WO2009010545A1

WO2009010545A1 - Container for receiving a fluid and method for the transport of fluid media

Info

Publication number: WO2009010545A1
Application number: PCT/EP2008/059342
Authority: WO
Inventors: Josef Mikl
Original assignee: Josef Mikl
Priority date: 2007-07-19
Filing date: 2008-07-17
Publication date: 2009-01-22
Also published as: AT505397B1; AT505397A4

Abstract

The invention relates to a container for receiving a fluid, comprising a rigid outer shell (1), an insulating layer (3) and at least one inner container (2) that is supported against the insulating layer (3). By the inner container (2) being designed as a flexible container that can be loosely arranged in the insulating layer (3), extensive cleaning efforts can be prevented.

Description

CONTAINER FOR RECEIVING A FLUID AND METHOD OF TRANSPORT

FROM FLUID MEDIA

The present invention relates to a container for holding a fluid, comprising a rigid outer shell, an insulating layer and at least one flexible, loosely arranged in the insulating inner container, which is supported flat against the insulating layer.

The transport of goods in containers is becoming increasingly important due to the simple logistics. This also applies to liquids and gases, ie fluids that are transported in so-called tank containers. The conventional tank container is constructed so that inside a cuboid frame, which has the standard dimensions of a container, an inner container is attached, which receives the fluid. In many cases it is necessary to keep the fluid at a certain temperature. In these cases, the inner container is covered with an insulating layer. The application of the insulating layer is relatively complex and there is always the risk that the insulating layer is damaged during the handling of the container, as it is freely accessible through the interstices of the frame. Another disadvantage of the conventional tank container is that the inner container must be made sufficiently stable to accommodate the required loads can. These are in particular the weight of the content and the pressure forces due to the internal pressure. Due to these facts, conventional tank containers are heavy and expensive.

From EP 0 025 792 B a tank container is known, which has a thin-walled inner container, which is surrounded on its outer side with an insulating layer. The insulating layer takes in addition to the thermal insulation and the task of supporting the inner container, since this alone would not be able to withstand the loads acting on it. Such a container solves some of the problems described above and can be particularly easily and material-saving formed. It is critical, however, that the insulating layer must derive the supporting forces of the inner container on a frame-shaped outer structure and therefore itself must have a relatively high strength. When choosing the insulating material, therefore, a compromise between insulating effect and mechanical strength must be considered. In addition, such a container can be produced only with great effort and costly. A similar solution is disclosed in DE 26 36 310 A. Further known solutions for improving the transport system are shown in DE 25 41 375 A, US Pat. No. 3,115,982 A, DE 712 09 59 U and DE 37 02 792 A. All of these solutions are relatively expensive and have insufficient thermal insulation.

From WO 01/60735 A a transport container is known in which a flexible inner container is arranged in a rigid container.

Another problem with a transport of fluid media is that the transport containers must be cleaned after transport, as a rule. In particular, the cleaning is complicated if, following the transport of a first medium, a different medium must be transported in the same container and the purity requirements are high.

Object of the present invention is to avoid the above drawbacks and to provide a container that minimizes the overall cost of transport.

According to the invention it is provided that the inner container is designed for single use. The solution according to the invention makes it possible for the inner container to be easily exchanged, that is to say can be discarded after the transport has taken place. In the solution according to the invention, the possibility of cleaning the inner container must be disregarded, but it is important to form the insulating carefully to transfer as little mechanical stress on the inner container, so that this easily and inexpensively, recordable from single-layer PE , PP or PET.

A particularly favored embodiment of the present invention provides that the outer shell is substantially integrally formed as a closed container and that the insulating layer is supported flat on the outer shell. An essential aspect of the present invention is initially that a standard container can be used as the outer shell. Such containers are available in large numbers, mass-produced inexpensively and extremely robust to handle. Another essential aspect of the invention is that the insulating layer can be supported substantially over the entire surface of the outer shell, so that it is mechanically subjected only to a small pressure load. In this way it is possible to select an insulating material which has optimum insulation properties, since the mechanical properties are largely uncritical. In addition, the insulating layer is protected by the outer shell against mechanical damage, so that the containers are very durable. Depending on the given requirements can the container according to the invention a compromise between thermal insulation and volume of the inner container are received.

A particularly simple production and a high-quality insulating layer is achieved when the insulating layer is foamed substantially in situ. Only at the end faces of the inner container, it may be advantageous to keep the inner container freely accessible to make the appropriate maintenance can. In this context, it is particularly advantageous if the required fittings, such as shut-off valves, filling openings, manholes and the like are arranged in this area and thus freely accessible. In order to ensure the insulating effect, appropriate moldings of insulating material are provided to complete the insulating layer here. For inspections, the molding can be removed without significant effort and thus access to all relevant fittings and the like. Are made.

It is particularly favorable if the insulating layer consists of several molded parts, which are preferably connected to one another by plug-in connections. In this way it is possible to remove from the outer shell and the insulating layer, if the outer shell for another transport, for example for piece goods is needed. The connectors may be formed as stepped faces, tongue and groove joints or the like., The main requirement is to be able to conduct the insulating layer and remove and to ensure stability in itself, so that the inner container can be eingeaut and filled. In this way the greatest possible flexibility is achieved.

A particular advantage of the solution according to the invention is that even if the inner container is designed as a pressure vessel, it is not necessarily required that it has a circular cross-section. It is quite possible and useful to form the inner container rectangular in cross-section with rounded corners in order to avoid dead space and to increase the volume accordingly.

For longer transports and critical goods even a very good insulation may not be sufficient to meet the required temperature level. In order to avoid the use of cooling or heating units, it is possible to provide a heat transfer medium in the interior of the insulating layer, which is sufficient to comply with the temperature limits. In refrigerated transport, this heat transfer medium can be ice or dry ice. For transports where the goods must not fall below a certain minimum temperature, the heat For example, the carrier medium may be hot water or a chemical that has a phase transition in a suitable temperature range. For receiving the heat transfer medium, a recess may be provided in the insulating layer. It is particularly favorable, however, if the heat transfer medium is arranged in a further flexible container, which is arranged together with the inner container within the insulating layer.

Furthermore, a closable maintenance opening can be provided in the area of the doors. This makes it possible to provide access to the faucets without having to open the doors themselves. Under certain circumstances, the doors themselves can be permanently closed, for example welded, for the operation of the container, since the operationally required manipulations can be made via the service openings. If necessary, it is also possible to provide further maintenance openings in other places, such as the top of the container.

The inner container is preferably made of a composite film. The individual layers can include polyethylene, aluminum, a fabric layer and polyester to meet the requirements of mechanical strength, diffusion tightness and inert surface.

Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for transporting fluid media, in which a insulating layer is introduced into a rigid outer shell. According to the invention, this method is characterized in that a flexible inner container is introduced into the insulating layer which is filled with the fluid to be transported and that after the transport has taken place, the inner container is removed and discarded. Elaborate cleaning work can be omitted. Of course, it is possible to reactivate the inner container in order to facilitate the disposal problem.

As a rule, the inner container is flushed with carbon dioxide, then evacuated and sealed. As a result, if necessary, the filling medium can be introduced directly without having to provide an extraction of air.

It is particularly preferable if, after the transport has taken place, the insulating layer is removed and made available for another transport. Logically, this can for example be carried out so that the components of the insulating layer are stored at the destination destination until a further transport is to be carried out from this destination, while the outer shell is used in the meantime for other shipments of other goods. Alternatively, it is also possible, the individual moldings of the insulating layer of collect several containers and bring them in collected and compact form to the originating destination or another destination, from where again fluid media are to be transported. Again, the actual container can be used elsewhere in the meantime.

It is particularly advantageous if the inner container is made of a multilayer composite film. For example, a composite material made of aluminum and polyester has proven particularly useful because the aluminum layer forms a diffusion barrier and the polyester layer ensures structural integrity and weldability. For particularly critical applications, fabric reinforcement is advantageous.

In the following, the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the embodiment shown in FIGS. Show it :

1 shows a longitudinal section through a container according to the invention with a horizontal sectional plane.

Figure 2 is a section along line II-II in Fig. 1. and FIG. 3 shows a section along line III - III in FIG. 1.

The container according to the invention consists of an outer shell 1 and a flexible inner shell 2. In the interior of the outer shell 1 there is provided an insulating layer 3, which is made up of a plurality of rigid molded parts 3a. The individual molded parts 3 a are formed by bevels, grooves and springs at their edges so that they spread in the interior of the outer shell 1. The inner container 2 is made of a stable film of polyethylene or other suitable plastic and shown in Figures 1 and 2 in a partially filled state to better explain the function. A manhole is designated 4.

In recesses 9 at the bottom of the insulating layer 3, a heat transfer medium in further flexible containers 8 is arranged, which is in thermal contact with the medium which is accommodated in the flexible inner container 2. Both the inner container 2 and the insulating layer 3 can be removed via the door 6 of the container 1, which is a standard container for freight traffic.

The present invention makes it possible to avoid extensive cleaning of tanks largely and to achieve a significant weight savings.

Claims

1. A container for holding a fluid, comprising a rigid outer shell (1), an insulating layer (3) and at least one flexible, loosely in the insulating layer (3) arranged inner container (2), which is supported flat against the insulating layer (3), characterized in that the inner container (2) is designed for single use.

2. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that the insulating layer (3) on at least one end face of the inner container (2) consists of at least one rigid molded part (3a).

3. Container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the insulating layer (3) consists of rigid molded parts (3a), which are preferably interconnected by plug-and-socket connections.

4. A container according to claim 1 to 3, characterized in that the outer shell (1) is substantially integrally formed as a closed container and that the insulating layer (3) is supported flat on the outer shell (1).

5. Container according to claim 4, characterized in that the outer shell (1) is designed as a standard container.

6. Container according to claim 1 to 5, characterized in that the insulating layer (3) at least below, above and on the sides of the inner container (2) is integrally foamed.

7. Container according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that in the region of the insulating layer (3) has a recess (9) is provided for a heat transfer medium.

8. Container according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a further flexible container (8) is provided for a heat transfer medium, which is received together with the flexible inner container (2) in the insulating layer (3).

9. Container according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that in the region of the doors (6) a closable maintenance opening (10) is provided.

10. Container according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the flexible inner container (2) is made of a composite film.

11. A method for transporting fluid media, wherein in a rigid outer shell (1) an insulating layer (3) is introduced, characterized in that in the insulating layer (3) a flexible inner container (2) is introduced, which is to be transported Fluid is filled and that after the transport of the inner container (2) is removed and discarded.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that after the transport, the insulating layer (3) is removed and is provided for another transport.