Refrigeration load reduction system and methods

Inactive Publication Date: 2016-03-03
JP PATENTS L L C
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is about a system that reduces the refrigeration load in a refrigeration unit. It includes a container with gas permeable openings and a granular mixture made of sodium carbonate mineral and a specific acid. The system is placed in the refrigeration unit's circulation path to help lower the refrigeration load. The technical effect of this invention is to improve the efficiency of refrigeration units and reduce energy consumption.

Problems solved by technology

Distribution, storage and transport of perishable consumer products and other perishable items presents unique challenges in terms of preserving such items to the point of sale or use.
Exposure to oxygen is one factor that leads to spoilage of perishable items.
Temperature conditions also affect rates of spoilage.
The subjecting of perishable items to an open atmosphere in the presence of oxygen and particularly when at ambient or elevated temperatures causes the perishable items to lose freshness and texture, decay, produce objectionable odors, and become inedible, unsalable or unusable.
Refrigeration systems in warehouses, tractor trailers, retail locations, and consumer locations account for a significant portion of product costs due to the quantity of energy required to sufficiently cool perishable items to safe temperatures.
Further, refrigeration systems frequently require maintenance and specific defrost cycling in order to maintain performance and heat transfer away from refrigerated locations.

Method used

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  • Refrigeration load reduction system and methods
  • Refrigeration load reduction system and methods
  • Refrigeration load reduction system and methods

Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test

example 1

This Example Demonstrates Oxygen Absorption with Trona / Citric Acid Mixtures

[0085]In order to test the oxygen removing capacity of the present invention, an oxygen permeable packet containing trona with citric acid powder, at a weight ratio of 9:1, was placed in a one inch diameter by three inch long test tube. In an identical tube a one-gram sample of a commercial iron / iron oxide powder, also in an oxygen permeable packet, was tested to compare the oxygen absorbing results of the present invention to a product that is presently used commercially. These tubes were sealed for 20 minutes after the introduction of the packets. A gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) was used to analyze the oxygen content of the air in the tube. Ambient air contains greater than 200,000 ppm (parts per million) by weight oxygen. After twenty minutes exposure of the air in the respective tubes, the tube containing the trona / citric acid sample registered 11.06 ppm of oxygen and tube containing the iro...

example 2

This Example Confirms the Results of Example 1

[0086]It was calculated that 11.6 mg of the trona / citric acid product of Example 1 would be comparable, on a w / v basis, to a two gram packet of the same product in a #10 tin can used for food storage. To further compare the oxygen removing capacity of the present invention with the commercial oxygen absorbing iron / iron oxide product, 11.6 mg of each of these products, in a sealed oxygen permeable packet, were placed in a one inch by three inch tube as in Example 1. When the 11.6 mg trona / citric acid packet was placed in the tube and analyzed after the tube was sealed for 20 minutes as in Example 1, the GC-MS analysis showed the oxygen content in the tube had been lowered to 43.7 ppm. When the 11.6 mg of iron / iron oxide packet was sealed in the tube for 20 minutes, it had reduced the oxygen content to 43.1 ppm. As in Example 1, these tubes were exposed to air for 30 minutes and after the tubes were again sealed for 20 minutes, the trona / c...

example 3

This Example Shows Lengthened Shelf Life of Packaged Jerky at Ambient Temperatures

[0087]To demonstrate how well the present invention inhibits bacterial growth, an accelerated 12 month test was conducted on a 4 oz. packet of beef jerky. To this sample of beef jerky a one-gram packet of trona / citric acid (9:1 w / w) was added. The beef jerky was contained in a moisture and gas impermeable plastic envelope, and at the conclusion of the accelerated test, the jerky was removed and analyzed using the AOAC 966.23 method and the standard plate count was less than 10 CFU / g. The coliform count was determined using the AOAC 991.14 method, and it was also found to be less than 10 CFU / g. When the E. Coli count was determined using the same method, it was also found to be less than 10 CFU / g. Using AOAC 2003.07 method the Staphylococcus count was also found to be less than 10 CFU / g. To analyze for Salmonella a modified AOAC 998.09 method was used and it was negative in a 25 gram sample. The yeast a...

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Abstract

A refrigeration load reduction system can include a primary container having gas permeable openings therein. A granular composition is retained within the container. The granular composition is a granular mixture of a sodium carbonate mineral and a mono-, di- or tricarboxylic acid. Typically, the sodium carbonate mineral is a trona mineral, although other minerals can be used singly or in combination with trona. A method of reducing refrigeration load can include orienting the refrigeration load reduction system within a fluid circulation path of a refrigeration unit adapted to cool a refrigeration chamber.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 043,933, filed Aug. 29, 2014 and which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to systems and specific compositions which reduce refrigeration load. Accordingly, the present invention relates generally to refrigeration technologies and chemistry.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Distribution, storage and transport of perishable consumer products and other perishable items presents unique challenges in terms of preserving such items to the point of sale or use. Exposure to oxygen is one factor that leads to spoilage of perishable items. Oxygen perishable items from the time of gathering or production, whether by reaping, picking, digging, cutting, collecting, butchering, processing, cooking, displaying, packaging or any other means, where such items are present in an open environment for a period of time, are subject to being exposed t...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): F25B49/00
CPCF25B49/00B01D53/02B01D2251/304B01D2251/606B01D2251/70B01D2257/104B01D2259/4525B01D2259/4533B01D2259/4566F25D5/00F25B2400/22
Inventor FULLER, PETER
Owner JP PATENTS L L C
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