold storage material storage with the building frame structure, the number, total volume and cost of the building frame structures required for cold storage can be substantially reduced.

In one embodiment of the building, the frame structure includes air ducts for establishing a flow connection from the outdoor air to the refrigerant storage in the frame structure, and fans for circulating the outdoor air in the air ducts.

In one embodiment of the building, the structural elements are connected to each other and to each other so that the spaces between the elements form a continuous air duct.

«« · ••• j In one application of the building, the total volume of the refrigerant in the refrigerant storage is approximately equal to the volume of the storage space.

: In a building application, the structural element • «. * · *: Includes a self-supporting rigid frame and a flexible *. a container of substance arranged inside the body ··· ···· le.

• «I

* ··· ’35 In one application of a building, the refrigerant includes water. A suitable additive may be added to the water »· •« 4 102098 to change the freezing point of the water.

In one embodiment of the building, the building comprises wall parts formed of superimposed and adjacent structural elements and a vaulted roof part formed of superimposed and adjacent structural elements supported on the walls.

In one embodiment of the building, the building includes thermally insulated exterior cladding, such as exterior walls and a water roof. Furthermore, the building may also include thermally insulated interior cladding, in which case the storage space is cooled by means of air ducts leading from the internal air ducts of the frame structure to the storage space.

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 schematically shows an embodiment of a building according to the invention, and Figure 2 schematically shows a structural element belonging to the embodiment of Figure 1.

Figure 1 shows a building for the cold storage of goods, which building comprises a load-bearing frame structure 1 delimiting the storage space 2, and a refrigerant storage tank 3 with a cold storage substance.

\ 25 The refrigerant storage 3 is integrated as a whole with the load-bearing frame structure l of the building.

• i »···· The frame structure 1 is formed by a number of interconnected • · * self-supporting structural elements 6, each of which includes a container 7 for a cold storage substance. The structural elements include connecting members 8 for connecting the structural elements to each other. The structural elements 6 are connected • · to each other and next to each other so that they \ form a rigid load-bearing frame structure and the spaces between the structural elements form continuous «· · 3 5 air ducts 4. The air ducts 4 form a flow connection from the outside air to the refrigerant in the frame structure 1. ···. to storage 3. The outside air is made to flow in the air ducts # «Λ» »5 102098 4 by fans 5. The total volume of refrigerant in the refrigerant storage tank 3, i.e. in the tanks 7 of the structural elements 6, is approximately equal to the volume of the storage space 2.

5 The building of Figure 1 has wall portions 10 formed of superimposed and side-by-side structural elements and a vaulted roof part 11 formed of superimposed and side-by-side structural elements supported on the walls.

10 The building is also upholstered with thermally insulated external walls 12 and a water roof 13.

As can be seen from Figure 2, the structural element 6 comprises a load-bearing body 9 and a container 7 of flexible material arranged inside the body. As the refrigerant 15, such as water, freezes as it expands, the flexible wall of the container 7 adapts to this change in volume. The cold charge agent is preferably water, to which it has also been possible to mix an additive with which the freezing point of the water has been changed. These are used to load the warehouse in winter and to control the temperature of the warehouse during the storage period.

The operation of the building is based on phase changes between ice and water. During the winter season, cold energy «· is stored by freezing the liquid in the tanks 7.

. ·. 25 This charging step is performed by blowing cold outside air inside the body of the cold store, whereby the liquid in the tanks 7 freezes. This creates a seasonal storage of ice, which * · · ••• j keeps the cold store cool during the next warm year. * * ♦ · * · * *.

30 During the warm period, the tanks will melt slowly. During melting, the storage temperature remains - constant, which is slightly higher than the melting temperature of ice. Using suitable additives in the freezer · ;;; in the liquid and by controlling the ventilation in the building frame, the desired value between -2 ° C and + 10 ° C can be selected as the storage room temperature.

6 102098

The invention is not limited solely to the application examples presented above, but many modifications are possible while remaining within the scope of the inventive idea defined by the claims.

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Claims (10)

A building for cold storage of a commodity, to which building a supporting frame structure (1), which confines within itself a storage space (2), and a cold storage blank (3), there being a cold storage material, is characterized, the body structure (1) is formed of a plurality of assembled self-supporting structural elements (6), each of which includes a container (7) for the substance which stores cold, the containers together forming the cold storage substance layer (3), and the elements belong to joining members (8) for joining the construction elements together. 2. A building as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the core structure C1 includes air ducts (4) for forming a flow connection from the external air to the cold storage substance layer (3) in the body structure and fans (5) for the circulating the outside air in the air ducts. 3. A building according to claim 2, characterized in that the element of art is one (6). • In joined with each other and next to each other, they remain between the elements. space- • · · * * ;;; These form the continuous air duct (4). 4. A building according to any one of claims 1 - 3, characterized in that the total volume of the cold storage substance (3) being in the cold storage layer (3) is almost equal to that of the storage space. (2) volume. The building according to any of claims 1 - 4, characterized in that the construction element (6) includes a self-supporting rigid frame (9) and : ***: a container (7) of elastic material, which is arranged inside the frame. 102098 6. A building as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the cold storage substance hears water. 7. A building as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the cold storage substance contains water and a suitable additive with which the freezing point of the water has changed. 8. A building as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the building part (10) comprises wall portions (10) formed on one another and adjacent to one another, and a vaulted roof part (11) which is joined to one another next to each other. ), which is supported by the walls. 9. A building according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the building has a heat-insulated outer covering, such as exterior walls (12) and water ceilings (13). 10. A building as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that the building belongs to; a heat-insulated inner lining, in which are provided openings for conducting air to the storage space I 1 (2) from the internal air ducts (4) of the body structure (1). »I« «II tili» 1 t • I <«I 1 • • ·« I «• · · • · ··· e ·« * · · »• · • · • · · e • · · • · · · ··· · • 9 · • ♦ • ♦