JPS621190B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a container for storing something at a temperature different from the outside, and a device utilizing solid CO ₂ that can be used with the container.

For a long time, frozen _CO2 , or dry ice, has been widely used in various manufacturing processes in industry and as a convenient cooling medium for transporting frozen foods such as ice cream. When CO ₂ is in the form of dry ice, it has a heat absorption rate of 574 Kj (247 BTU: British thermal unit) per 1 kg (ld) when sublimating into gas at -109〓, making CO ₂ a good refrigerant. This heat absorption rate is only 336Kj/Kg (144BTU/lb)
The heat absorption rate is 71% greater than that of regular ice, which is 71% higher than that of regular ice, and when used to cool the inside of a portable thermally insulated food and beverage container, for example, dry ice occupies a relatively small volume, so it is A larger volume can be used for stored items. In addition, dry ice directly sublimates from a solid to an inert and harmless gas, so it does not suffer from the problems of water damage and water discharge that occur with regular ice, and it can also be used at extremely low temperatures of -109°, making it ideal for frozen foods and ice cream. It can actually be used outdoors as a portable storage item.

Traditionally, dry ice has been freely distributed from manufacturers to the general public, and although it is more economically viable than regular ice, there are many practical problems associated with distributing dry ice to amateurs and its use. Problems have prevented the use of dry ice. The problems in the distribution and utilization of dry ice are directly related to the extremely low temperatures at which the conditions of the dry ice change. Therefore, very complicated and expensive cooling equipment is required to keep dry ice solid. This makes vending machine sales impossible. However, dry ice can be distributed when transported in bulk by using very well insulated containers. Since the sublimation loss of dry ice is slow, it is treated liberally and allowed in commercial transactions. In anticipation of growing public demand for dry ice, manufacturers have extensive distribution plans in place. Dry ice has been recognized in the trading industry as a convenient and economical refrigerant, and various techniques and knowledge have been developed to successfully exploit the properties of dry ice. However, ordinary people do not realize that dry ice has cryogenic properties, and because they have no experience with it, they try to handle dry ice in the same way as ordinary ice. This results in over-chilling of the food and drink, causing destruction of the glass container and a relatively short lifespan of the ice cream. Dry ice is so cold that if it is left in contact with the skin for even a short period of time, it can irritate the skin, so care must be taken when handling dry ice. Children carelessly put pieces of dry ice into their mouths, just as they would with regular ice cubes when it's hot, resulting in severe sores.
This, and the lack of promotion by dry ice producers, has prevented the general use of solid _CO2 .

The most convenient way to produce dry ice is to form it into pellets.
This is because pellets are easy to handle and, unlike ordinary crushed ice, have the property of evaporation and do not tend to aggregate. However, such pellets have a very high surface area, and therefore, although desirable in many cases for rapid heat removal, their high heat absorption rate also results in a correspondingly shortened dry ice life. Since pelleted dry ice begins to sublimate slowly at -109°, even frozen foods at -30° are effectively cooled and the insulating properties of the container substantially prevent losses to the outside world.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a container which is relatively simple in construction and can be operated effectively.

According to the invention, a thermally insulated container for storing goods at a temperature different from the outside is provided with a container for accommodating solid carbon dioxide for cooling said stored goods, said container being free to move within said container. a thermally insulating container, the thermally insulating container having a bottom and an upright wall extending from a periphery of the bottom; , the bottom and the upright wall are thermally insulated, and above the bottom and inside the container there is a substrate having high thermal conductivity, such that the heat transfer surface on the top of the substrate forms the inner surface of the container; Further, the solid carbon dioxide storage device includes a thermally insulated main body, and the storage device main body has an opening at one end thereof, and has a cavity inside thereof communicating with the opening, A generally annular bottom surface is formed at one end about the opening to engage the heat transfer surface, and the cavity extends from the bottom surface and has a member therein. extends at least partially across said cavity to substantially close off a portion of the cavity between said member and the other end of the body remotely opposed from said one end; A support surface is formed on the inside of the cavity, and a solid 2 is deposited on the support surface within the closed portion of the cavity.
The carbon oxide is supported and the member includes an adjusting device for moving the member to change the spatial area between the support surface and the heat transfer surface, thereby increasing the support from the heat transfer surface to the support surface. A thermally insulating container is provided that has a variable resistance to heat flow to solid carbon dioxide.

The main body also has a transverse wall at the other end and a skirt portion of generally annular cross section depending from the periphery of the transverse wall, the inner surface of the skirt portion forming a side surface of the cavity and The inner surface of the wall forms the inner end surface of the cavity, the opening is formed at the end of the skirt portion facing the transverse wall, and the bottom surface of the main body is formed by the end surface of the skirt portion surrounding the opening. wherein the inner surface of the skirt portion is non-circular in cross-section, and the member is formed of a plate extending generally parallel to the transverse wall and extending across the cavity and extending around the periphery of the member. is generally complementary to the cross-sectional shape of the inner surface of the skirt, such that the plate is movable but not rotatable from the opening toward the transverse wall, and the adjusting device is configured to rotate about the axis. comprising a rotatable elongated element, the rotor extending in the direction of movement from the exterior of the body into the cavity and through the transverse wall, the rotor and the plate carrying mutually cooperating threaded parts; Preferably, as the rotor rotates, a threaded portion carried by the plate moves along the entire length of the rotor, making said spatial area variable.

Further, a peripheral upright wall portion extends from the bottom of the container to the access port, and the container further includes a lid and a fastening device for securing the lid to the container, and the lid is connected to the interior of the container through the access port. The lid is movable up to a first condition in which it is accessible, and is movable up to a second condition in which it is secured to the container by the fixing device, so that the lid closes the entrance and exits and substantially closes the top surface of the substrate. forming inside the container an inner surface parallel to but spaced apart from the inner surface of the container, the height of the solid carbon dioxide containment being substantially equal to the height of the space between the two inner surfaces, and the lid When the solid carbon dioxide container is placed under the second condition, the opposite ends of the solid carbon dioxide container engage with the inner surfaces and are fixed at predetermined positions between the inner surfaces. is preferred.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a solid carbon dioxide storage device that performs heat transfer between solid carbon dioxide and a heat transfer surface and is used by being placed on the heat transfer surface, the storage device having a thermally insulated main body. The main body has an opening at one end and has a cavity inside, and the opening communicates with the cavity, and the one end of the main body forms a generally annular bottom surface around the opening. , the bottom surface of the body engages the heat transfer surface when the housing is disposed on the heat transfer surface, and the cavity has a member extending therein from the bottom surface, the member defining the cavity. extending at least partially transversely to substantially close a cavity portion between the member and an opposite end of the body remote from said one end, and said member having an interior bearing surface and said cavity closing portion; said member is adapted to support solid carbon dioxide within said member and said member is provided with an adjusting device for moving said member to change the spatial area between said member supporting surface and said bottom surface and thus changing said spatial area; A solid carbon dioxide containment device capable of altering the heat flow resistance from the heat transfer surface to the solid carbon dioxide supported on the support surface of said member when the solid carbon dioxide containment device is placed on the heat transfer surface. is provided.

The present invention will now be explained by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The container 10 shown in the drawings is formed by an open-topped box structure 12 which is closed by a lid 14 fitted over the entire structure. The structure 12 has a rectangular bottom 16 and a continuous vertical wall 18 around the periphery. The bottom 16 and walls 18 are formed of plastic layers on the inside and outside, with a thermally insulating material 20, such as polyurethane foam, in the hollow interior between the layers.
It is better to insert Similarly, the lid 14 is preferably made of plastic material to form a hollow portion, and the hollow portion is preferably filled with polyurethane foam 22. A suitable sealing strip 23 is provided along the upper edge of the wall 18 so that when the lid 14 is placed over the structure 12 the container is sealed.

A plurality of wave-shaped protrusions 24 are arranged on the upper surface of the bottom part 16, and metal plates 26 are supported on the protrusions 24 at positions above the bottom part 16 at regular intervals.

The metal plate 26 is made of a material with good thermal conductivity, such as aluminum. When using the dry ice container 28 according to the present invention, it is placed on a metal plate 26 as shown in FIG. The dry ice container 28 consists of a main body 25 having a generally cylindrical wall 30 of square cross section around the sides. The device 28 is closed at its upper end by a top wall 32 so that a cavity 35 is formed within the body. Accordingly, the main body 25 is open at the bottom and surrounded by walls 30, 32 at the sides and top. A band member 34 having an annular circumference formed of a sealing material such as rubber is provided on the upper surface of the wall 30, and when the lid 14 is closed, the lower side of the lid abuts against the band member 34 and the metal plate 2
6 and the lid 14 at a predetermined position.
The height of the container 28 is set such that the container 8 can be held therein. For this purpose, the lid 14 is attached to the structure 1.
A retaining device is provided to hold the lid 14 and the dry ice container 28 in place, thereby ensuring that the lid 14 and the dry ice container 28 are held in place. In the illustrated container 10, one edge of the lid 14 is hinged to the structure 12 at a hinge 33, and the other opposite edge of the lid 14 has coupling members 15, 31 cooperating as clips between the lid 14 and the structure. It is attached on top of 12.

The hollow space between walls 30 and 32 of dry ice container 28 is filled with a thermally insulating material 37, such as polyurethane foam. The outer surface of wall 30 and the inner surface of wall 32 are preferably formed with a skin 36 of relatively dense plastic material to provide rigidity to body 25.

As can be seen from FIG. 2, when the dry ice container 28 is placed upright on the metal plate 26, the main body 2
Only the lower peripheral edge 38 of 5 rests on the metal plate 26. Solid CO ₂ is placed inside the cavity 35 . The solid CO ₂ rests inside the cavity on a lower support plate 42 that extends generally parallel to metal plate 26 .

A handwheel 44 is disposed on the top of the wall 30 and is connected to a downwardly extending rod 46 which extends through the wall 32 toward the cavity 35. The lower end of the rod 46 is located below the cavity 35 and has a threaded end 49. The support plate 42 has an upwardly recessed portion 42a at its center, and a nut 51 is tightened inside the recessed portion 42 and fixed to the support plate 42.

An opening 42b is provided through the support plate 42 in the center of the recessed portion 42a, through which the threaded end 49 of the rod 46 extends and is screwed into the nut 51. The rod 46 and the handwheel 44 are rotatable as a unit, and as the handwheel rotates, the nut 51 can advance along the rod 46 and cause the support plate 42 to move vertically. As shown in FIG. 4, the support plate 42 has a generally square cross-sectional shape complementary to the internal cross-sectional shape of the main body 25, so that the support plate 42 does not rotate during the vertical movement. .

When using a thermally insulated container according to the present invention, heat can flow to the solid CO ₂ 40 to keep things inside the container 10 cool. This heat flow is caused by the metal plate 26
Therefore, part of the heat flow is caused by conduction upward through the inner skin of the wall 32, and another part is caused by conduction, convection, and radiation in the space between the metal plate 26 and the support plate 42. . However, when the support plate 42 is lowered far enough down, the plate 42 abuts the metal plate 26, so that virtually all the heat flow occurs by conduction directly through the support plate 42 to the solid CO ₂ . By rotating the handwheel 44 to raise the support plate 42 and the solid CO ₂ 40 from the metal plate 26, the effective conductance of the heat flow path to the solid CO ₂ is reduced. Therefore, the handwheel 44
By appropriately rotating the support plate 42 in a certain position, it is possible to adjust the temperature of the contents of the container 10 over a wide range.

According to one embodiment of the invention, metal plate 26 has a length of approximately
It is made of aluminum with a width of 608 mm and a width of approximately 408 mm, and the overall dimensions of the container are 660 mm long, 470 mm wide, and 434 mm high.Furthermore, the bottom thermal insulator is 38 mm thick, and the lid 14 is 30 mm thick. Further, the metal plate 26 is approximately 6 mm apart from the top surface of the bottom portion 16, the insulator width of the side wall of the dry ice container 28 is approximately 36 mm, and the support plate 42 is approximately 6 mm apart from the top surface of the bottom portion 16.
It is made of a thin PVC plate measuring 15mm square and 6mm thick.

As is already known, plates 42 and 26
The temperature of the plate 26 can be brought to about -50° by bringing them into contact with each other. In this embodiment, movement of plate 42 over a range of 60 mm to 70 mm provides adequate temperature control above temperature plate 26 to maintain the interior of the container at the temperature normally used to cool food. drooping

The tight fit between rod 46 and wall 32 substantially prevents gaseous CO ₂ from escaping therethrough. Therefore the gas CO ₂ is plate 4
The cold gaseous CO ₂ formed by sublimation of the solid CO ₂ is forced to escape to the outside of the dry ice container through the gap between the inner surface consisting of the wall 32 and the wall 32.
is used to enhance the cooling effect of the dry ice container 28. In this way, the effective absorption capacity per pound of solid CO ₂ is directly measured from 247 BTU.
Increases to 274BTU. In all cases there is a very tight fit between the wall 32 and the rod 46 so that the handwheel 44 is held securely even in special settings.

Of course, the handwheel should be pushed out appropriately and the container 1
A guideline for the user may be provided that indicates the number of rotations of the parts necessary to achieve a predetermined temperature condition within 0.

Advantages of the described embodiment include direct heat conduction between plates 26 and 42 through the space therebetween and solid CO ₂
40 and the plate 26 along the inner surface of the wall 32. However, it is also possible to use other heat flow paths. For example, board 4
If the insulation of wall 32 is high, the heat flow path is always connected to wall 32.
This may be desirable.

However, the embodiments described have been found to be very satisfactory to use. Of course board 42
Although a device is provided for moving the , this is not essential and the movement can be effected in other ways than described. For example, a wedge or cam device can be used, or in simple cases a partially cut-out plug with a cavity 3.
5 held by other means within the body 2
The plate 42 can be replaced by a plug which cannot be removed from the 5.

For example, pairs of such plugs can be formed with different heights or with different heat transfer characteristics, so that different temperatures can be obtained by selectively using the plugs.

Due to the substantial separation between the plate 26 and the top surface of the bottom 16, direct communication therebetween is relatively reduced. The plate 26 has a high thermal conductivity and a large surface area, so that a uniform temperature distribution is created over the entire surface of the plate 26, thereby removing heat from the items stored in the container. The solid CO ₂ disappearance rate of the dry ice container 28 is relatively slow, so solid CO 2 is removed from the contents stored in the container.
Heat transfer to CO ₂ takes place with relatively high efficiency.

To fill the dry ice container 28 with solid CO ₂ , it is only necessary to rotate the handwheel 44, remove the nut 51 from the rod 46, and remove the plate 42. Thereafter, solid CO ₂ in the form of pellets is inserted into the dry ice container 28 and the plate 42 is returned to its original position.

The described dry ice containers and thermally insulated containers are specifically designed for use when it is desired to be transported, for example as food and beverage storage devices for domestic and/or marine applications. This structure is particularly suited for use in the ocean, as it can be used as a trapping insulator to prevent water absorption, providing a reliable flotation source in emergencies.

For this purpose, structure 12 is provided with a cord 60 extending around its periphery, which cord 60 is attached to the outside of wall 18 by means of clips 62.
Therefore, a number of cord loops 60a are formed to facilitate retention of the container when it floats on the sea surface. The container can also be made in a bright color that distinguishes it from water so that it is easy to find when floating on the sea surface. The plastic structure of container 10, unlike metal structures, is susceptible to decay. However, it is of course possible to form the container in other configurations, and the basic construction principles are suitable for large containers such that the container can be mounted on a truck.

The above configuration is provided for illustrative purposes only. Modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 is a perspective view of a cooling storage container and dry ice storage device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an upright sectional view of the container and storage device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 3. 10...Heat insulation container, 16...Container bottom, 18
... Wall, 25 ... Solid carbon dioxide storage device body, 2
6...Substrate, 28...Solid carbon dioxide container, 3
5...Cavity, 40...Solid carbon dioxide.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A thermally insulated container for storing articles at a temperature different from the outside, comprising a container for accommodating solid carbon dioxide for cooling the stored articles, and the container is free in the container. a thermally insulating container supported on an inner surface of the container for movement and removal from the container, the thermally insulating container having a bottom and an upright wall extending from the periphery of the bottom; The bottom portion and the upright wall portion are thermally insulated, and a substrate having high thermal conductivity is disposed inside the container above the bottom portion, so that a heat transfer surface on the top portion of the substrate contacts the inner surface of the container. The solid carbon dioxide storage device includes a thermally insulated body, the storage device body has an opening at one end thereof, and has a cavity inside thereof communicating with the opening; A generally annular bottom surface is formed at one end of the body about the opening to engage the heat transfer surface, and the cavity extends from the bottom surface and has a member therein. and the member is adapted to extend at least partially across the cavity to substantially close a portion of the cavity between the member and the other end of the body spaced apart from the one end. , a support surface is formed on the inside of the member, solid carbon dioxide is supported on the support surface within the closed portion of the cavity, and the member is moved to cause the member to move between the support surface and the support surface. comprising an adjustment device for varying the spatial area between the heat transfer surfaces, whereby the solid body 2 supported on the support surface from the heat transfer surface;
A thermally insulating container characterized by variable heat flow resistance to carbon oxide. 2. The body has a transverse wall at the other end and a skirt portion of generally annular cross section depending from the periphery of the transverse wall, the inner surface of the skirt portion forming a side surface of the cavity and The inner surface of the wall forms the inner end surface of the cavity, the opening is formed at the end of the skirt portion facing the transverse wall, and the bottom surface of the main body is formed by the end surface of the skirt portion surrounding the opening. wherein the inner surface of the skirt portion is non-circular in cross-section, and the member is formed of a plate extending generally parallel to the transverse wall and extending across the cavity and extending around the periphery of the member. is generally complementary to the cross-sectional shape of the inner surface of the skirt, such that the plate is movable but not rotatable from the opening toward the transverse wall, and the adjusting device is configured to rotate about the axis. comprising a rotatable elongated element, the rotor extending in the direction of movement from the exterior of the body into the cavity and through the transverse wall, the rotor and the plate carrying mutually cooperating threaded parts; 2. A thermally insulating container as claimed in claim 1, in which, as the rotor rotates, a threaded portion carried by the plate moves along the entire length of the rotor, making said spatial area variable. 3. A thermally insulating container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said member is made of plastic material. 4. The peripheral upright wall portion extends from the bottom of the container to the access port, and the container further has a lid and a fixing device for securing the lid to the container, and the lid is connected to the inside of the container via the access port. The lid is movable up to a first condition in which it is accessible, and is movable up to a second condition in which it is secured to the container by the fixing device, so that the lid closes the entrance and exits and substantially closes the top surface of the substrate. forming inside the container an inner surface parallel to but spaced apart from the inner surface of the container, the height of the solid carbon dioxide containment being substantially equal to the height of the space between the two inner surfaces, and the lid is arranged under the second condition, the opposite ends of the solid carbon dioxide storage device engage with the respective inner surfaces and are fixed at a predetermined position between the inner surfaces. A heat insulating container according to items 1 to 3 of the range. 5 When an elastic member is attached to the lid or the solid carbon dioxide container and the lid is placed under the second condition, the elastic member is inserted between the lid and the solid carbon dioxide container in a compressed state. 5. A thermally insulating container according to claim 4, wherein the thermally insulating container is adapted to be 6. The body of the solid carbon dioxide storage device is formed of a plastic material, and the body has relatively dense skins of plastic material on both outer sides thereof, and the interior between the skins is formed of a relatively loose heat-insulating plastic material. A thermally insulating container according to claims 1 to 5. 7. Claim 1, wherein the substrate is supported above the upper surface of the bottom part and spaced apart from the bottom part.
The heat insulating container according to items 6 to 6. 8. Claim 1, wherein said substrate is supported on a relatively small protrusion extending from said bottom top surface.
The heat insulating container according to items 6 to 6. 9. The thermally insulated container of claim 2, wherein the elongated rotor of the regulating device has a handwheel external to the solid carbon dioxide container body, the handwheel being adapted to be manually rotated. . 10 A solid carbon dioxide storage device that performs heat transfer between solid carbon dioxide and a heat transfer surface and is used by being placed on the heat transfer surface, the storage device comprising a thermally insulated body, the body comprising: The main body has an opening at one end and a hollow inside, and the opening communicates with the hollow, the one end of the main body forms an annular bottom as a whole around the opening, and the bottom of the main body is the housing engages a heat transfer surface when disposed on the heat transfer surface, and the cavity further includes a member extending from the bottom surface and having a member therein at least partially transversely extending to substantially close a cavity portion between the member and an opposite end of the body distal from said one end, and said member having an interior bearing surface and containing solid dioxide within said cavity closing portion. The member is adapted to support carbon and the member is provided with an adjustment device for moving the member to change the spatial area between the member support surface and the bottom surface, thereby changing the spatial area to produce solid carbon dioxide. A solid carbon dioxide containment device capable of varying the heat flow resistance from the heat transfer surface to the solid carbon dioxide supported on the support surface of the member when the containment is disposed on the heat transfer surface. 11 The body has a transverse wall at the other end and a skirt portion of generally annular cross section depending from the periphery of the transverse wall, the inner surface of the skirt portion forming a side surface of the cavity and The inner surface of the wall forms the inner end surface of the cavity, the opening is formed at the end of the skirt portion facing the transverse wall, and the bottom surface of the main body is formed by the end surface of the skirt portion surrounding the opening. the inner surface of the skirt portion is non-circular in cross section, the member is a plate extending from the exterior of the body into the cavity and through the transverse wall in the direction of movement, the rotor and the plate cooperating with each other; Solid dioxide according to claim 10, which carries a threaded portion which carries a screw, so that when the rotor rotates, the threaded portion carried by the plate moves along the entire length of the rotor, thereby making the spatial area variable. Carbon storage device.