A tube array liquid nitrogen storage tank

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of storage tanks, and in particular to a tube array type liquid nitrogen storage tank, comprising a tank body, a loading platform and a tube array member, wherein the loading platform comprises a fixed plate, the bottom end of the fixed plate is provided with an annular cavity for cold source storage, and a plurality of valve ports for cold source outflow are arranged circumferentially at the top of the fixed plate; the tube array member is provided with a plurality of valve ports that are snapped together above the plurality of valve ports, and the top end of the tube array member is overlapped on the tank body by a hook. The present invention forms a directional cold source delivery channel through the design of the annular cavity and valve ports of the loading platform, combined with the through hole and air cavity at the bottom of the tube array member, so as to realize the distribution of liquid nitrogen to each storage area on demand and improve the utilization rate of cold capacity; when a single tube array member needs to be taken out, the corresponding valve port can be closed by the elastically movable valve buckle to reduce the loss of cold source; the design of the connection between the return pipe and the reflux cavity can make the gaseous cold source flow back into the return pipe through the air inlet groove, forming a closed loop circulation to reduce the loss of cold capacity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of storage tanks, and in particular to a tube array type liquid nitrogen storage tank. Background Art

[0002] Liquid nitrogen storage tank is a device that uses liquid nitrogen as a cold source to provide a low-temperature storage environment. It is widely used in biomedicine, cell storage and other fields.

[0003] However, traditional liquid nitrogen tanks mostly use a single cavity structure, which has problems such as uneven cold distribution and low storage efficiency. For example, in the Chinese invention patent with the announcement number CN106560419B and the patent name "Tube Array Type Liquid Nitrogen Tank", it specifically discloses a tank body with a tank mouth, a tube array assembly placed in the tank body, and a top cover sealed on the tank mouth. The top cover can rotate within the tank mouth. The tube array assembly is composed of a plurality of placement tubes for placing cryotubes. One end of the placement tube is open, and the opening of the placement tube faces the top cover. The top cover is provided with at least one tube removal port that passes through the top cover, and each tube removal port is covered with a tube removal port cover. The tube array type liquid nitrogen tank uses a tube array assembly composed of a plurality of placement tubes to store cryotubes.

[0004] This technology improves space utilization by rotating the top cover and tube array components, but its cold source supply still relies on an external piping system, which has a complex structure and cannot achieve precise temperature control in different zones. In addition, in actual use, storage and retrieval operations require frequent opening of the tank cover, which will cause the liquid nitrogen to vaporize, and the vaporized cold source will be lost, resulting in cold source waste and increased enterprise costs.

[0005] Therefore, a tube array type liquid nitrogen storage tank is proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Technical problems solved

[0007] In view of the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides a tube array type liquid nitrogen storage tank, which can solve the problems in the prior art that the liquid nitrogen storage tank has a complex structure, cannot achieve precise temperature control in different zones, and has a low cold source utilization rate.

[0008] Technical Solution

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solutions:

[0010] The present invention provides a tube array type liquid nitrogen storage tank, comprising a tank body, a loading platform and a tube array member, wherein the loading platform comprises a fixed plate, an annular cavity for storing a cold source is provided at the bottom end of the fixed plate, and a plurality of valve ports for the cold source to flow out are arranged circumferentially at the top end of the fixed plate; the tube array member is provided with a plurality of valve ports, which are buckled one by one above the plurality of valve ports, and the top end of the tube array member is overlapped on the tank body through a hook; wherein a valve buckle capable of vertical elastic movement is provided in the middle of the valve port, the top of the valve buckle has an opening, and an annular guide groove is provided in the middle of the outer end of the valve buckle, and each tube array member has a through hole at the bottom. When the tube array member is buckled above the valve buckle and drives the valve buckle to move downward, the through hole at the bottom of the tube array member is connected to the annular cavity through the guide groove and is used for the circulation of the cold source.

[0011] Furthermore, one side of the tube array member has an opening, and several storage areas are spaced apart inside the member. An air cavity communicating with the through hole is provided on the inner side of the bottom end of the tube array member, and at least one air outlet channel communicating with the air cavity is provided inside the tube array member along its height direction, and an air outlet hole is provided in each storage area of ​​the air outlet channel.

[0012] Furthermore, the upper end of the fixed disk is cylindrical, and a return pipe is vertically fixed in the middle of the fixed disk. An air collecting hood is rotatably installed on the top of the return pipe, and a fan-shaped notch for the tube array is opened on the end face of the air collecting hood.

[0013] Furthermore, a heat-insulating block with a hollow interior is provided at the upper end of the fixing plate and between adjacent tube array members. The heat-insulating block is made of stainless steel or aluminum alloy.

[0014] Furthermore, the bottom of the heat-insulating block is communicated with the interior of the annular cavity.

[0015] Furthermore, a bearing is fixed to the top end of the return pipe, a fixed shaft is connected to the bottom end of the gas collecting cover, and the bottom of the fixed shaft is fixedly connected to the inner ring of the bearing by a guide.

[0016] Furthermore, a counterflow cavity is provided at the bottom end of the fixed disk and located in the inner circle of the annular cavity, and a plurality of tube array members are arranged circumferentially on the outside of the counterflow cavity, and a plurality of air flow holes are provided through the top of the counterflow cavity; wherein, an air inlet groove for the return flow of the gaseous cold source is provided on the outside of the upper end of the return pipe, and the lower end of the return pipe is communicated with the inside of the counterflow cavity.

[0017] Furthermore, the annular cavity is communicated with the interior of the reflux cavity.

[0018] Furthermore, it also includes an insulating plug, a rotating handle is provided in the middle of the insulating plug, and the bottom end of the insulating plug is plugged into the top guide of the gas collecting cover through a fixed shaft.

[0019] Furthermore, the tank wall of the tank body is a double-layer structure, and a vacuum treatment is performed between the double-layer structures.

[0020] Beneficial effects

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0022] The annular cavity and valve port design of the loading platform, combined with the through-holes and air cavities at the bottom of the tube array, form a directional cold source delivery channel, enabling liquid nitrogen to be distributed to various storage areas on demand, thereby improving the utilization rate of cold energy.

[0023] When a single pipe array component needs to be removed, the corresponding valve port can be closed through the elastically movable valve buckle to reduce the loss of cold source;

[0024] The connection design between the return pipe and the counterflow cavity allows the gaseous cooling source to flow back into the return pipe through the air inlet groove, forming a closed loop circulation and reducing the loss of cooling capacity.

[0025] Each tube array has multiple storage areas, and the cold air is evenly released through the air outlet channels and air outlet holes, achieving uniform temperature control in each area and significantly improving the insulation effect of frozen samples. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] To more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can also derive other drawings based on these drawings without inventive effort.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a storage tank according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a front cross-sectional structure of a storage tank structure in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of the loading platform in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the front view structure of the gas collecting hood in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the layout structure of the gas collecting hood and the rotating handle in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the fan-shaped notch structure in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 7A schematic diagram of the structure of a tube array component in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 8 In the embodiment of the present invention Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure at A in the middle;

[0035] Figure 9 This is a bottom view of the structure of the tube array in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the valve buckle structure in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] The numbers in the figure represent: 1. Tank body; 2. Loading platform; 21. Fixed plate; 210. Insulation block; 211. Annular cavity; 212. Valve mouth; 213. Valve buckle; 214. Guide groove; 215. Return pipe; 216. Gas collecting hood; 217. Fan-shaped notch; 218. Backflow cavity; 2181. Air flow hole; 219. Air inlet groove; 3. Pipe array component; 31. Through hole; 32. Storage area; 33. Air cavity; 34. Air outlet channel; 341. Air outlet; 5. Insulation plug; 51. Turning handle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It will be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are intended only to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. It should also be noted that, for ease of description, the accompanying drawings only illustrate portions relevant to the present invention, not all structures.

[0039] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "connected," "connected," and "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integration; mechanical connections or electrical connections; direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components or interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention in specific circumstances.

[0040] In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include the first and second features being in direct contact, or may include the first and second features being in contact not directly but through another feature between them. Furthermore, a first feature being "above," "above," and "above" a second feature may include the first feature being directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below," "below," and "below" a second feature may include the first feature being directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0041] In the description of this embodiment, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and other orientations or positional relationships are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely for ease of description and simplified operation. They do not indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used solely for descriptive purposes and have no special meanings.

[0042] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the embodiments.

[0043] Example:

[0044] Please refer to the attached Figure 1-10 This solution proposes a tube array type liquid nitrogen storage tank. The tube array type liquid nitrogen storage tank of the present invention includes a tank body 1 and an internal loading platform 2.

[0045] The tank body 1 has a double-layer structure, and the space between the double layers is vacuumed. An annular cavity 211 is provided at the bottom of the fixed plate 21 of the loading platform 2. The annular cavity 211 is connected to an input device for injecting liquid nitrogen from the outside through a connecting pipe and is used to store the input liquid nitrogen cold source. A plurality of valve ports 212 are evenly distributed along the circumference at the top of the fixed plate 21.

[0046] A vertically movable valve clip 213 is mounted in the center of each valve port 212. The top of the clip 213 has an opening, and an annular flow guide groove 214 is defined in the center of the outer end. A through-hole 31 is defined at the bottom of the tube array 3. When the tube array 3 is secured over the valve port 212 and the clip 213 is pressed downward, the through-hole 31 communicates with the annular cavity 211 via the flow guide groove 214, allowing liquid nitrogen to flow into the tube array 3.

[0047] It should be noted that an elastic reset component (such as a spring or an elastic rubber pad, a spring is used in this embodiment) is connected to the bottom of the valve buckle 213. In the normal state (the tube array 3 is not placed on the valve buckle 213), the valve buckle 213 is pushed upward by the elastic force, so that the liquid nitrogen flow path between the guide groove 214 and the annular cavity 211 is blocked. When the tube array 3 is placed on the valve buckle 213, the valve buckle 213 is pressed down under the action of pressure, opening the liquid nitrogen flow path between the guide groove 214 and the annular cavity 211.

[0048] There are a plurality of tube array members 3 , and a plurality of through holes 31 are formed at the center of the bottom of each tube array member 3 .

[0049] When the tube array member 3 is buckled above the valve port 212, the bottom through hole 31 thereof presses the top of the valve buckle 213, forcing the valve buckle 213 to move downward. At this time, the guide groove 214 is connected with the annular cavity 211, and the liquid nitrogen cooling source enters the through hole 31 of the tube array member 3 through the guide groove 214 and enters the air cavity 33, and then the liquid nitrogen cooling source flows from the air cavity 33 to the air outlet channel 34.

[0050] Similarly, when the corresponding pipe array component 3 is taken out, the pipe array component 3 no longer presses the valve buckle 213, and the valve buckle 213 automatically resets upward under the push of the elastic reset component at the bottom, at this time re-blocking the liquid nitrogen flow path between the guide groove 214 and the annular cavity 211. The outer wall of the lower end of the valve buckle 213 in this embodiment can also have a tapered sealing surface, and a sealing ring (such as a fluororubber ring) is provided on the inner wall of the valve port 212, thereby further improving the fit and sealing degree, completely closing the channel between the valve port 212 and the annular cavity 211, and preventing the liquid nitrogen cooling source from overflowing from the corresponding valve port 212, ensuring that only the valve port 212 corresponding to the removed pipe array component 3 is opened briefly, and the other valve ports 212 remain sealed, thereby significantly reducing the loss of cooling capacity.

[0051] like Figure 3 As shown, each tube array member 3 is a cavity with a single-sided opening. Its interior is divided into multiple storage areas 32 by partitions. An air cavity 33 is provided on the inner side of the bottom end of the tube array member 3. The air cavity 33 communicates with the guide groove 214 via a through hole 31. An air outlet channel 34 is provided on each side of the tube array member 3 in the height direction. Each air outlet channel 34 defines an air outlet hole 341 within each storage area 32.

[0052] After the liquid nitrogen enters the air cavity 33 , it releases cold energy evenly to each storage area through the air outlet channel 34 and the air outlet holes 341 in the air outlet channel 34 , thereby realizing independent temperature control of each zone.

[0053] In this embodiment, a return pipe 215 is vertically fixed in the middle of the fixed plate 21. The top end of the return pipe 215 is rotatably connected to the air collecting cover 216 through a bearing and adopts a detachable design.

[0054] Specifically, the inner ring of the bearing arranged at the top of the return pipe 215 is provided with several key slots, and a connecting shaft is provided in the middle of the gas collecting cover 216. The position of the connecting shaft corresponding to the key slot is provided with a key that engages with it, thereby achieving detachable cooperation with the bearing.

[0055] A counterflow chamber 218 is provided in the inner circle of the annular chamber 211 (i.e., the side close to the center of the fixed disk 21). The counterflow chamber 218 and the annular chamber 211 are connected through a channel (not separately marked) at the bottom to achieve the interaction between liquid nitrogen and the gaseous cold source. A return pipe 215 is vertically fixed in the middle of the fixed disk 21, and its lower end is connected to the interior of the counterflow chamber 218. An air inlet groove 219 is provided on the outer side of the upper end of the return pipe 215.

[0056] After the liquid nitrogen is vaporized in the tube array 3, since the gas collecting cover 216 is buckled on the top of the gaseous cold source, part of the gaseous cold source will pass through the air inlet groove 219 and enter the return pipe 215, and flow downward along the return pipe 215 to the counterflow chamber 218. Since the bottom of the return pipe 215 is close to the liquid cold source and the temperature is lower, the gaseous cold source will be re-liquefied during the circulation process.

[0057] It should be noted that the gas collecting hood 216 in this embodiment is made of aluminum, and an annular cavity is opened on the outer edge of its bottom end. When the gaseous cooling source surges upward, when it encounters the gas collecting hood 216 with a lower temperature, a portion of the gaseous cooling source will condense on the inner surface of the gas collecting hood 216 and form a liquid cooling source that enters the annular cavity.

[0058] The gaseous cooling source liquefies in the counterflow chamber 218 or re-enters the annular chamber 211 through the airflow holes 2181, forming a cooling source circulation loop. This design, combined with the aforementioned "internal communication between the annular chamber 211 and the counterflow chamber 218," achieves efficient recovery and reuse of the cooling source.

[0059] A plurality of air flow holes 2181 penetrating the upper surface of the fixed plate 21 are provided at the top of the counterflow cavity 218 for the circulation of the gaseous cooling source.

[0060] The lower end of the reflux pipe 215 is connected to the counterflow chamber 218, and a number of air inlet grooves 219 are provided on the outer side of the upper end. Due to the obstruction of the gas collecting hood 216 and the removal of the tube array component 3, even if the liquid nitrogen flow port at the corresponding tube array component 3 is blocked, a certain amount of overflow will still occur instantaneously, and the overflowing cold source will be blocked by the gas collecting hood 216. Due to the existence of the air inlet grooves 219, the gaseous cold source enters the reflux pipe 215 through the air inlet grooves 219 and is liquefied in the reflux pipe 215. In this way, both liquid and gaseous cold sources will flow back to the counterflow chamber 218 and flow away from the air flow hole 2181 for recycling.

[0061] Furthermore, the tubular design of the return pipe 215 can produce a certain amount of condensation during the flow of the gas source. When it flows back to the counterflow chamber 218, due to its proximity to the liquid nitrogen cooling source, the temperature is lower than that above, and it will be re-condensed into liquid and enter the counterflow chamber 218.

[0062] A heat preservation block 210 made of stainless steel or aluminum alloy is arranged between adjacent tube array members 3, the bottom of which is connected to the annular cavity 211. The heat preservation block 210 is dynamically cooled by the low-temperature cold source in the annular cavity 211 to reduce the escape of cold.

[0063] like Figure 4-5 As shown, a rotating handle 51 is fixedly provided in the middle of the thermal insulation plug 5, and the bottom end of the rotating handle 51 is plugged into the top center hole of the gas collecting cover 216 through a fixed shaft.

[0064] The plug-in structure utilizes a guide keyway design common in the prior art. Two symmetrically spaced guide keys are located at the end of the fixed shaft, and corresponding keyways are located in the inner wall of the central hole at the top of the gas hood 216. During insertion, the guide keys align with the keyways, ensuring that the fixed shaft in the thermal plug 5 and the gas hood 216 rotate synchronously and do not disengage. A fan-shaped notch 217 is defined on the end face of the gas hood 216. When the handle 51 is rotated, the thermal plug 5 drives the gas hood 216 to rotate about the axis of the return pipe 215, aligning the fan-shaped notches 217 with different positions of the pipe array 3.

[0065] When accessing samples, the handle 51 is rotated to align the sector-shaped notch 217 with the target tube array 3, and the tube array 3 is directly lifted through the notch without opening the entire cover.

[0066] After putting the tube array component 3 back, the handle 51 is rotated in the opposite direction to drive the gas collecting hood 216 to reset. The fan-shaped notch 217 is offset from the tube array component 3 to form an airtight interface, and a certain mark can be opened on the top of the insulation plug 5. When the tank cover is opened, the target tube array component 3 to which the fan-shaped notch 217 is aligned can be adjusted, reducing the time for adjusting the gas collecting hood 216 when pulling out the insulation plug 5, avoiding excessive outflow of the cold source. The tank wall of the tank body 1 is a double-layer structure, and the double-layer structure is vacuumed.

[0067] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit the same. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements will not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the protection scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tube array type liquid nitrogen storage tank, characterized in that: include: Tank (1); A loading platform (2), the loading platform (2) comprising a fixed plate (21), an annular cavity (211) for storing a cold source being provided at the bottom end of the fixed plate (21), and a plurality of valve ports (212) for the cold source to flow out being arranged circumferentially at the top end of the fixed plate (21); A plurality of pipe array members (3) are provided and are snapped onto the tops of the plurality of valve ports (212), and the top ends of the pipe array members (3) are connected to the tank body (1) via hooks; Wherein, a vertically elastically movable valve buckle (213) is provided in the middle of the valve port (212), the top of the valve buckle (213) has an opening, and an annular guide groove (214) is provided in the middle of the outer end of the valve buckle (213), and each tube array member (3) is provided with a through hole (31) at the bottom. When the tube array member (3) is buckled on the top of the valve buckle (213) and the valve buckle (213) is driven to move downward, the bottom through hole (31) of the tube array member (3) is connected to the annular cavity (211) through the guide groove (214) and is used for the circulation of the cold source; One side of the tube array member (3) has an opening, and a plurality of storage areas (32) are spaced apart inside the tube array member (3). An air cavity (33) communicating with the through hole (31) is provided on the inner side of the bottom end of the tube array member (3), and at least one air outlet channel (34) communicating with the air cavity (33) is provided in the tube array member (3) along its height direction. The air outlet channel (34) is provided with an air outlet hole (341) in each storage area (32). The upper end of the fixed disk (21) is cylindrical, and a return pipe (215) is vertically fixed in the middle of the fixed disk (21). A gas collecting cover (216) is rotatably mounted on the top end of the return pipe (215). A fan-shaped notch (217) for the pipe array member (3) is provided on the end surface of the gas collecting cover (216); A counterflow cavity (218) is provided at the bottom end of the fixed disk (21) and located in the inner circle of the annular cavity (211); a plurality of tube array elements (3) are arranged circumferentially outside the counterflow cavity (218); and a plurality of airflow holes (2181) are provided through the top end of the counterflow cavity (218); The outer side of the upper end of the return pipe (215) is provided with an air inlet groove (219) for the return of the gaseous cold source, and the lower end of the return pipe (215) is communicated with the interior of the counterflow cavity (218); The annular cavity (211) is in communication with the interior of the counterflow cavity (218).

2. The tube array type liquid nitrogen storage tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: A heat-insulating block (210) with a hollow interior is provided at the upper end of the fixing plate (21) and between adjacent tube array members (3). The heat-insulating block (210) is made of stainless steel or aluminum alloy.

3. The tube array type liquid nitrogen storage tank according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bottom of the heat-insulating block (210) is in communication with the interior of the annular cavity (211).

4. The tube array type liquid nitrogen storage tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: A bearing is fixed to the top end of the return pipe (215), a fixed shaft is connected to the bottom end of the gas collecting cover (216), and the bottom end of the fixed shaft is fixedly connected to the inner ring of the bearing through a guide insert.

5. The tube array type liquid nitrogen storage tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes an insulating plug (5), wherein a rotating handle (51) is provided in the middle of the insulating plug (5), and the bottom end of the insulating plug (5) is plugged into and matched with the top guide of the gas collecting cover (216) via a fixed shaft.

6. A tube array type liquid nitrogen storage tank according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The tank wall of the tank body (1) is a double-layer structure, and a vacuum treatment is performed between the double-layer structures.

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