U.S. patent application number 16/784956 was filed with the patent office on 2020-07-16 for shipping unit.
The applicant listed for this patent is William G. Hancock Moon. Invention is credited to Steven V. Boyce, William J. Hancock, William G. Moon, Steven J. Parkinson.
Application Number | 20200224932 16/784956 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 59562034 |
Filed Date | 2020-07-16 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200224932 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Moon; William G. ; et
al. |
July 16, 2020 |
SHIPPING UNIT
Abstract
A shipping vessel includes a cryogenic tank secured to the
shipping foundation; a payload bay to receive products therein; a
tube connected to the cryogenic tank and thermally coupled to the
payload bay; a housing secured to the shipping foundation, said
housing covering the tube and the payload bay to thermally seal the
payload bay from outside environment; a controller mounted on the
housing and having a sensor to determine temperature in a
closed-loop and maintaining a set point within a predetermined
range; and an energy storage device coupled to the controller and
electronics to provide power for a predetermined shipping
period.
Inventors: |
Moon; William G.; (Provo,
UT) ; Hancock; William J.; (Bellevue, WA) ;
Boyce; Steven V.; (Spanish Fork, UT) ; Parkinson;
Steven J.; (Clinton, UT) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Moon; William G.
Hancock; William J.
Boyce; Steven V.
Parkinson; Steven J. |
Provo
Bellevue
Spanish Fork
Clinton |
UT
WA
UT
UT |
US
US
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
59562034 |
Appl. No.: |
16/784956 |
Filed: |
February 7, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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15296012 |
Oct 17, 2016 |
10598410 |
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16784956 |
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12464701 |
May 12, 2009 |
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15296012 |
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12574670 |
Oct 6, 2009 |
8448454 |
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12464701 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 2700/12 20130101;
F25D 29/001 20130101; F16K 49/00 20130101; F25D 29/003 20130101;
F25D 2400/361 20130101; F25D 3/105 20130101; F25D 29/006 20130101;
F25B 19/005 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F25B 19/00 20060101
F25B019/00; F25D 29/00 20060101 F25D029/00; F16K 49/00 20060101
F16K049/00; F25D 3/10 20060101 F25D003/10 |
Claims
1. A shipping vessel, comprising: a shipping foundation; a payload
bay to receive products therein; a tube coupled to the payload bay
to receive heat from the payload bay; a housing secured to the
shipping foundation, said housing covering the tube and the payload
bay to thermally seal the payload bay from the outside environment;
a cryogenic temperature control valve placed in a gas exhaust path
and controlled by the controller and where temperature control is
achieved through PID control; a door with a pneumatic latch to
access the payload bay and a pneumatic rubber seal coupled to the
door, wherein the pneumatic rubber seal is powered by the pressure
derived from exhaust gas; and an energy storage device coupled to
the controller to provide power for a predetermined shipping
period, wherein the shipping foundation, cryogenic tank and payload
bay is moved as a unit during transportation while maintaining the
set point.
2. The vessel of claim 1, wherein the shipping foundation comprises
a pallet with openings to receive forklift arms.
3. The vessel of claim 1, comprising an exhaust gas hose for
porting cryogen gas outside a semi-trailer, a ship's cargo hold, or
an airplane.
4. The vessel of claim 1, comprising means for preventing cryogen
gas from contacting a customer's product.
5. The vessel of claim 1, comprising an oxygen sensor and an alarm
to monitor oxygen concentration.
6. The vessel of claim 1, wherein the tube is protected from high
pressure with a safety valve.
7. The vessel of claim 1, comprising a door with a pneumatic latch
to access the payload bay and a pneumatic rubber seal coupled to
the door, wherein the pneumatic rubber seal is powered by the
pressure derived from a Nitrogen exhaust gas.
8. The vessel of claim 1, wherein the cryogenic tank and payload
bay generates a net thermal effect of reducing an outside
temperature of the outside environment.
9. a controller mounted on the housing and having a sensor to
determine temperature in a closed control-loop using a
proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller to control
temperature and maintaining a set point within a predetermined
range.
10. The vessel of claim 1, comprising a cryogenic tank secured to
the shipping foundation.
11. The vessel of claim 1, comprising a valve coupled to the
tube.
12. The vessel of claim 1, comprising a rubber pneumatic seal
placed between a freezer door and the payload bay.
13. The vessel of claim 1, comprising a mechanical valve located in
parallel with a valve to manually regulate the freezer
temperature.
14. The vessel of claim 1, comprising a safety valve coupled to the
cryogenic tank.
15. The vessel of claim 1, comprising heating fins coupled to a
valve and to keep the temperature of the valve warmer during
pressure relief.
16. The vessel of claim 1, comprising pneumatic latch and pneumatic
rubber seal powered by the pressure derived from an exhaust
gas.
17. The vessel of claim 1, comprising an interactive Human Machine
Interface (HMI) coupled to the controller.
18. The vessel of claim 1, comprising a data logging unit and a
global positioning system to capture real time data including
temperature and position during a shipment.
19. The vessel of claim 1, comprising a transceiver to communicate
data over the Internet.
20. A shipping containment vessel, comprising: a payload bay; a
tubing coupled to the payload bay for cooling when liquid nitrogen
coolant flows therethrough; a thermal box housing the payload bay
and the tubing to thermally seal the payload bay from outside
environment; an electronic controller that maintains a set point
for the payload bay; a cryogenic temperature control valve in a gas
exhaust path and controlled by the controller; and a shipping
pallet coupled to the cryogenic tank, the thermal box, and the
controller, wherein the pallet, cryogenic tank and payload bay is
moved as a unit during transportation while maintaining the set
point.
Description
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to low and extremely low
temperature shipping containers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Currently there are shipping freezers on the market that
keep the customer's products at a low temperature. However, these
prior art shipping freezers have severe limitations, such as lack
of temperature control, the need for continual external power,
flammable fuels, limited shipping durations, etc.
[0003] One prior art method of cooling is through the use of blocks
of solid Carbon Dioxide, which sublimates at -78 deg. C. Another
method of cooling is by pouring liquid Nitrogen, which liquefies at
-196 deg C., into the payload bay and surrounding the customer's
product.
[0004] In both cases, there is the drawback that the customer's
product will be cooled to near the temperature of the energy
source: -78 deg. C. for Carbon Dioxide, and -196 deg. C. for liquid
Nitrogen. Those temperatures are not controllable and may be
detrimental to the product.
[0005] Yet another method of cooling is with a mechanical means
that requires large amounts of electricity to power the
compressors. These units usually require an outside power source
during shipping. Many times this power is not available or is of
limited amounts. Further, some mechanical freezers have a large
Diesel generator. Drawbacks of conventional solutions may include
one or more of the following: 1. Large volume of Diesel fuel
required. 2. Danger of a toxic and flammable fuel. 3. Danger of
harmful emissions from the exhaust gas. 4. Reliability concerns of
continual operation of the Diesel engine and the plurality of
wearing parts.
SUMMARY
[0006] In one aspect, a shipping vessel includes a cryogenic tank
secured to the shipping foundation; a payload bay to receive
products therein; a tube connected to the cryogenic tank and
thermally coupled to the payload bay; a housing secured to the
shipping foundation, said housing covering the tube and the payload
bay to thermally seal the payload bay from outside environment; a
controller mounted on the housing and having a sensor to determine
temperature in a closed-loop and maintaining a setpoint within a
predetermined range; and an energy storage device coupled to the
controller and electronics to provide power for a predetermined
shipping period.
[0007] In another aspect, a shipping containment vessel includes a
payload bay; a tubing coupled to the payload bay for cooling when
liquid nitrogen coolant flows therethrough; a thermal box housing
the payload bay and the tubing to thermally seal the payload bay
from outside environment; a cryogenic tank for storing liquid
nitrogen coolant; an electronic controller that maintains a
setpoint for the payload bay; and a shipping pallet coupled to the
cryogenic tank, the thermal box, and the controller.
[0008] Advantages of the system may include one or more of the
following. The solution has many advantages compared to state of
the art freezers. The system provides a relatively large payload
bay. The system provides controllable temperature that can be set
to a wide range of between 20 deg C. and -150 deg C. The system
provides an onboard power source that operates independently of any
external power for the entire shipment. The system supports a
shipping duration of 10+ days. Non-combustible fuel is used,
improving safety. Further, the preferred embodiment has the
potential of being much more reliable than current mechanical
shipping units. The system has high mean time between failure
(MTBF) rating and has a high reliability since the number of parts
that have mechanical wear is orders of magnitude less than with a
mechanical freezer. The only parts that wear in the preferred
embodiment cooling system are limited to a cryogenic valve plunger
and the fan shafts. In contrast, a mechanical freezer has a
multiplicity of moving parts that continually wear, associated with
the diesel generator and the compressor. Examples are a plurality
of pistons, bearing surfaces, crankshafts, camshafts, intake and
exhaust valves, fuel injectors, belts, and gears to name a few
components that wear. Additionally, the system provides low and
extremely low temperature shipping containers that operate
independently from external power sources for as long as 10+
days.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is an exemplary 3D view of the shipping unit.
[0010] FIG. 2 is an exemplary top view of the shipping unit.
[0011] FIG. 3 is an exemplary cross section of the top view of the
freezer.
[0012] FIG. 4 is an exemplary illustration of safety valve heating
fins.
[0013] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary control electronics for the
shipping unit.
[0014] FIG. 6 shows a diagram of redundancy operations in the
shipping unit.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] A detailed description of the preferred embodiment is
provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present
invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific
details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but
rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for
teaching one skilled in the art how to employ the present invention
in virtually any appropriately detailed system.
[0016] In general, a portable freezer system is disclosed for
transporting products, without the need of external power, with
shipping times between a few hours and 10+ days, and will reliably
maintain an operator defined set point as low as -150 deg. C. The
freezer is comprised of a large payload bay, approximately 33.5
cubic feet, a large liquid nitrogen tank for supplying cooling
means to the payload bay, an evaporator that encompasses the
payload bay and substantially generates cooling, electronics for
providing temperature control, rechargeable batteries to provide
electrical power to the electronics for the duration of shipping,
and a pallet structure capable of supporting all components of the
freezer and also providing easy means for movement by standard fork
lift methods.
[0017] Now referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, this invention is a
freezer system comprised of a substantially large cryogenic tank 2,
known as a Dewar tank, capable of holding at least 850 liters of
liquid Nitrogen in the preferred embodiment, with a daily loss of
less than 2% of the fluid in the tank. A vacuum type hose 5
connects the Dewar tank 2 to the freezer housing 1. The hose is
connected to 150 feet of copper tubing 18 that surrounds the
outside of the payload bay 12 in the preferred embodiment. The
copper tube then exits the freezer compartment, where a cryogenic
electromagnetic valve 6 controls the coolant flow. A 50 foot hose
11 completes the coolant path.
[0018] A plurality of deep cycle batteries 9 power the electronics.
Between shipments the batteries are recharged at a 120 VAC power
outlet.
[0019] During operation, the liquid Nitrogen is under natural
pressure due to the characteristics of the Nitrogen. A safety
valve, set at 22 psi in the preferred embodiment, maintains the
Nitrogen in the tank to that pressure.
[0020] A common problem with a safety valve 20 is the extremely
cold temperature of the liquid Nitrogen flowing through the valve
can, on occasion, cause the valve to stick open. When the valve is
stuck open, Nitrogen continues to flow, even after the pressure has
dropped to a safe pressure, and the flow of cryogenic fluid should
have stopped. The ongoing flow of liquid Nitrogen further drops the
valve temperature and substantially increases the potential for a
runaway condition that keeps the valves open continuously and
needlessly from a safety standpoint, and subsequently wastes large
amounts of Nitrogen.
[0021] To reduce this problem, heating fins 22 are added to the
newly designed safety valve 21. These fins keep the temperature of
the valve warmer, during pressure relief, thus reducing the problem
of the safety valve sticking.
[0022] When the controller calls for cooling, the cryogenic valve
opens, thus causing liquid Nitrogen to exit the tank 2, pass
through the hose 5 connecting the Dewar to the freezer, flow
through the 150 feet of copper tubing 18 and substantially cool the
payload bay 12 and all the contents of the compartment. A separate
compartment 13, located between the copper tubing and the outside
environment, of between 2 and 4 inches thick contains a plurality
of insulation materials 17 that substantially reduces the heat loss
of the payload bay. A thermocouple inside the payload bay 12,
measures the temperature at all times and sends a signal to the
controller, where the temperature is carefully monitored and
controlled. The payload bay 12 may be set to any temperature
between 20 deg. C. and -150 deg. C. When the setpoint has been
reached, the controller will stop the flow of liquid Nitrogen
through the copper tubing 18 by turning the cryogenic
electromagnetic valve off 6. The cryogenic valve 6 controls the
Nitrogen flow in a location that is considered unique by those who
are familiar with the state of the art. Typically, the control
valve is located in the coolant path between the tank 2 and the
freezer 1. The valve 6 is located at the exhaust port of the
freezer, which provides equivalent control, but provides a
substantially warmer environment for the valve, thus increasing the
reliability and life of the valve.
[0023] The controller 10 then monitors the payload bay 12
temperature via the thermocouple and will use algorithms familiar
to those skilled in the art of feedback control systems, such as
PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) control, to maintain the
setpoint within a reasonable limit, such as +/-3C in the preferred
embodiment.
[0024] The electronics for the controller 10 uses minimal power.
Deep cycle batteries 9 maintain power during the shipment of
product to its destination. After arrival, the shipping unit is
plugged into a 120 volt AC source to recharge the batteries.
[0025] A concern that the exhausting Nitrogen gas may possibly
deplete levels of Oxygen for the personnel near the shipper is
alleviated by routing the Nitrogen gas through a hose 11, to the
outside of the shipping vessel. Should there be a malfunction in
porting the hose properly to the outside, an Oxygen Sensor attached
to the shipping unit will immediately sound, alerting anyone nearby
of the unsafe condition.
[0026] Typically, the losses through the payload bay door and
gasket comprise a majority of the cooling losses. As a means to
reduce the cooling losses, a rubber pneumatic seal 19 is placed
between the door 15 and the payload bay 12. The seal is inflated
from the Nitrogen gas that is readily available at all times, since
it is a byproduct of the cooling process. A further reduction in
cooling losses is accomplished with an additional impediment to the
heat flow by adding a second door 14 interior to the main door
15.
[0027] To provide ease of transporting the shipping containment
vessel between shipping docks and various modes of transportation,
a pallet 3 supports all components of the vessel. The pallet
support structure is designed in a manner that provides convenient
access 8 for the forks of a forklift.
[0028] The entire shipping containment vessel may be subjected to
large shocks and vibrations during shipment. Ground transportation,
usually provided by semi-trailers, is particularly damaging near
the front of the semi-trailer on rough roads. Frequencies between 2
hz and 25 hz, with accelerations between 0.5 and 1.6 g's are
transmitted to loads, which can cause vessel damage. However, the
tank and freezer are protected from theses shocks and vibrations by
isolation dampers 4, which attenuate the shocks and vibrations.
Further, the controller 10 has additional isolation dampers to
protect the electronics.
[0029] As shown in FIG. 4, safety valves 20 are used to prevent
excessive pressures in the system. Said valves are generally used
in the industry for this type of application. However, a common
problem with the safety valve is that the extremely cold
temperature of the liquid Nitrogen flowing through the valve can
cause the valve to stick and remain open, when it should have
closed. Further, this flow causes the valve temperature to plummet,
which substantially increases the potential for a runaway
condition, keeping the valve open continuously and needlessly,
wasting large amounts of Nitrogen. This failure is known in the
industry as "sticky valve".
[0030] To reduce this problem, heating fins 22 are added to the
newly designed safety valve 21 in the preferred embodiment. These
fins 22 keep the temperature of the valve warmer during pressure
relief, thus significantly reducing the sticky valve problem.
[0031] In one embodiment, a shipping containment vessel includes a
payload bay with a length of copper tubing immediately outside the
payload bay, which provides cooling when the Nitrogen is flowing
through the copper tubing. A thermal box is placed immediately
outside the copper tubing, which effectively thermally seals the
payload bay from the outside environment, significantly reducing
cooling losses. A cryogenic tank is used for storing liquid
nitrogen coolant. An electronic controller maintains a set point
for the payload bay, determined by the operator, prior to shipment.
A shipping pallet of sufficient size is used to support the
cryogenic tank, the freezer, the electronics and all remaining
system components independently and autonomously. A pneumatic latch
prevents accidental opening of the payload bay compartment door. A
pneumatic rubber seal provides an airtight seal for the payload
bay. The electronics and mechanics that controls product shipping
compartment temperatures consistently within a specified range of
the set point throughout the shipment duration. Reliability is
increased through a redundant cryogenic valve 25 in parallel with
main cryogenic valve 6 and a separate controller and temperature
sensor. A mechanical valve 24 is used in parallel as a third
redundancy.
[0032] The cryogenic liquid, Nitrogen, does not come in contact
with the customer's product or any item in the product storage
compartment, but rather has an exhaust with ports 11 outside the
payload bay and eliminates the "direct inject" problems. The
Nitrogen exhaust gas is routed through a hose that may be ported
outside a Semi-trailer, a ship's cargo hold or an airplane. An
Oxygen sensor with an alarm can be attached to the assembly,
reducing the concern for Oxygen concentration levels below 17%,
that might possibly occur in a failure.
[0033] The shipping pallet is designed with the appropriate holes
to accommodate a fork lift. The copper tubing is protected from
extreme pressures with a safety valve. The safety valve has a
mechanism to prevent a failure known in the industry as a "sticky
valve", through the attachment of heat exchanger fins to the
outside diameter of the safety valve.
[0034] A pneumatic latch 23 and pneumatic rubber seal 19 are
powered by the pressure derived from the Nitrogen exhaust gas
26.
[0035] The Nitrogen tank is of sufficient size to provide the
payload bay cooling to a specified set point for the shipping
duration of 10+ days. The assembly requires no external power of
any kind for the duration of the shipping interval. The assembly
has a net thermal effect of reducing the temperature of the
surrounding environment, rather than increasing the temperature,
which occurs with prior art mechanical shipping units.
[0036] The electronics includes an interactive Human Machine
Interface or HMI. The HMI has a touch screen display. The
electronics also includes a data logging system with real time
data, plotted on the display and recording temperature and time
throughout the shipment. The electronics also includes the
capability of transmitting data logging information. The
electronics includes a GPS system for tracking location remotely
during shipment.
[0037] The product shipping compartment temperature control is
provided by a cryogenic valve that is precisely controlled by the
electronics. Further, the temperature control is achieved through
the use of PID or another algorithm known to those skilled in the
art.
[0038] The entire product is self contained on a pallet and totally
energy independent for the duration of shipping.
[0039] The cryogenic temperature control valve is placed in the
exhaust path of the Nitrogen gas. The location provides a warmer
temperature location and promotes longer valve operating life than
the standard location that is on the substantially colder incoming
side of the freezer.
[0040] The entire Nitrogen flow is a closed system and the liquid
Nitrogen and the Nitrogen gas never comes in direct contact with
the customer's product or the person using it. The system is
emission free and contains no polluting refrigerants such as CFCs
or HCFCs. The entire cooling system is highly reliable due to
almost no moving parts. Preferred embodiment has no engine and no
refrigeration compressor, thus alleviating the customer from the
wear problems associated with the multiplicity of moving parts in
current shipping unit designs.
[0041] The shipping pallet supports the cryogenic tank, the
freezer, the electronics and all remaining system components
independently and autonomously. Mission critical payloads may be
protected with an option of an entirely redundant valve,
thermostat, and thermal sensor. The operation of the freezer system
has the advantage of cooling rather than heating the local
environment or shipping container.
[0042] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary Shipper with a controller 100 and
a battery unit 110 for the shipper unit 1. The control electronics
includes an interactive Human Machine Interface or HMI 102. The HMI
has a touch screen display. Said electronics also includes a data
logging unit 104 with real time data, plotted on the display and
recording temperature vs time. The electronics also includes the
capability to transmit data logging information. The payload bay
temperature control is provided by a cryogenic valve that is
precisely controlled by the electronics. Further, said temperature
control is achieved through the use of PID or another algorithm
known to those skilled in the art. Deep cycle batteries 110
maintain power during the shipment of product to its destination.
Additional customer product thermal safety is provided by an
emergency mechanical valve that regulates shipper temperature. A
pneumatic latch and pneumatic rubber seal can be used and can be
powered by the pressure derived from the Nitrogen exhaust gas. The
safety valves have a mechanism to prevent a failure known in the
industry as a "sticky valve", through the attachment of heat
exchanger fins to the outside diameter of said safety valve. The
assembly has a net thermal effect of reducing the temperature of
the surrounding environment, rather than increasing the
temperature, which occurs with prior art mechanical freezers. The
cryogenic temperature control valve is placed in the exhaust path
of the Nitrogen gas. Said location provides a warmer temperature
location and promotes longer valve operating life than the standard
location that is on the substantially colder incoming side of the
freezer. The system is emission free and contains no polluting
refrigerants such as CFCs or HCFCs. The entire cooling system is
highly reliable due to almost no moving parts. The entire Nitrogen
flow is a closed system and the liquid Nitrogen and the Nitrogen
gas never come in direct contact with the customer's product or the
employees.
[0043] Although the invention has been described in detail in the
foregoing for the purpose of illustration, it is to be understood
that such detail is solely for that purpose and that variations can
be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from
the spirit and scope of the invention except as it may be limited
by the claims.
* * * * *