JPH03211382A - Cooler box - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To efficiently activate the adsorbent by a method wherein an adsorbent container encloses fins, a heater and adsorbent, a cooling container contains fins, wicks and refrigerant, and they are connected together through a valve to maintain vacuum. CONSTITUTION:An adsorbent container 1 encloses fins 2, a heater 3 which contacts with the fins 2, and adsorbent 4. A cooling container 5 contains fins 6, wicks 7 and refrigerant liquid 7a and is enclosed in a heat-insulated container main body. The adsorbent container 1 is connected to the cooling container 5 through a valve 9 between them to maintain vacuum. The adsorbent 4 in the adsorbent container 1 has been reactivated previously and the valve 9 is closed. When the valve 9 is opened, the refrigerant liquid 7a which is enclosed in the cooling container 5 and impregnated in the wicks 7 is vaporized, passes through a connecting pipes 8 and 8a and the valve 9, and is adsorbed by the adsorbent 4 enclosed in the adsorbent container 1. Thereby, the adsorbent 4 can be effectively reactivated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a cooler box to which a chemical heat pump using an adsorbent is applied.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventionally, there is a technology that utilizes an adsorbent as a cold heat source in a relatively small-sized portable or portable cooler box that is widely used. This utilizes the strong adsorption power of the refrigerant liquid vapor of the adsorbent.The adsorbent and refrigerant liquid are stored in separate containers, and both containers are connected via a valve that can arbitrarily cut off and pass the refrigerant liquid vapor. The units are connected by communicating pipes and the system is evacuated. The container section containing the refrigerant liquid of this unit was placed inside the heat insulating container, and the container containing the adsorbent was placed outside the heat insulating container.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention In such a conventional cooler box, if the refrigerant liquid vapor adsorbs to a saturated state and loses its adsorption power, the reactivation process must be performed once from the arrangement of the insulated container. The unit that generates cold heat must be removed, and the container containing the adsorbent must be inserted into the heating furnace and heated. Such operations were not possible in ordinary households. Furthermore, since the adsorbent was simply housed in a container, heat transfer during reactivation was insufficient and cooling performance was poor.

Since the refrigerant liquid was stored simply by allowing the refrigerant liquid to flow in, unless the refrigerant liquid storage container was positioned horizontally, gaps in the refrigerant liquid would occur, impairing the cooling performance.

Further, when attaching the container to the heat insulating container, the attachment is fixed by a communicating pipe, so the locations where the container can be placed in the heat insulating container are limited.

Furthermore, during reactivation, the refrigerant liquid vapor that evaporates and separates from the adsorbent due to heating passes through the communication pipe and condenses in the container containing the refrigerant liquid, so the reactivation process takes a long time. Ta.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and a first object thereof is to provide a cooler box that can effectively perform reactivation treatment of adsorbent.

The second object is to provide a cooler box in which the degree of freedom in arranging each container in the heat-insulating container body is increased. No. 3
The purpose of this invention is to provide a cooler box that can effectively reactivate adsorbents in a short period of time.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the first object, the present invention includes an adsorbent storage container containing fins, a heater in contact with the fins, and an adsorbent, and a container containing the fins, a wick, and a refrigerant liquid. The cooler box is provided with a cooling container provided within a heat insulating container main body, and the adsorbent storage container and the cooling container are connected via a valve to maintain a vacuum.

In addition, in order to achieve the second object, a cooling container is provided inside the heat insulating container body, and the adsorbent storage container and the cooling container are connected to each other by a flexible connecting pipe to form a cooler box.

Further, in order to achieve the third object, a cooler box is provided in which a heat exchanger and a condensed refrigerant liquid storage container are disposed between an adsorbent storage container and a valve.

Function The cooler box of the present invention adsorbs refrigerant vapor to a saturated state through cooling operation, and when the adsorption capacity is exhausted, it is heated to desorb the refrigerant vapor (reactivation process). By distributing the heater inside the material storage container, it is possible to directly heat the adsorbent material that has good thermal conductivity.In this case, by housing the fins in the adsorbent storage container, the heat generated from the heater can be further reduced. The refrigerant liquid vapor can be effectively distributed over the entire area of the adsorbent, and the refrigerant liquid vapor can be completely and uniformly separated from the adsorbent.At the same time, in order to maintain the vacuum state inside the adsorbent container, fins are installed on the inner wall of the container. If the adsorbent is placed in close contact with the adsorbent, it can be expected to maintain the shape of the adsorbent container.On the other hand, during cooling operation, when the reactivated adsorbent adsorbs refrigerant liquid vapor, the adsorbent rapidly generates heat.This exothermic temperature is If the temperature increases, the cooling capacity will decrease, so the fins smoothly dissipate heat from the adsorbent and improve the cooling performance.On the other hand, the cooling container containing the fins and wick and containing the refrigerant liquid is heated inside the insulated container body. No matter where it is placed in the cooling vessel, the wick impregnates the refrigerant liquid, so there is no gap, and the wick has the added effect of expanding the evaporation area of the refrigerant liquid, allowing for effective cooling throughout the cooling container. At the same time, the housed fins can be expected to play a role in fixing the wick within the cooling container and also to prevent deformation of the cooling container when the cooling container is vacuumed.

In addition, by using a flexible connecting pipe to connect the adsorbent storage container and the cooling container, it is possible to place the cooling container at any position within the insulated container body depending on the purpose. It becomes possible to arrange the storage container in a position where there is no problem with heat dissipation during heating during reactivation and heat dissipation during cooling operation.

In addition, by arranging a heat exchanger and a condensed refrigerant storage container between the adsorbent storage container and the valve, the effects of heating during reactivation treatment do not reach into the insulated container body, making it possible to shorten the time. The reactivation process can be performed in time.

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In FIG. 1, 1 is an adsorbent container containing a plurality of fins 2, a heater 3 such as a sheathed heater, and an adsorbent 4 in contact therewith, and 5 is a fin 6, a wick 7, and a refrigerant liquid. a
(impregnated in the wick), 8
and 8a are connecting pipes connecting the adsorbent storage container 1 and the cooling container 5; 9 is a valve provided between the connecting pipes 8 and 83;
There is a vacuum inside the system. IO is a cover provided to cover the adsorbent container 1, 12 is a heat insulating container lid which can be opened and closed by a hinge or the like, and 14 is a heat insulating container main body having a space 13. The fins 2.6 are brought into close contact with the inner walls of the adsorbent container 1 and the cooling container 5, respectively, to maintain the shape of the containers.

The operation will be explained below. In FIG. 1, it is assumed that the reactivation process has been performed in advance and the valve 9 is closed. When the valve 9 is opened, the refrigerant liquid 7a impregnated in the wick 7 housed in the cooling container 5 is vaporized, passes through the connecting pipes 8 and 8a and the valve 9, and is stored in the adsorbent container 1. It is adsorbed by the absorbent material 4.

Therefore, the latent heat of vaporization is taken away from the refrigerant liquid 7a by its own evaporation, causing a sudden drop in temperature and freezing. Adsorbent material 4
generates heat as it sequentially adsorbs refrigerant liquid vapor, but the heat is effectively radiated to the outside of the adsorbent container 1 by the fins 2 inside the adsorbent container 1. The cooling container 5, which is a cooling source where such adsorption operation is continued, is connected to a heat insulating container main body 14 having a space 13.
Since the space 13 is attached to the lid 12, the space 13 can be kept cool for a long time.

FIG. 2 shows the change in temperature at the center of the space 13 due to such a cooling operation in comparison with a conventional product. As shown by curve A, the cooler box according to the embodiment of the present invention exhibits an excellent condition compared to curve B which shows the conventional product.

In addition, when the adsorbent material 4 exhausted its ability to adsorb refrigerant liquid vapor due to the cooling operation, the heater 3 was energized to generate heat, and the adsorbent material 4 was uniformly heated directly by the heater 3 or by the fins 2 to reactivate it. After that, the valve 9 is closed to prepare for the next cooling operation.

Further, since a vacuum state is maintained within the adsorbent storage container 1 and the cooling container 5, the role of maintaining the shape of the container 1.5 can be expected by bringing the fins 2.6 into close contact with the inner wall of the container. Further, the cooling container 5 containing the refrigerant liquid 7a is connected to the heat insulating container body 1.
No matter where the refrigerant liquid 7a is placed in the wick 7,
In addition, the wick 7 can increase the evaporation surface area of the refrigerant liquid 7a without creating gaps due to the liquid impregnation, so that the entire cooling container can be effectively cooled.

Next, another embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 31 indicates a plurality of fins 32 and a heater 33 such as a sheathed heater in contact with the fins 32.
and adsorbent 34, and 35 is a cooling container that contains fins 36, wicks 37, and refrigerant water 37a (impregnated in wick 37). The containers 31 and 35 described above are connected by a connecting pipe 45 consisting of a connecting pipe 38, a valve 39, a bellows, and the like. The adsorbent storage container 31 is covered with a cover 40 and attached to the side outer wall of the insulated container body 44, and the cooling container 35 is attached to the inner wall of the insulated container lid 42, which is provided on the insulated container body 44 with a hinge or the like so that it can be opened and closed freely. Reference numeral 46 indicates the joint between the heat-insulating container body 44 and the heat-insulating container lid 42.

The operation will be explained below. In FIG. 3, since the valve 39 and the cooler 35 are connected by a flexible connecting pipe 45, the heat-insulating container lid 42 can be easily repeatedly opened and closed by utilizing the flexible flexibility of the connecting pipe 45. I'll come. The cooling operation and cooling performance are similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and provide similar performance.

Next, still another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 61 is an adsorbent storage container 65 that accommodates a plurality of fins 62, a heater 63 such as a sheathed heater in contact with the fins 62, and an adsorbent 64;
is a cooling container that accommodates fins 66, a wick 67, and a refrigerant liquid 67a (the wick 67 is impregnated). A connecting pipe 68a and a valve 69 are connected between the containers 61 and 65.
and a condensed refrigerant liquid storage container 80 and a heat exchanger 81. The adsorbent container 61 is covered with a cover 70 and attached to the outer wall of a heat insulating container body 75 having a space 73, and the cooling container 65 is attached to a side wall inside the heat insulating container body 75.

The operation will be explained below. In FIG. 4, it is assumed that the reactivation process has been performed in advance and the valve 69 is closed. In the figure, when the valve 69 is opened, the refrigerant liquid 67a impregnated in the wick 67 housed in the cooling container 65 is vaporized, and the communication pipe 68a is connected to the valve 69, the condensed refrigerant liquid retainer 80, and the heat exchanger 81. It passes through the pipe 68 and is adsorbed by the adsorbent 64 housed in the adsorbent container 61 . Therefore, the latent heat of vaporization is taken away from the refrigerant liquid 67a by its own evaporation, causing a sudden drop in temperature and freezing. In order to sequentially adsorb refrigerant liquid vapor, the adsorbent 64
generates heat, which is effectively radiated to the outside of the adsorbent container 61 by the fins 62 inside the adsorbent container 61. Since the cooling container 65 in which such suction operation continues is attached to the inner wall lid of the heat insulating container main body 75 having the space 73, the space 73 can be kept cool for a long time.

In addition, the adsorbent 64 whose ability to adsorb refrigerant liquid vapor has run out due to the cooling operation is reactivated by the valve 69.
is closed and the heater 63 is energized to generate heat, which is heated by the fins 62. The refrigerant water vapor desorbed by this heating is cooled and condensed by the heat exchanger 81, and the condensed refrigerant liquid storage device 8
0 until reactivation is completed. When the reactivation process is completed, the valve 69 is opened to allow the refrigerant liquid to flow into the cooling container 65, and the valve 69 is closed to prepare for the next cooling operation. According to such an operation, the temperature of the space 73 of the heat insulating container main body 75 hardly ever increases, and there is no problem in continuously holding the refrigerated object.

FIG. 5 shows the change in temperature at the center of the space 73 due to such a cooling operation in comparison with a conventional product. In FIG. 5, as shown by curve C, the cooler box according to the embodiment of the present invention exhibits an excellent condition compared to the curve of the conventional product.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

Furthermore, various types of zeolite, silica gel, silica alumina gel, activated alumina, etc. can be used as the adsorbent in each embodiment. As the refrigerant liquid, organic solvents, fluorocarbons, and ammonia can be used outside the waterside.

Effects of the Invention As explained above, the cooler box of the present invention connects the adsorbent container containing the fins, the heater, and the adsorbent, and the cooling container containing the fins, wick, and refrigerant through a valve. By maintaining a vacuum, reactivation processing can be carried out with the cooling container attached to the insulated container body, and reactivation is performed efficiently, maximizing the original ability of the adsorbent. It makes it possible to use it.

Furthermore, by using a flexible connecting pipe to connect the containers, the containers can be placed anywhere on the heat-insulating container body depending on the purpose of use.

Furthermore, since the effects of heating during reactivation treatment do not affect the inside of the insulated container, reactivation treatment can be performed in a short time.
Continuous cold storage can be achieved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a cooler box showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a characteristic diagram showing a comparison of cooling performance between the cooler box shown in Fig. 1 and a conventional product, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a cooler box showing an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a partial sectional view of a cooler box based on still another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a cooler box shown in FIG. 4 and a conventional product. FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram showing a comparison of the cooling performance of ■, 31.61...Adsorbent storage container, 2.32.62
... Fin, 3.33.63 ... Heater, 4.34
．． 64... Adsorbent, 5.35.65... Cooling container,
6.36.66... Fin, 7.37.67... Wick, 7a, 37a, 67a... Refrigerant liquid, 8.8a
, 38.45.68.68a...connecting pipe, 9.39.
69...Valve, 12.42...Insulating container lid, 44
．． 75... Insulated container body, 80... Refrigerant liquid storage container, 81... Heat exchanger.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) An adsorbent container containing fins, a heater in contact with the fins, and an adsorbent, and a cooling container containing the fins, wicks, and refrigerant liquid and provided inside the insulated container body, A cooler box that is connected to a cooling container via a valve to maintain a vacuum. (2) The cooler box according to claim 1, wherein the cooling container is provided within the heat insulating container body, and the adsorbent storage container and the cooling container are connected by a flexible connecting pipe. (3) The cooler box according to claim 1, further comprising a heat exchanger and a condensed refrigerant liquid storage container disposed between the adsorbent storage container and the valve.