A refrigerator box and a method for using the same

Abstract

The present invention discloses a refrigerated box and a method for using the same. The refrigerated box includes a box body and an adsorption part. A first cavity wall is arranged on the outer side of the box body, and a second cavity wall is arranged opposite to the outside of the first cavity wall. The space between the first cavity wall and the second cavity wall is an evaporation cavity. A water-absorbing material for adsorbing a refrigerant is arranged on the side of the first cavity wall facing the evaporation cavity; the adsorption part has an adsorption cavity, the adsorption cavity is communicated with the evaporation cavity through a heat exchange pipeline, a valve is arranged on the heat exchange pipeline, and an adsorbent for adsorbing the refrigerant is arranged in the adsorption cavity. The water-absorbing material is arranged near the inner wall of the box body in the evaporation cavity. When the refrigerant evaporates and cools from the water-absorbing material, the cooling capacity transferred to the box body is maximized, the utilization rate of the cooling capacity is increased, and the refrigeration effect is improved. The refrigerated box has a reasonable structure and is convenient to use, and can be widely applied to the technical field of cold chain transportation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of cold chain transportation, and particularly relates to a refrigerated box and a method for using the same. Background Art

[0002] It is reported that the total market value of products that require cold chain services in China is expected to exceed 3 trillion yuan. If the cold chain cost is calculated at the most conservative 5%, the cold chain market scale exceeds 150 billion yuan, indicating that the cold chain market demand and development space in China are huge.

[0003] Currently, the existing small portable refrigerated boxes and their evaporation cavities generally adopt the following three technologies:

[0004] 1. Compressor refrigeration technology

[0005] Compressor refrigeration technology is widely used in fixed application refrigeration, where the evaporation cavity is formed in the form of a flat wall cavity / heat exchanger combination. Since the compressor has poor shock resistance, vibration resistance, and anti-tilt capabilities, it cannot operate during movement for a long time. At the same time, it requires power drive and is generally installed on a dedicated refrigerated vehicle, with a large volume, high noise, and high cost. This evaporation cavity has a large volume and is not suitable for other forms of refrigerated boxes.

[0006] 2. Thermoelectric refrigeration technology

[0007] The evaporation cavity adopted by thermoelectric refrigeration technology is mainly composed of a fan and a radiator. Its energy efficiency is very poor, the cooling effect is limited, and due to the P-N junction characteristics, when the refrigeration system is powered off and in the heat preservation transportation state, reverse heat transfer will occur.

[0008] 3. Ice thermal storage technology

[0009] The evaporation cavity adopted by ice thermal storage technology coincides with the cargo container cavity and is mainly a flat wall cavity, with the main function of heat preservation. This technology has disadvantages such as difficult temperature control, consumables, inability to control refrigeration startup, etc., and has poor recyclability.

[0010] The deficiencies of these existing technologies have promoted the innovation of cold chain transportation technology, making the research and development of emerging low-temperature transportation and distribution equipment and new key components extremely urgent. For example, as one of the main tools for cold chain logistics distribution, the performance of the evaporation cavity adopted by a passive refrigerated box greatly affects the overall performance of the passive refrigerated box. Most of the existing evaporation cavities are ordinary flat wall cavities, with a small heat transfer area, poor heat transfer efficiency, a relatively low temperature inside the box, a small effective storage space, and a relatively short average melting time, thus restricting the development of cold chain transportation. Summary of the Invention

[0011] To solve at least one of the above technical problems and improve the refrigeration effect, the present invention provides a refrigerated box and a method for using the same, and the technical solutions adopted are as follows:

[0012] The refrigerated box provided by the present invention includes a box body and an adsorption part. The outer side of the box body is respectively provided with a first cavity wall, and a second cavity wall is arranged opposite to the outside of the first cavity wall. The space between the first cavity wall and the second cavity wall is an evaporation cavity. A water-absorbing material for adsorbing refrigerant is arranged on the side of the first cavity wall facing the evaporation cavity; the adsorption part has an adsorption cavity, the adsorption cavity is communicated with the evaporation cavity through a heat exchange pipeline, a valve is arranged on the heat exchange pipeline, and an adsorbent for adsorbing refrigerant is arranged in the adsorption cavity.

[0013] Further, a grid-shaped groove is formed on the side of the first cavity wall facing the evaporation cavity, and the water-absorbing material is arranged in the grid-shaped groove.

[0014] Further, the grid-shaped groove includes a plurality of biomimetic leaf vein grooves. The biomimetic leaf vein groove includes a main vein groove, the main vein groove extends from the bottom to the top of the first cavity wall, and a plurality of branch vein grooves are formed in the main vein groove.

[0015] Further, the branch vein grooves between two adjacent main vein grooves are correspondingly communicated.

[0016] Further, a liquid storage structure is arranged at the bottom of the evaporation cavity.

[0017] Further, the bottom of the grid-shaped groove is communicated with the liquid storage structure.

[0018] Further, the water-absorbing material protrudes from the grid-shaped groove.

[0019] Further, a plurality of support columns are arranged between the first cavity wall and the second cavity wall.

[0020] Further, the water-absorbing material is one of glass fiber, flannelette, cashmere, and water-absorbing resin.

[0021] The specific method for using the refrigerated box provided by the present invention is as follows:

[0022] In the initial state before refrigeration, the evaporation cavity has adsorbed refrigerant. The refrigeration process is as follows: Open the valve of the heat exchange pipeline, the adsorption cavity is communicated with the evaporation cavity, the air pressure in the evaporation cavity decreases, and the refrigerant stored in the water-absorbing material starts to evaporate and refrigerate under low pressure, generating refrigerating capacity. The refrigerating capacity passes through the first cavity wall to cool the goods in the box body. When refrigeration is not required, close the valve of the heat exchange pipeline to disconnect the communication between the adsorption cavity and the evaporation cavity;

[0023] In the initial state before desorption regeneration, the adsorbent in the adsorption chamber reaches saturation. The desorption regeneration process is as follows: External heat is input into the adsorption chamber, and the temperature of the adsorption chamber and the adsorbent increases, causing the adsorbent to be in a desorption state. The liquid refrigerant is desorbed from the adsorbent and becomes a gaseous refrigerant, and is in a high-temperature and high-pressure state. At the same time, normal-temperature or low-temperature water is injected into the box body, so that the temperature of the first cavity wall decreases. The valve of the heat exchange pipeline is opened, and the adsorption chamber is communicated with the evaporation chamber. The gaseous refrigerant flows from the high-pressure adsorption chamber through the heat exchange pipeline to the evaporation chamber. When the high-temperature gaseous refrigerant contacts the low-temperature first cavity wall, the gaseous refrigerant condenses into a liquid refrigerant. After the desorption regeneration is completed, the valve of the heat exchange pipeline is closed to disconnect the communication between the adsorption chamber and the evaporation chamber.

[0024] Beneficial effects: An evaporation chamber is arranged on the outside of the box body, and a water-absorbing material is arranged on the inner wall of the evaporation chamber close to the box body. When the refrigerant evaporates and cools from the water-absorbing material, the cooling capacity transferred to the box body by the refrigerant is maximized, the utilization rate of the cooling capacity is increased, and the refrigeration effect is improved. The refrigerated box has a reasonable structure and is easy to operate, and can be widely used in the field of cold chain transportation technology. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025] Figure 1 It is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the refrigerated box;

[0026] Figure 2 It is an exploded structure diagram of the box body and the evaporation chamber;

[0027] Figure 3 It is a structure diagram of the first cavity wall. Detailed Embodiments

[0028] The following is combined with Figures 1 to 3 to further illustrate the present invention.

[0029] The present invention relates to a refrigerated box, which includes a box body 15 and an adsorption part 13. The adsorption part 13 is located below the box body 15. The upper part of the box body 15 is open, and a cover body is arranged at the open part. The cover body is made of a heat-insulating material. The outside of the box body 15 is respectively provided with a first cavity wall 11. For example: if the box body 15 has four side walls, the number of the first cavity walls 11 is four. A second cavity wall 12 is arranged opposite to the outside of the first cavity wall 11. The space between the first cavity wall 11 and the second cavity wall 12 is an evaporation chamber, which is used to generate cooling capacity. The evaporation chamber surrounds the box body 15, and has good refrigeration and cold preservation effects. The adsorption part 13 has an adsorption chamber, and the adsorption chamber is communicated with the evaporation chamber through a heat exchange pipeline 14. A valve is arranged on the heat exchange pipeline 14. A water-absorbing material for adsorbing the refrigerant is arranged on the side of the first cavity wall 11 facing the evaporation chamber, and an adsorbent for adsorbing the refrigerant is arranged in the adsorption chamber. The adsorbent can be one of silica gel, molecular sieve, hygroscopic salt, activated carbon, and composite material.

[0030] In some embodiments, a heat exchange port 18 for installing a heat exchange pipe 14 is formed on the second cavity wall 12.

[0031] In the method of using the refrigerator of the present invention, the refrigeration process of the refrigerator is as follows: In the initial state before refrigeration, the refrigerant has been adsorbed in the evaporation cavity. Open the valve of the heat exchange pipe 14, and the adsorption cavity is communicated with the evaporation cavity. Due to the adsorption effect of the adsorbent in the adsorption cavity, the air pressure in the evaporation cavity decreases, and the refrigerant stored in the water-absorbing material begins to evaporate and refrigerate under low pressure, generating refrigeration capacity. The refrigeration capacity passes through the first cavity wall 11 to cool the goods in the box body 15. When refrigeration is not required, close the valve of the heat exchange pipe 14 to disconnect the adsorption cavity and the evaporation cavity.

[0032] In the method of using the refrigerator of the present invention, the desorption and regeneration process of the refrigerator is as follows: In the initial state before desorption and regeneration, the adsorbent in the adsorption cavity reaches saturation. When desorbing, input external heat into the adsorption cavity, and the temperature of the adsorption cavity and the adsorbent increases, making the adsorbent in the desorption state. The liquid refrigerant is desorbed from the adsorbent and becomes gaseous refrigerant, and is in a high-temperature and high-pressure state. At the same time, inject normal-temperature or low-temperature water into the box body 15, so as to reduce the temperature of the first cavity wall 11. Open the valve of the heat exchange pipe 14, and the adsorption cavity is communicated with the evaporation cavity. Due to the pressure difference, the gaseous refrigerant flows from the high-pressure adsorption cavity through the heat exchange pipe 14 to the evaporation cavity. When the high-temperature gaseous refrigerant contacts the low-temperature first cavity wall 11, due to the huge temperature difference, the gaseous refrigerant condenses into liquid refrigerant. After the desorption and regeneration is completed, close the valve of the heat exchange pipe 14 to disconnect the adsorption cavity and the evaporation cavity.

[0033] In some embodiments, the external heat input into the adsorption cavity during desorption can be in the form of inputting hot water or hot oil.

[0034] In some embodiments, a liquid storage structure 16 is arranged at the bottom of the evaporation cavity. In the initial state before refrigeration, the refrigerant is stored in the liquid storage structure 16.

[0035] In some embodiments, the bottom of the grid-shaped groove is communicated with the liquid storage structure 16. During the desorption and regeneration process, after the gaseous refrigerant contacts the first cavity wall 11 and condenses into liquid refrigerant due to cooling, it flows downward and is stored in the liquid storage structure 16.

[0036] In some embodiments, a grid-shaped groove is formed on the side of the first cavity wall 11 facing the evaporation cavity, and the water-absorbing material is arranged in the grid-shaped groove. The grid-shaped grooves cover the side of the first cavity wall 11, and the corresponding water-absorbing material covers the side of the first cavity wall 11. The water-absorbing material in the grid-shaped groove can maximize the heat exchange area, so the box body 15 can be uniformly refrigerated.

[0037] In some embodiments, the water-absorbing material protrudes from the grid-shaped grooves, and the water-absorbing material bulges from the grid-shaped grooves, increasing the adsorption capacity of the water-absorbing material. For example, the water-absorbing material protrudes about 1 mm.

[0038] In some embodiments, the grid-shaped grooves include a number of biomimetic leaf vein grooves. The biomimetic leaf vein grooves include main vein grooves, and a number of branch vein grooves are formed in the main vein grooves. The branch vein grooves extend out from the main vein grooves, and the water-absorbing material is embedded in the main vein grooves and the branch vein grooves.

[0039] In some embodiments, the main vein grooves extend from the bottom to the top of the first cavity wall 11. The lower part of the main vein grooves is communicated with the liquid storage structure 16. The refrigerant at the bottom of the evaporation cavity is transmitted throughout the entire grid-shaped grooves through the water-absorbing material in the main vein grooves and the branch vein grooves.

[0040] The refrigerant spreads along the water-absorbing material over the first cavity wall 11, so that when evaporating, it is as close to the wall surface as possible, increasing the utilization rate of the refrigerating capacity. The refrigerant spreads over the first cavity wall 11, increasing the evaporation area of the refrigerant from the liquid surface area at the bottom of the evaporation cavity to the sum of the liquid surface area at the bottom and the surface area of the bulging part of the water-absorbing material, improving the evaporation area of the refrigerant, and greatly enhancing its evaporation speed and refrigerating capacity. The refrigerant fills the first cavity wall 11 through the grid-shaped grooves, making the refrigerating capacity uniform on the wall surface and improving its utilization rate.

[0041] In some embodiments, to further promote the refrigerant to spread along the water-absorbing material over the first cavity wall 11, the branch vein grooves between two adjacent main vein grooves are correspondingly communicated.

[0042] In some embodiments, evacuation pipes are arranged in the evaporation cavity and the adsorption cavity. The main uses of the evacuation pipes are as follows: Before the refrigerator leaves the factory, refrigerant is injected into the refrigerator through the evacuation pipes; when the refrigerator leaves the factory, a vacuum pump is used to adjust the pressure in the evaporation cavity, control the boiling point of the refrigerant, and set the refrigeration temperature of the refrigerator; during the maintenance of the refrigerator, the pressure in the evaporation cavity is detected and adjusted through the evacuation pipes.

[0043] In some embodiments, a number of support columns 17 are arranged between the first cavity wall 11 and the second cavity wall 12, which can effectively prevent the first cavity wall 11 and the second cavity wall 12 from deforming or breaking under low pressure or negative pressure. Therefore, the wall thickness can be reduced, which is beneficial to reducing costs and can reduce the weight of the refrigerator. In some embodiments, both ends of the support column 17 are welded to the first cavity wall 11 and the second cavity wall 12 respectively.

[0044] In some embodiments, the water-absorbing material is one of glass fiber, flannelette, cashmere, and water-absorbing resin. By utilizing the characteristics of these materials to adsorb water, conduct water, and greatly increase the evaporation area, the advantages of the evaporation chamber such as simple structure, high reliability, high performance, and environmental friendliness are achieved. This enables the refrigerated box to achieve rapid refrigeration without external energy drive during the refrigeration process, eliminating the defect of the need for external power drive in traditional compression refrigerated boxes and overcoming the defects of traditional ice bag refrigerated boxes such as inability to control the start time and temperature of refrigeration.

[0045] In some embodiments, the refrigerant is distilled water or pure water.

[0046] The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention within the scope of knowledge possessed by those of ordinary skill in the art.

Claims

1. A refrigerated box, characterized in that: including a box body (15), with a first cavity wall (11) arranged on the outer side of the box body (15), a second cavity wall (12) arranged opposite to the outside of the first cavity wall (11), the space between the first cavity wall (11) and the second cavity wall (12) being an evaporation cavity, and a water-absorbing material for adsorbing refrigerant arranged on the side of the first cavity wall (11) facing the evaporation cavity; an adsorption part (13), the adsorption part (13) having an adsorption cavity, the adsorption cavity being communicated with the evaporation cavity through a heat exchange pipeline (14), a valve being arranged on the heat exchange pipeline (14), and an adsorbent for adsorbing refrigerant being arranged in the adsorption cavity; wherein, a grid-shaped groove is formed on the side of the first cavity wall (11) facing the evaporation cavity, and the water-absorbing material is arranged in the grid-shaped groove; the grid-shaped groove includes a plurality of biomimetic leaf vein grooves, the biomimetic leaf vein grooves including main vein grooves, the main vein grooves extending from the bottom to the top of the first cavity wall (11), a plurality of branch vein grooves being formed in the main vein grooves, the branch vein grooves corresponding to and communicating between adjacent two main vein grooves, the branch vein grooves extending out from the main vein grooves, and the water-absorbing material being embedded in the main vein grooves and the branch vein grooves; a liquid storage structure (16) is arranged at the bottom of the evaporation cavity, the bottom of the grid-shaped groove is communicated with the liquid storage structure (16), the lower part of the main vein groove is communicated with the liquid storage structure (16), and the refrigerant at the bottom of the evaporation cavity is transmitted throughout the grid-shaped groove through the water-absorbing material in the main vein grooves and the branch vein grooves.

2. The cooler according to claim 1, wherein: The water-absorbing material protrudes from the grid-shaped groove.

3. The cooler according to claim 1, wherein: A plurality of support columns (17) are arranged between the first cavity wall (11) and the second cavity wall (12).

4. The cooler according to claim 1, wherein: The water-absorbing material is one of glass fiber, flannelette, cashmere, and water-absorbing resin.

5. The usage method of the refrigerated box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: In the initial state before refrigeration, the evaporation cavity has adsorbed refrigerant. The refrigeration process is as follows: Open the valve of the heat exchange pipeline (14), the adsorption cavity is communicated with the evaporation cavity, the air pressure in the evaporation cavity decreases, and the refrigerant stored in the water-absorbing material starts to evaporate and refrigerate under low pressure, generating refrigerating capacity. The refrigerating capacity passes through the first cavity wall (11) to cool the goods in the box body (15). When refrigeration is not required, close the valve of the heat exchange pipeline (14) to disconnect the communication between the adsorption cavity and the evaporation cavity; In the initial state before desorption regeneration, the adsorbent in the adsorption chamber reaches saturation. The desorption regeneration process is as follows: External heat is input into the adsorption chamber, and the temperature of the adsorption chamber and the adsorbent increases, causing the adsorbent to be in a desorption state. The liquid refrigerant is desorbed from the adsorbent and becomes gaseous refrigerant, and is in a high-temperature and high-pressure state. At the same time, normal-temperature or low-temperature water is injected into the box body (15), so that the temperature of the first cavity wall (11) decreases. The valve of the heat exchange pipeline (14) is opened, and the adsorption chamber is communicated with the evaporation chamber. The gaseous refrigerant flows from the high-pressure adsorption chamber through the heat exchange pipeline (14) to the evaporation chamber. When the high-temperature gaseous refrigerant contacts the low-temperature first cavity wall (11), the gaseous refrigerant condenses into liquid refrigerant. After the desorption regeneration is completed, the valve of the heat exchange pipeline (14) is closed to disconnect the communication between the adsorption chamber and the evaporation chamber.

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