Liquid nitrogen biological container with combined support structure and sealed neck

Abstract

The present invention discloses a liquid nitrogen biological container with a neck seal of a combined support structure. The container is mainly composed of four parts: an outer shell, an inner container, a freezing tray, and a sealing plug cover. The top of the container is welded to the outer shell through the neck and a lifting pipe on the inner container. A combined support structure is designed between the inner container and the outer shell at the bottom of the container to ensure that the inner container and the bottom of the outer shell are coaxial after assembly while allowing relative displacement in the axial direction. The combined support structure is composed of an epoxy glass fiber reinforced plastic pipe and a topologically optimized epoxy glass fiber reinforced plastic plate. This structure can meet the strength of the combined support structure in a limited space while increasing the heat conduction path and greatly reducing heat leakage at the support position. A sealing structure is designed on the plug cover, and the neck is sealed after the plug cover is inserted into the neck. The surface of the inner container is wrapped with an insulating material with a low thermal conductivity coefficient to shield radiation heat transfer. The cavity formed by the inner container and the outer shell is evacuated to form a high vacuum cavity to shield convective heat exchange.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of freezing containers, in particular to a liquid nitrogen biological container with a combined support structure and a sealed neck. Background Art

[0002] A liquid nitrogen biocontainer is a container that uses the deep-cold low-temperature environment of liquid nitrogen to freeze biological samples. In a liquid nitrogen biocontainer, a vacuum is usually drawn between the inner and outer shells to improve the insulation capacity. However, since a certain amount of liquid nitrogen needs to be stored in the internal cavity to store biological samples at low temperatures, the ultra-low temperature liquid nitrogen will affect the internal cavity. For example, the inner shell will shrink under ultra-low temperature conditions. Therefore, the lower end of the inner shell structure cannot be a fixed structure, otherwise the internal cavity will be damaged during the addition of liquid nitrogen.

[0003] However, due to the upward opening in the inner shell, when vacuum is applied between the inner and outer shells, the upper opening will cause the overall pressure in the inner shell to be unbalanced, thereby causing the movable internal cavity to tilt, which will not only affect the rotation of the freezing tray in the internal cavity, but also affect the preservation of biological samples in the freezing tray.

[0004] At the same time, the opening of conventional liquid nitrogen biological containers may also have the problem of poor sealing, which may cause frost or ice to form at the opening, not only affecting customer use, but more seriously, ice cubes falling into the inner shell may cause the rotating bearing therein to get stuck, affecting its rotation effect.

[0005] At the same time, if conventional fixing parts are directly used to fix the inner shell, not only will material waste be caused, but the heat conduction cross section will also be increased, which will increase the heat leakage. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention aims to address the above-mentioned problems by providing a liquid nitrogen biocontainer with a combined support structure and a sealed neck, thereby resolving the problem in the prior art of the movable inner shell being easily deflected during vacuuming, while also resolving the problem of a loose seal at the opening. Furthermore, the conventional method of fixing the inner shell not only wastes materials but also increases the heat conduction cross-section and heat leakage.

[0007] The present invention is achieved through the following solutions:

[0008] A liquid nitrogen biological container with a combined support structure and a sealed neck, comprising an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder, a hanging tube being provided between the inner and outer cylinders, the inner cylinder being suspended and sleeved in the outer cylinder via the hanging tube, a combined support structure being provided at the contact portion between the bottom of the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder, the combined support structure being provided with a limiter for limiting the left and right deflection and axial movement of the inner cylinder; a neck portion penetrating the inner and outer cylinders being provided between the inner cylinder and the top of the outer cylinder, the neck portion penetrating the outer cylinder and extending outward by one end, and a sealing structure being provided on the neck portion.

[0009] Based on the above-mentioned combined support structure and neck-sealed liquid nitrogen biological container, the limiter may include a support frame and a support tube. The support frame is provided with a connecting screw hole connected to the inner cylinder and a contact hole contacting the support tube; the support tube is provided through the contact hole, and the contact hole can move along the length direction of the support tube when subjected to force.

[0010] Based on the above-mentioned combined support structure and neck-sealed liquid nitrogen biological container, the inner cylinder is connected to the support frame as a whole through a screw. When the contact hole passes through the support tube, the support tube fixes the central axis of the inner cylinder, so that the support tube and the hanging tube always maintain a coaxial arrangement.

[0011] Based on the above-mentioned combined support structure neck-sealed liquid nitrogen biological container, the support frame is a triangular structure as a whole, the connecting screw holes are respectively arranged at the three end positions of the triangular support frame, the contact hole is arranged at the center position of the support frame, and hollow portions are respectively provided between the contact holes and each side of the support frame, and heat transfer portions are formed between adjacent hollow portions.

[0012] Based on the above-mentioned combined support structure neck-sealed liquid nitrogen biological container, a positioning seat for supporting and limiting the support tube is provided at the bottom of the outer cylinder, and the bottom of the contact tube is provided in the positioning seat.

[0013] Based on the above-mentioned combined support structure neck-sealed liquid nitrogen biological container, the sealing structure includes a cover plate and a sealing plug cover, the sealing plug cover is bonded to the cover plate, a sealing ring is provided on the cover plate at a circumferential position surrounding the sealing plug cover, a first sealing groove is provided on the contact portion between the sealing ring and the cover plate, a second sealing groove is provided on the end surface of the sealing ring away from the sealing plug cover, and sealing rings are provided in both the first sealing groove and the second sealing groove.

[0014] Based on the above-mentioned combined support structure neck-sealed liquid nitrogen biological container, the first sealing groove is a rectangular groove, and the second sealing groove is a dovetail groove; a guide fillet is provided between the second sealing groove and the lower end of the sealing ring, and a limiting conical surface is provided between the second sealing groove and the upper end of the sealing ring.

[0015] Based on the above-mentioned combined support structure neck-sealed liquid nitrogen biological container, a freezing tray is provided in the inner cylinder, and rotating bearings are provided at the top and bottom of the freezing tray.

[0016] Based on the above-mentioned combined support structure neck-sealed liquid nitrogen biological container, a caster bracket and a reinforcement ring are provided at the bottom of the outer cylinder. The caster brackets are evenly arranged along the bottom of the outer cylinder, and the reinforcement ring is sleeved on the outer side of the caster bracket.

[0017] Based on the above-mentioned combined support structure neck-sealed liquid nitrogen biological container, the support frame is an epoxy glass fiber reinforced plastic plate, and the support tube is an epoxy glass fiber reinforced plastic tube.

[0018] In summary, due to the adoption of the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0019] 1. The combined support structure in this solution, through the combination of epoxy fiberglass tubes and topologically optimized epoxy fiberglass plates, fully utilizes the limited space between the inner container and the outer shell. While ensuring the strength of the combined support structure, it also lengthens the heat conduction path, effectively reducing the heat leakage of the support structure. This can reduce liquid nitrogen consumption to a certain extent, lower the daily evaporation rate of the tank, and improve product performance.

[0020] 2. A quick-open sealing structure is designed between the plug cover and the neck to prevent low-temperature nitrogen from overflowing from the neck under working conditions, causing local low temperature on the outer surface of the neck to condense water and frost. If a seal is not formed between the neck and the plug cover, frost on the neck may freeze the plug cover, making it unable to open normally and affecting its use. At the same time, frost and snow on the end of the neck may fall into the interior of the tank, causing the tray to jam and contaminating the frozen samples. This sealed plug cover can effectively solve the above problems.

[0021] 3. Combined support structure: the epoxy glass fiber reinforced plastic pipe is assembled and fixed on the lower head of the outer shell, and the epoxy glass fiber reinforced plastic plate is assembled and fixed on the lower head of the inner container. The epoxy glass fiber reinforced plastic pipe is inserted into the middle hole of the epoxy glass fiber reinforced plastic plate for friction contact, and can slide when the inner tank shrinks under low temperature conditions.

[0022] 4. The epoxy glass fiber reinforced plastic plate in the combined support structure is triangular in shape. The topology optimization technology in finite element simulation technology is used to obtain the minimum material area required to meet the load-bearing requirements. By removing the part of the epoxy glass fiber reinforced plastic plate that hardly plays a load-bearing role, reliable load-bearing is achieved. At the same time, the removal of excess material reduces the heat conduction cross-sectional area and further reduces the heat leakage.

[0023] 5. The load-bearing mode of the support is changed, and the limited space is effectively used to lengthen the heat conduction path of the support structure, thereby reducing the heat conduction of the support. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 It is a schematic side view of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 It is a bottom view structural diagram of the present invention as a whole;

[0026] Figures 3 to 5 is a schematic diagram of the sealing structure of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the top view of the support frame in the present invention;

[0028] Description of the drawings: 1. Outer cylinder; 2. Inner cylinder; 3. Lifting pipe; 4. Neck; 5. Support frame; 6. Support pipe; 7. Cover plate; 8. Sealing plug cover; 9. Sealing ring; 10. Vacuum layer; 11. Positioning seat; 12. Caster bracket; 13. Reinforcement ring; 14. Outer upper head; 15. Outer lower head; 21. Freezing tray; 22. Rotating bearing; 23. Inner upper head; 24. Inner lower head; 51. Connecting screw hole; 52. Contact hole; 53. Hollow part; 54. Heat transfer part; 91. First sealing groove; 92. Second sealing groove; 93. Sealing ring; 94. Guide fillet; 95. Limiting cone surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] All features disclosed in this specification, or all steps in the disclosed methods or processes, except mutually exclusive features and / or steps, can be combined in any manner.

[0030] Any feature disclosed in this specification (including any appended claims and abstract), unless otherwise stated, may be replaced by other equivalent or similar features. In other words, unless otherwise stated, each feature is only an example of a series of equivalent or similar features.

[0031] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "up", "down", "left", "right", etc., indicating directions or positional relationships, are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0032] Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or to implicitly indicate the quantity of the technical features being referred to. Thus, a feature defined as "first," "second," etc. may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features.

[0033] Example 1

[0034] like Figures 1 to 6As shown, the present invention provides a technical solution:

[0035] A liquid nitrogen biological container with a combined support structure and a sealed neck, comprising at least an outer cylinder 1 and an inner cylinder 2, a hanging pipe 3 being provided between the inner cylinder 2 and the outer cylinder 1, the inner cylinder 2 being suspended and sleeved in the outer cylinder 1 via the hanging pipe 3, a combined support structure being provided at the contact portion between the bottom of the inner cylinder 2 and the outer cylinder 1, the combined support structure being provided with a limiter for limiting the left and right deflection and axial movement of the inner cylinder 2; a neck portion 4 penetrating the inner and outer cylinders 1 being provided between the inner cylinder 2 and the top of the outer cylinder, the neck portion 4 penetrating the outer cylinder 1 and extending outward by one end, and a sealing structure being provided on the neck portion 4.

[0036] Based on the above structure, the inner cylinder 2 is supported by the combined support structure. At the same time, the limiter can move radially along the contraction direction of the inner cylinder 2 after the inner cylinder 2 is affected by liquid nitrogen, offsetting the influence of liquid nitrogen on the inner cylinder 2, and ensuring the stability of the structure of the inner cylinder 2. At the same time, since a sealing structure is provided on the neck portion 4, the internal thermal insulation performance can be enhanced, and the frost or ice on the neck portion 4 can be reduced, which also indirectly reduces the influence of frost on the rotating bearing 22 inside the inner cylinder 2, thereby extending the service life of the entire device.

[0037] As an example, the limiter may include a support frame 5 and a support tube 6, the support frame 5 being provided with a connecting screw hole 51 connected to the inner cylinder 2, and a contact hole 52 in contact with the support tube 6; the support tube 6 is provided through the contact hole 52, and the contact hole 52 can move along the length direction of the support tube 6 under force, so that the inner cylinder 2 can have an adjustment margin when shrinking.

[0038] The inner cylinder 2 is connected to the support frame 5 as a whole through a screw. When the contact hole 52 passes through the support tube 6, the support tube 6 fixes the central axis of the inner cylinder 2 so that the support tube 6 and the hanging tube 3 always maintain a coaxial arrangement.

[0039] Based on the above structure, in this solution, a support frame 5 is provided, and the contact hole 52 inside the support frame 5 and the support tube 6 are movably provided, which can offset the shape change of the lower end of the inner cylinder 2 during thermal expansion and contraction. At the same time, the support of the support tube 6 can support the inner cylinder 2 to prevent the inner cylinder 2 from being subjected to a deflection torque due to the atmospheric pressure during vacuuming, so that the inner cylinder 2 is always maintained in a predetermined position, ensuring that the bottom end and the top end of the inner cylinder 2 are always coaxial, thereby keeping the internal cold tray stable.

[0040] As an example, the support frame 5 is a triangular structure as a whole, the connection holes are respectively arranged at the three end positions of the triangular support frame 5, the contact hole 52 is arranged at the center position of the support frame 5, and hollow portions 53 are respectively arranged between the contact hole 52 and each side of the support frame 5, and a heat transfer portion 54 is formed between adjacent hollow portions 53.

[0041] Based on the above structure, the hollow portion 53 is an area that is cut out according to the optimization algorithm. On the one hand, it can reduce the weight of the support frame 5 while ensuring its mechanical properties, saving costs. On the other hand, it can reduce the overall heat conduction area and extend the heat conduction path, thereby reducing the overall cold dissipation. Since the screw between the support frame 5 and the inner cylinder 2 is a direct heat conduction point, it is transferred to the support tube 6 through the heat transfer part 54 and finally transferred to the outer cylinder 1. In this solution, the support bearing method is changed, and the limited space is effectively used to lengthen the heat conduction path of the support structure, thereby reducing the heat conduction amount of the support.

[0042] As an example, a positioning seat 11 for supporting and limiting the support tube 6 is provided at the bottom of the outer cylinder 1 , and the bottom of the contact tube is provided in the positioning seat 11 .

[0043] Based on the above structure, the positioning seat 11 forcibly positions the contact tube and limits the direction of the contact tube, thereby fixing the central axis of the inner cylinder 2. The contact tube can be snap-fitted with the positioning seat 11 or fixedly connected with the positioning tube.

[0044] In order to ensure the thermal insulation performance of the entire device, a vacuum layer 10 is provided between the inner cylinder 2 and the outer cylinder 1. When the tank body is evacuated to a high vacuum, the outer shell is subjected to a negative pressure of 0.1 MPa, the inner container is subjected to a positive pressure of 0.1 MPa, and the neck is subjected to a positive pressure of 0.1 MPa.

[0045] As an example, the sealing structure may include a cover plate 7 and a sealing plug cover 8, the sealing plug cover 8 is bonded to the cover plate 7, a sealing ring 9 is provided on the cover plate 7 at a circumferential position surrounding the sealing plug cover 8, a first sealing groove 91 is provided on the contact portion between the sealing ring 9 and the cover plate 7, a second sealing groove 92 is provided on the end face of the sealing ring 9 away from the sealing plug cover 8, and a sealing ring 93 is provided in both the first sealing groove 91 and the second sealing groove 92.

[0046] Based on the above structure, since the sealing plug cover 8 and the cover plate 7 are usually bonded, the sealing performance of the circumferential position thereof is bound to be defective, and therefore a sealing ring 9 is provided to limit the sealing plug cover 8 to ensure the stability of the sealing plug cover 8. At the same time, by providing a first sealing groove 91 and its matching sealing ring 93, the sealing performance of the sealing ring 93 and the cover plate 7 is ensured to prevent nitrogen from escaping from the top. The second sealing groove 92 is in direct contact with the open end of the neck portion 4, so that when the sealing plug cover 8 is closed, the sealing ring 9 and the neck portion 4 form a forced seal, further preventing nitrogen from escaping from the contact portion. At the same time, through the above structure, the neck portion 4 can be quickly opened and sealed.

[0047] As an example, the first sealing groove 91 is a rectangular groove, and the second sealing groove 92 is a dovetail groove; a guide fillet 94 is provided between the second sealing groove 92 and the lower end of the sealing ring 9, and a limiting conical surface 95 is provided between the second sealing groove 92 and the upper end of the sealing ring 9.

[0048] Based on the above structure, by configuring the second sealing groove 92 as a dovetail groove, the stability of the sealing ring 93 can be effectively limited during upward or downward movement, preventing the sealing ring 93 from falling off. At the same time, the guide radius 94 at the bottom can make the sealing structure close more smoothly, and the limiting conical surface 95 at the top can smoothly contact the neck portion 4, ensuring the stability of the entire sealing structure after closing.

[0049] As an example, a freezing tray 21 is provided in the inner cylinder 2, and a rotating bearing 22 is provided at the top and bottom of the freezing tray 21, and the freezing tray 21 is rotated by rotating the bearing 22. The rotating freezing tray 21 can ensure that the internal space of the tray is evenly used.

[0050] As an example, a caster bracket 12 and a reinforcement ring 13 are provided at the bottom of the outer cylinder 1. The caster bracket 12 is evenly arranged along the bottom of the outer cylinder 1. Specifically, the central angle between adjacent caster brackets 12 is 72°, and the reinforcement ring 13 is sleeved on the outer side of the caster bracket 12.

[0051] Specifically, the upper position of the inner cylinder 2 is the inner upper head 23 , and the lower position is the inner lower head 24 ; the upper position of the outer cylinder 1 is the outer upper head 14 , and the lower position is the outer lower head 15 .

[0052] The support frame 5 may specifically be an epoxy glass fiber reinforced plastic plate, and the support tube 6 may be an epoxy glass fiber reinforced plastic tube.

[0053] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A liquid nitrogen biological container with a combined support structure and a sealed neck, comprising an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder, a hanging tube being provided between the inner and outer cylinders, and the inner cylinder being suspended and sleeved in the outer cylinder via the hanging tube, characterized in that: A combined support structure is provided on the contact portion between the bottom of the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder, and a limiter is provided on the combined support structure to limit the left and right deflection and axial movement of the inner cylinder; a neck portion penetrating the inner and outer cylinders is provided between the inner cylinder and the top of the outer cylinder, the neck portion penetrates the outer cylinder and extends outward for one end, and a sealing structure is provided on the neck portion; the limiter includes a support frame and a support tube, the support frame is provided with a connecting screw hole connected to the inner cylinder, and a contact hole in contact with the support tube; the support tube is provided through the contact hole, The contact hole can move along the length direction of the support tube under force; the inner cylinder is connected to the support frame as a whole through a screw, and when the contact hole passes through the support tube, the support tube fixes the central axis of the inner cylinder, so that the support tube and the hanging tube always remain coaxially arranged; the support frame is a triangular structure as a whole, the connecting screw holes are respectively arranged at the three end positions of the triangular support frame, and the contact hole is arranged at the center position of the support frame, and hollow parts are respectively provided between the contact hole and each side of the support frame, and heat transfer parts are formed between adjacent hollow parts.

2. The liquid nitrogen biological container with a combined support structure and a sealed neck as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: A positioning seat for supporting and limiting the support tube is provided at the bottom of the outer cylinder, and the bottom of the contact tube is provided in the positioning seat.

3. The liquid nitrogen biological container with a combined support structure and a sealed neck as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: The sealing structure includes a cover plate and a sealing plug cover, the sealing plug cover is bonded to the cover plate, a sealing ring is provided on the cover plate at a circumferential position surrounding the sealing plug cover, a first sealing groove is provided on the contact portion between the sealing ring and the cover plate, a second sealing groove is provided on the end surface of the sealing ring away from the sealing plug cover, and sealing rings are provided in both the first sealing groove and the second sealing groove.

4. The liquid nitrogen biological container with a combined support structure and a sealed neck as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: The first sealing groove is a rectangular groove, and the second sealing groove is a dovetail groove; a guide fillet is provided between the second sealing groove and the lower end of the sealing ring, and a limiting conical surface is provided between the second sealing groove and the upper end of the sealing ring.

5. The liquid nitrogen biological container with a combined support structure and a sealed neck as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that: A freezing tray is arranged in the inner cylinder, and rotating bearings are arranged at the top and bottom of the freezing tray.

6. The liquid nitrogen biological container with a combined support structure and a sealed neck as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that: A caster bracket and a reinforcement ring are provided at the bottom of the outer cylinder. The caster brackets are evenly arranged along the bottom of the outer cylinder, and the reinforcement ring is sleeved on the outer side of the caster bracket.

7. A liquid nitrogen biological container with a combined support structure and a sealed neck according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that: The support frame is an epoxy glass fiber reinforced plastic plate, and the support pipe is an epoxy glass fiber reinforced plastic pipe.

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