WO1999020124A2

WO1999020124A2 - Method and apparatus for shipping super frozen materials

Info

Publication number: WO1999020124A2
Application number: PCT/US1998/022036
Authority: WO
Inventors: B. Eric Graham
Original assignee: Coldwave Systems LLC
Current assignee: Coldwave Systems LLC
Priority date: 1997-10-20
Filing date: 1998-10-16
Publication date: 1999-04-29
Anticipated expiration: 2000-04-20
Also published as: JP2001520151A; EP1034396A4; NZ504033A; HRP20000235A2; CN1297519A; CA2305659A1; HRP20000235B1; DE69841901D1; CN1089152C; DK1034396T3; KR100623785B1; NO20002072D0; NO20002072L; EP1034396A2; KR20010024535A; BR9812972B1; NO332340B1; US6003322A; BR9812972A; EP1034396B1

Abstract

A system for freezing products or materials to a super-frozen state, storing them until shipment and shipping them in a super-frozen state. The apparatus consists of two self-contained, super-insulated (2) containers. The first apparatus has at least two compartments, one for freezing and one for storage. The product or material to be frozen is placed in the freezing compartment and frozen to a super-frozen state and then transferred to the storage compartment where it is stored until shipment. The second apparatus is a self contained super-insulated (2) shipping container. When shipment is to be effected, product or material is transferred from a storage compartment of the first apparatus in a super-frozen state to the second or shipping apparatus. The doors (5) of the shipping apparatus are closed and the self-contained, super-insulated (2) apparatus containing super-frozen product or material is shipped to a remote venue.

Description

Method and Apparatus for Shipping Super Frozen Materials

Background

Field of Invention

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for shipping, storing and freezing

super frozen perishable materials in a self-contained shipping container which

maintains the perishable material below -50° C and which is super insulated and

has its own cryogenic-based refrigeration system.

Prior Art

Freezing and Storage

Super containers can be used also as a method for freezing and storing super

frozen products. By using the containers for the three areas- freezing, storing and

shipping- there is a substantial cost savings over the current methods for all three

areas. For freezing there are presently other cryogenic systems available, but they

are difficult to ship and they are very expensive. Furthermore, they must be housed

inside a building which can greatly increase the cost. The existing method is

suitable for freezing but provides no place to store the products after freezing. Thus, a large storage freezer must be built which again is associated with a

substantial cost. Once built the separate freezing and storage systems are

inflexible. In other words it cannot easily be picked up and moved to another part

of the world. If the nature of the business changes, a large super freezer facility

can become un-usable in that location and therefore of no value. The system of the

present invention will retain it's value in that it can be easily shipped to another

location and/or sold.

A variety of shipping, storing and freezing devices using CO₂ and N₂ have been

used for perishable products. However these devices are designed to maintain

product at about -20° C and are unable to maintain super frozen product at

temperatures in the range of -50 to -60° C. These devices include Carbon Dioxide

Refrigeration Systems (US Patent 3,695,056: Glynn; EP and Hsu; HL),

Refrigeration system with carbon dioxide injector (US Patent 4,399,658:

Nielsen;DM), Container CO₂ cooling system (US Patent 4,502,293: Franklin

Jr.;PR), Liquid nitrogen freezer (US Patent 4,580,411 : Orfitelli; JS), Portable self-

contained cooler/freezer apparatus for use on common carrier type unrefrigerated

truck lines and the like (US Patent 4,825,666: Saia, III; LP), Refrigerated container

(US Patent 4,891 ,954: Thomsen; VE), Portable self-contained cooler/freezer

apparatus for use on common carrier type unrefrigerated truck lines and the like (US Patent 4,991 ,402: Saia, III; LP), Portable self-contained cooler/freezer

apparatus for use on airplanes, common carrier type unrefrigerated truck lines and

the like ( US Patent 5,125,237: Saia, III; LP), Self-contained cooler/freezer

apparatus (US Patent 5,262,670: Bartilucci; A), Portable self-contained

cooler/freezer apparatus with nitrogen environment container (US Patent 5,598,713:

Bartilucci; AR).

All of the above apparatus are characterized by the ability to cool or freeze

perishable material down to about the temperature of approximately -20° C. This

is adequate and even desirable for some applications. However, for materials that

require super freezing at temperatures of approximately -60° C such apparatus are

unable to fulfill the requirements. In addition, all of the above apparatus are

characterized by a division into two compartments. The first of these compartments

contains the perishable material, the second of these compartments contains the

cooling agent (CO₂ or N₂). Cooling is accomplished by the cooling agent moving

from the second to the first compartment via a venting system.

Shipping

Perishable products which require super frozen conditions for preservation

previously have been shipped in special ships, known as super carrier vessels. These super carrier vessels have bulk storage freezers which allow product to be

held at a constant temperature of -60° C. In order to utilize this method of shipping

in a super carrier vessel a minimum of 100 metric tons of product must be shipped.

For many perishable products this is impractical. For smaller shippers it is also

impractical. For many products which are in demand the time required for shipment

on a super carrier vessel, often several months, further makes such a shipping

method impractical.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 shows a roof section of a container with additional insulation, a vent door and

a CO₂ distribution system.

Fig. 2 shows the wall section of a standard ISO shipping container with standard

insulation value, and the additional insulation which, when added, will create the

super insulated container's insulative value. Standard r-value of a shipping

container is in the range of 15 to 20. The super container shown in this figure has

r-values of 30 or more. Fig. 3 shows a section of a super freezer/storage container with super insulated

walls, a freezer section and a storage section, a cryogenic liquid supply tank,

thermostatic valves for the temperature controlled flow of the cryogenic liquid, an

electric control panel to turn the system on and off and set the desired interior air

temperature, fans 25 for increased heat transfer during the freezing process and

temperature probes to read the air temperature inside the two sections.

Preferred Embodiment

Description

Herein we describe a specific embodiment which is the preferred embodiment.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms,

this specific and preferred embodiment is shown by way of the drawings and the

detailed description herein described. It should be understood, however, that there

is no intent to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary,

the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within

the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Referring to Figure 1 , the invention is constructed beginning with a commercially

available insulated ISO shipping container built with or designed to support a

mechanical refrigeration unit. The refrigeration unit was removed from the nose 1.

The nose 1 was closed and insulated with 8" to 10" of polyurethane insulation foam

2. Four inches of polyurethane foam insulation was added to the bottom side 3 of

the container, between and around the cross members, the walls and ceiling 4 on

the inside of the container and the doors 5 of the container. Additional closure

gaskets were added around the seal of the doors 6 after the insulation was added

to insure a proper seal. A hinged vent door 7 which automatically opens when the

pressure inside the container increases. The vent door 7 releases the pressure as

the cryogenic liquid is added and as the cryogenic liquid sublimates. This was

installed in the nose 1 of the container about one inch down from the top of the

container box. A cryogenic liquid spray header was installed. The spray head is

known as a Transnow CO₂ sprayhead 8 and is the subject of US Patent 4,640,460.

The sprayhead was installed in the roof of the super insulated container and

connected to a valve 9 on the outside of the container where the liquid CO₂ line 10

is connected. The said Transnow CO₂ spray head has properties and advantages

such that it provides the greatest ration of liquid CO₂ to solid CQ, product, thus

operating at highest available efficiency and reducing the refrigeration cost. It

should be understood that there is no intention to limit the scope of the invention to use with a Transnow CO₂ spray head, any cryogenic liquid distribution system

or solid dry ice could be used as well.

A key feature of the invention is increasing the r-value of the container walls.

Figure 2 is a cross section of the container wall showing the additional insulation

11.

Figure three shows a cross-section and key features of the freezing and storage

container. This container is a standard ISO insulated container to which has been

added a vent door 12, at least one interior wall 13 and connecting door 14 and foam

insulation 15 is added to all walls and doors such to form super-insulated walls and

doors increasing the r-value. A cryogenic temperature control system is added

consisting of refrigerant piping 16, temperature probes 17, thermostatic valves 18,

an electric control panel 19, and cryogenic storage facility 20.

Operation

The product or material to be frozen is loaded into a freezing section of the freezing

and storage super-insulated container which has been pre-cooled to -60° C. It is allowed to cool to ambient temperature and is thus transformed into the super-

frozen state. The super-frozen product or material is then transferred to a storage

section of the container to await transfer.

The product or material to be shipped is pre-frozen in the super-frozen state is

transferred from the storage container and loaded into the super insulated container

which has been pre-cooled to -60° C. The loading proceeds in the same manner

in that they are loaded into a standard shipping container. In most cases the

products are bulk loaded by hand, one on top of the other. The amount of product

that should be loaded is also a factor of how long the shipping time will be and the

amount of CO₂ solid is needed. However, once the pre-frozen product or material

has been loaded into the suer insulated container, this super insulated container

provides an atmosphere in which the CO₂ is distributed and surrounds the frozen

products inside the super insulated container. As the CO₂ is being distributed a

large amount of pressure is being blown into the container box. The effect is

something like a blizzard with very high winds. Thus the CO₂ snow will fill air

pockets and crevices, although the majority of the snow will be piled on top of the

products. Once the product is loaded into the super insulated container and

injected with the CO₂, the super insulated container will be handled the same way all other dry cargo shipping containers are handled. This is in distinction to frozen

shipping containers which require monitoring and electrical power hookups. Before

injecting the CO₂, a calculation is performed to determine the amount of CO₂ that

will be required to maintain the super frozen state of the product or material until it

arrives at its destination or until additional CO₂ can be added to the super insulated

container. This calculation is based upon the insulative value of the super insulated

container, the amount (weight) of pre-frozen products or materials which will be

loaded, the relative heat factor of the products or materials and the amount of time

the product will be in transit. The super insulated container can be loaded onto a

truck chassis and transported to the point of departure such as a ship port, rail yard

or other transportation depot. It is then taken off of the truck and put into a holding

area awaiting loading onto the ship, train or other conveyance. From the moment

the super insulated container is loaded onto the conveyance until its arrival at the

destination, no special monitoring or handling is required by the shipper or the

shipping line.

When the container arrives at its destination, the interior temperature of the super

insulated container can be tested and, if necessary, additional CO₂ can be added

to provide extra storage time. The products can also be unloaded at this point and

placed in cold storage at the destination. Other Embodiments

This system can be used also with standard frozen products, for example in areas

where there is currently no refrigerated shipping service available, but dry container

sen/ice is available. Further, shipping costs can be often reduced by shipping the

container of the subject invention at the dry shipping rate whereas other types of

frozen shipping containers require frozen shipping rates.

There are a variety of insulation types which could be used in place of or in addition

to polyurethane foam. Any insulation system which raises the r-value of the

container above the 15-20 range constituents an additional embodiment of the

invention.

Finally, the shipping container could also be used for storage, the storage and

freezing container could be also used for shipping and a system comprising a

combination of the storage and freezing container and the shipping container are

all additional embodiments of the invention. Example 1

Freezing and Storage Container

To the system of example 1 were added five 1 hp fans were added to the rear area

and the spray header was separated into two sections. Two temperature probes

were added (one in each compartment) to monitor the air temperature. The

temperature probes were connected to an electric switch box which allows the

desired air temperature to be set inside each compartment. The switches and

probes are connected to valves which open and close based on desired

temperature setting and the actual air temperature inside each compartment.

Fresh tuna fish were loaded onto racks and the racks were placed inside the

freezing section of the container. The doors were closed and the fans and nitrogen

supply switches were turned on. Wire temperature probes were placed inside the

core meat of the fish. When core temperature reaches around -50° C everything

is turned off and the doors of the container were opened and nitrogen gas was

allowed to escape. The fish were taken off the racks and glazed by dipping in water

for a few seconds. The glazed fish were then loaded into the super insulated

storage area. The container is then shipped as described above. Example 2

Shipping container

A super insulated shipping container was constructed and pre-frozen tuna were

shipped in it from Italy to Japan, arriving in Japan in perfect super frozen state.

Details of this example follow.

A standard 40 foot insulated shipping ISO container was purchased from Transnow

CO₂. The container was modified by building a standard two by four stud wall with

a plywood exterior and poly-foam was injected through the plywood and between

the two by fours The ceiling and undercarriage was then sprayed with poly-foam

adding about 4 inches to all surfaces. The container was then shipped to Italy.

There the container was used for freezing and storing tuna during a two month

production and gathering period. About 5 metric tons of tuna loins were produced

and frozen during that time. The air temperature and the core temperature of the

fish was monitored each day. As the temperature rose above -60° C more CO₂ was

added, such that product was consistently below -50° C. Optimal results were

achieved by periodic additions of large amounts of CO₂. When the container was

fully loaded with tuna loins and ready to ship approximately 22 Metric Tons of liquid

CO₂ was added and the whole container was shipped to Japan on the NYK Line,

bill of lading number NYKS577080998, on the vessel Osaka Bay. Transit time was 28 days. The overall time between the last injection of CO₂ until opening the door

of the container in Japan was 36 days. When the center door leading to the super

insulated storage compartment was opened there was a large block of frozen CO₂

snow inside the compartment. The temperature of that snow was found to be -85°

C. The fish had a core temperature of -60° C.

Conclusions, Ramifications, and Scope

Accordingly it can be seen that the instant invention provides a method and

apparatus for freezing, storing and shipping super frozen materials or products such

as tuna fish in a self contained system that maintains the material or product in a

super frozen state for long periods of time.

Although the description above contains many specificities, these should not be

construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations

of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. Various other

embodiments and ramifications are possible within it's scope.

Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and

their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for shipping super-frozen products or materials which is fully self-

contained.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 which is a commercially available insulated shipping

container to which is added additional insulation, and a cryogenic dispersal system.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 which is a commercially available insulated shipping

container to which poly-foam insulation is added to increase the r-value of the

container, a CO₂ sprayhead, a liquid CQ> dispersal system and door seals are

added such that materials or products contained within can be maintained at or

below -50° C.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 which further contains multiple CO₂ sprayheads and

a temperature regulation system comprising one or more temperature probes

connected to switches and valves which control the dispersal of freezing agent.

5. A method for shipping super frozen products or materials in a self contained

apparatus.

. The method of claim 5 comprising:

a self contained shipping container comprises a commercially available

insulated container with additional insulation and a cryogenic dispersal

system;

placing super-frozen product or material to be shipped in the self contained

container;

shipping self-contained shipping container with super-frozen product

or material to a remote venue.

7. The method of claim 6 in which the super frozen product or material is glazed

with water prior to shipment.

8. An apparatus for freezing products or materials to a super-frozen state and then

storing them in that state.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 where the apparatus is a commercially available

insulated shipping container which is divided into at least two sections to which is

added additional insulation and a cryogenic dispersal system.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 where the insulation material is poly-foam for the purpose of increasing the r-value, where fans are added to disperse the cooling gas

and where a control system is added to regulate the temperature during the

freezing and during the storing processes.

11. A method for freezing products or materials to a super-frozen state and storing

them in that state in a self contained apparatus.

12. The method of claim 11 comprising:

a self contained apparatus comprises a commercially available insulated

container which has been divided into at least two sections where

additional insulation and a cryogenic dispersal system has been added.

placing products or materials into a first section for freezing and freezing to

a super-frozen state;

transfer of super-frozen products or materials to a second section for storage

in the super-frozen state.

13. The method of claim 11 comprising:

a super insulated container which has been divided into at least two sections

where additional insulation, a cryogenic dispersal system including

fans for dispersal of cold gases and a temperature monitoring and control system;

placing products or materials into a first section for freezing and freezing to

a super-frozen state;

transfer of super-frozen products or materials to a second section for storage

in the super frozen state.

14. The method of claim 11 in which product or material is super- frozen in a

freezing compartment of the apparatus, glazed with water and then stored in a

super -frozen state in a storage compartment of the apparatus.

15. A method and apparatus (system) for freezing and storing product or material

to a super-frozen state in a first self contained super-insulated container, transfer

of super-frozen product or material to a second self contained super-insulated

container for shipment to a remote venue and shipment of the second self

container.

16. The system of claim 15 comprising:

an apparatus for freezing products or materials to a super-frozen state in

a first compartment and then storing them in that state a second

compartment in which cold gases are dispersed by fans linked to a temperature a monitoring and control system;

placing products or materials in the first freezing compartment and freezing

product or materials to a super-frozen state in a first compartment;

transfer of super-frozen product or material to a second compartment for

storage;

an apparatus for shipping super-frozen products or materials which is fully

self contained;

transfer of super-frozen product or materials from the first self contained

freezing and storage container to the second self contained shipping

container;

shipment of self contained shipping container containing super-frozen

product or material to a remote venue.

17. The system of claim 15 comprising:

an apparatus for freezing products or materials to a super-frozen state and

then storing them where the apparatus is a commercially available

insulated shipping container which is divided into at least two sections

to which is added additional poly-foam for the purpose of increasing

the r-value and a temperature monitoring and regulating system

disperses cryogenic materials; placing products or materials in the first freezing compartment and freezing

the products or materials to a super-frozen state;

transfer of the super-frozen products or materials to a second storage

compartment;

an apparatus for shipping super-frozen products which is a commercially

available insulated shipping container to which poly-foam insulation is

added to increase the r-value of the container, a cryogenic dispersal

system and door seals are added such that materials or products

contained within can be maintained at or below -50°;

transfer of super-frozen products or materials from first self-contained freezing

and storing apparatus to second self-contained shipping apparatus;

shipment of self-contained shipping apparatus containing super-frozen

products or materials to a remote venue.