Container for storing and transporting organic peroxids

Abstract

The present invention relates to a container provided with heat insulation means (8), characterized in that the heat insulation means (8) are removable and consist of a partition having a multilayered structure, or films, arranged between the wall of the tank (5) and at least the walls of two of the above-mentioned sides (2, 2') as well as the upper surface (4) of the container (1). The invention further relates to the use of such heat insulation means (8) in a conventional container (1).

Description

Field of invention

[0001] The invention relates to a means for transporting, safely and without degradation, heat-sensitive products, particularly in regions where exposure to very high temperatures is unavoidable. The invention relates more particularly to a metal container for the storage and transport of organic peroxides.

[0002] As an example of heat-sensitive products, organic peroxides (or more generally, chemical compounds capable of initiating and / or promoting the polymerization / crosslinking of polymers) should be noted, for which the present invention is particularly intended to provide a solution. Indeed, particular safety considerations must be taken during the storage and transport of organic peroxides, more particularly in relation to the temperature of said peroxides (often present in liquid or even pasty form).

[0003] Organic peroxides having particularly low decomposition temperatures are advantageously packaged in the form of an aqueous emulsion, comprising an antifreeze, said antifreeze allowing the emulsion to be maintained in liquid form, at temperatures below -10°C, preferably below -20°C. These negative temperatures make it possible to prevent the uncontrolled decomposition of said peroxides during storage and transport operations. The presence of water, as a heat transfer fluid, makes it possible to absorb and dissipate the energy generated in the event of possible decomposition of said peroxides.

[0004] In contrast to (very) low temperatures, organic peroxides are also transported to hot regions such as the Middle East. Furthermore, these transports inevitably involve periods of storage in particularly hot locations, particularly due to their exposure to sunlight. State of the art

[0005] Chemical products are traditionally transported in conventional metal containers in which the temperature quickly becomes very high, depending on the extreme environmental conditions.

[0006] When the products transported and stored in the metal container are particularly sensitive to high temperatures and present a risk of ignition or even explosion, refrigeration systems are installed in the metal containers. There are also extremely complex thermal insulation systems that require lengthy and costly installation in the container.

[0007] Such complex refrigeration or thermal insulation systems are for example disclosed in the following documents: FR 1272944, FR 1273907, FR 1515058, FR 2407434 and FR 2822880.

[0008] All these systems are particularly expensive, due to their installation and / or the necessary cost of power supply, and often require significant and irreversible transformation / adaptation of the container. As a result, the availability of such containers is limited and does not allow occasional peaks in demand to be absorbed.

[0009] WO2008 / 014572 A1 discloses a container for the transport of thermally sensitive goods, such as wine bottles, but not requiring special safety precautions. The container is clad along its inner walls with double-sided reflective insulating layers.

[0010] Currently, it is necessary to propose, for the transport and storage of peroxides, a flexible and inexpensive system, while being absolutely reliable in its primary function of thermal insulation. Brief description of the invention

[0011] The applicant has discovered an insulation system particularly well suited to the transport and storage of peroxides in conventionally used containers. This thermal insulation system, removable and requiring no energy source, maintains the temperature of these products below their operability temperature limit, from which the risks of degradation, or even explosion, of said products become significant.

[0012] The present invention thus relates to a container for the storage and transport of organic peroxides, as defined in claim 1.

[0013] The following aspects and features of the invention are: advantageously, the thermal insulation means are arranged between the four aforementioned sides of the container and the tank; advantageously, the distance between the wall of the tank and the partition is at least two centimeters, preferably at least five centimeters; according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the thermal insulation means are mechanically fixed to the container by a plurality of attachment and gripping points, respectively present on the thermal insulation means and on the container; more precisely, the attachment points consist of hooks intended to engage in a plurality of corresponding gripping points arranged on the walls of the container; also, the attachment points of the thermal insulation means are protruding and are at least partially surrounded by a thermally insulating material;preferably, one of the films of the partition with a multi-layer structure consists of a metal film, preferably aluminum, said metal film preferably forming an outer layer of said multi-layer structure. In this embodiment, this metal film has a thermal reflection capacity of at least 95%. advantageously, one of the films is polyethylene and another film is polyester; advantageously, at least one of the films of the partition with a multi-layer structure has an air bubble structure. according to a particularly advantageous aspect of the invention, the thermal insulation means are capable of maintaining the organic peroxides contained in the (thermoplastic) reservoir at a temperature below 60°C, preferably 50°C, and even more preferably below 45°C. ;

[0014] Thermal insulation methods are in fact particularly suitable for use with all types of containers, particularly the metal ones traditionally used today for the transport and storage of all types of products.

[0015] The invention has the following advantages: the thermal insulation means are removable and can be mounted and dismounted within a container by an operator (alone) in a very short time; the thermal insulation means adapt and are fixed, without any modification of the conventional metal container currently used; the thermal insulation means prevent any conduction of heat between the metal container and the thermoplastic tank; the thermal insulation means have a structure allowing them to reflect at least 95% of the heat coming from the outside (the thermal insulation means envelop, at least partially, a volume forming the thermally insulated enclosure in which is arranged, in the present invention, the tank containing the heat-sensitive products);the insulation means according to the invention do not require any energy supply source (in contrast in particular to cooling systems such as cold rooms or the like); the insulation means are fixed and arranged in such a way that they form two air chambers each forming a thermally insulating layer enclosing the thermal insulation means on either side.;

[0016] The following description, in conjunction with the attached figures, is given solely for illustrative and non-limiting purposes. Brief description of the figures

[0017] there figure 1 is a sectional view illustrating the thermal insulation means arranged and fixed in a conventional metal container; the figure 2 is a detailed view of a hanging element of the thermal insulation means; the figure 3 is a detailed view of the grip elements present in a metal container; the figure 4is a front view of the metal container, with the doors open, in which the thermal insulation means have been installed. Detailed description of the invention

[0018] The container 1 is a conventional metal container. This container 1 has two parallel longitudinal sides 2, 2' and two lateral sides 3, perpendicular to said longitudinal sides, the longitudinal sides 2, 2' having larger dimensions than the lateral sides 3. It also comprises two faces, upper 4 and lower 4', so that obviously, this type of container 1 is closed in particular during the transport of goods or products.

[0019] The container 1 being intended to directly receive products / goods and / or one or more tanks 5 or similar containing such products, it conventionally has an opening 6. This opening 6 is visible here on the figure 4and consists of two leaves 7, 7' of the container 1 opening and closing one of the two lateral sides 3.

[0020] Container 1 also conventionally has walls whose section has a substantially notched shape so as to provide, in particular, better mechanical resistance to impacts.

[0021] The present invention advantageously uses this conventional structure of metal containers 1 in that it makes it possible to create an air chamber between the walls of the container 1 and the thermal insulation means 8.

[0022] The container 1 conventionally comprises at least one vent, generally located on its upper face 4, allowing a certain exchange of air between the interior of the container 1 and the external environment. The opening of this vent is often adjustable and can even be completely closed.

[0023] This type of container 1 typically includes gripping means 9, such as those visible on the figure 3 . Attachment means 10, present on the thermal insulation means 8, consisting of curved hooks, allow the removable mechanical fixing of the thermal insulation means 8 to the container 1 via its gripping means 9, spaced from each other and conventionally present near the junction of the upper face 4 and the sides 2, 2' or 3. In this way, a single operator can easily fix the thermal insulation means 8 in the container 1, the attachment means 10 being ideally present in a number equivalent to the gripping means 9 present in the container 1. Nevertheless, it is possible to equip the container with such gripping means 9 (additional), using removable gripping means fixed to the container 1 for example by a nut or the like, or even by gluing.

[0024] It should be noted that the thermal insulation means 8 do not necessarily have fixing means in the lower part, the thermal insulation panels, constituted by the partition with multi-layer structure, extending vertically until they touch the lower face 4' of the container 1. Of course, gripping means 9 and attachment means 10, possibly having elastic (or spring) parts, can also be envisaged respectively on the walls of the container 1 and the thermal insulation means 8.

[0025] The insulation means 8 also have at each attachment means 10 a protruding part 11 fixing said means, this protruding part 11 being advantageously made of a thermal insulating material. It has indeed been found that it is particularly important to avoid any physical contact with the walls 2, 2', 3 (metallic) of the container 1 because the latter, by their very nature, heat up very quickly when the containers are placed in an environment having a (very) high temperature. The thermal insulation means 8 according to the invention advantageously make it possible, by their fixing and their arrangement in the container 1, to avoid any thermal conduction of heat between the walls 2, 2', 3 and 4 of the container 1 and the product reservoir 5.

[0026] The thermal insulation means 8 can be installed so as to (re)cover at least the two longitudinal sides 2, 2' as well as the upper face 4. Nevertheless, advantageously, the thermal insulation means 8 will extend between the tank 5 and the four sides 2, 2' and 3. In this case, on the lateral face 3 presenting the opening of the container 1, the thermal insulation means 8 can easily be divided like the flaps 7, 7' of the opening of the container 1, for example thanks to a zipped closure / opening 12 allowing an operator to open the thermal insulation means 8 on this side 3, without requiring the complete removal of the latter 8. figure 4schematically illustrates the lateral side 3 of the container 1 where the opening is located and the thermal insulation means 8 are visible with the zipped opening / closing 12 extending vertically over the entire height in order to allow the opening of said means 8, identical to the two leaves 7, 7' of the opening of the container 1.

[0027] It is considered here that a good thermal insulating material, by conduction, has at least a thermal conductivity, expressed in Wm -1< .K -1< (Watt per meter per Kelvin) at 20°C, of ​​less than 0.1 Wm -1< .K -1< , preferably less than 0.05 Wm -1< .K -1< .

[0028] The thermal insulation partition 8 consists of a multi-structured canvas or fabric, i.e. consisting of a plurality of layers or films fixed to each other. The thermal insulation means 8 are ideally formed of a plurality of adjacent layers or films each having heat barrier properties, whether by radiation, convection or of course by conduction, but also having a synergistic thermal insulation effect due to the association, in a well-defined order, of these different layers or films.

[0029] Of course, an essential aspect of the present invention lies in the fact that these thermal insulation means 8 are light and relatively flexible so that a single operator can, without difficulty, adjust, arrange and fix said means 8 in the container 1.

[0030] Furthermore, mechanical means, such as hooks or the like, may be present over the entire interior surface of the container 1 and cooperate with anchoring means located on the thermal insulation means 8 so as to properly tension this multilayer structure and effectively provide two thermal insulation chambers 14, 15 having a substantially constant volume. Indeed, one of the main aims of the present invention is to provide two thermal insulation chambers, each filled with air (which forms per se a good means of thermal insulation), separated by an excellent means of thermal insulation, in this case the multilayer structure according to the invention.

[0031] Optionally, the air chamber 15 may be filled with a refrigerant gas capable of cooling this section and in particular the tank 5 containing the heat-sensitive materials. This solution is possible due to the impermeability of the multilayer structure 8.

[0032] In this way, whatever the external conditions, and therefore the environmental conditions that the tank is subjected to, the heat-sensitive material that it contains will not rise in temperature, or at least not beyond a critical threshold.

[0033] The outer wall of the thermal insulation means 8 is advantageously made of a metallic material which is an excellent heat reflector and diffuses by radiation. Such a material may be aluminum. Thus, this metallic material may be located at both ends of the sandwich formed by the multilayer structure of the thermal insulation means 8 or at least present on the outer side (forming the layer or film closest to the walls 2, 2', 3 or 4 of the container 1).

[0034] Apart from the outer metallic layer, possibly present on both sides of the multi-structure, all other layers or films are excellent thermal insulators (zero or very low thermal conduction) with regard to the definition given previously.

[0035] Thus, one of the layers of the thermal insulation means 8 will advantageously be made of polyethylene and another layer of polyester. Of course, these elements can be replaced by other polymer materials having excellent thermal insulation properties, such as, for example, polyurethane foam or expanded polystyrene.

[0036] In addition, the thermal insulation means may advantageously include an air bubble layer, conventionally made of polyethylene, because such a layer forms a very good thermal insulator.

[0037] Finally, an advantageous aspect of the invention lies in the formation of two air chambers 14, 15 (excellent thermal insulation) obtained thanks to the particular installation of the thermal insulation means 8 according to the invention. Thus, there is an air chamber 14 between the walls of the container 1 and the thermal insulation means 8 and between the insulation means 8 and the tank(s) 5. This arrangement also avoids creating points of thermal conduction, in other words points of contact between the tank(s) 5 and the walls 2, 2', 3 or 4 of the container 1, the latter having the highest temperatures.

[0038] Tests were conducted by the holder. Three metal containers, each having a different internal volume and having a tank 5 containing a control liquid comprising temperature measuring means, were equipped for two of them with the thermal insulation means 8 according to the invention, the third being left without additional insulation as a control. These thermal insulation means 8 were arranged and fixed inside the container 1 in accordance with the use prescribed for said means 8.

[0039] These three containers 1 were stored in a hot region, more precisely in the Middle East, for several days and it was observed that the liquids in the two insulated containers never reached a temperature higher than 50-60°C, more precisely the temperature of the liquid was always lower than 45°C. On the other hand, the liquid in the tank of the non-insulated container reached a temperature of 62°C, the air temperature around the tank having exceeded 70°C for several hours.

[0040] The tests show that, contrary to what one might expect from a passive thermal insulation device (non-energy consuming), the results are particularly interesting in that they make it possible to maintain, even during transport and storage in extremely hot regions, temperatures compatible with the safety of heat-sensitive products such as peroxides.

Claims

1. Container for storing and transporting organic peroxides, the container (1) having two parallel longitudinal sides (2, 2') and two parallel lateral sides (3) and an upper face (4) and a lower face (4'), the preferably metallic container (1) comprising at least one reservoir (5) which is preferably made of thermoplastic and is designed to accommodate organic peroxides such as in particular polymerization and / or crosslinking initiators, said container (1) comprising at least one opening designed to allow the reservoir (5) containing said organic peroxides to be inserted and removed, and thermal insulation means (8), in which container the thermal insulation means (8) are removable and consist of a partition whose structure has a plurality of layers or films arranged between the wall of the reservoir (5) and at least the walls of two of the above-mentioned sides (2, 2' or 3) as well as the upper face (4) of the container (1), and the partition (8) is arranged spaced apart from each one of said walls (2, 2', 3, 4) so as to form two air chambers (14, 15) respectively between the walls (2, 2', 3, 4) of the container (1) and the partition (8) and between the partition and the wall of the reservoir (5), the distance between the partition (8) and the walls (2, 2', 3) of the side or of the face (4) of the container (1) being of at least one centimetre, preferably at least three centimetres, and the partition having the multi-layer structure (8) has at least three thermoplastic and / or thermosetting films.

2. Container according to Claim 1, characterized in that the thermal insulation means (8) are arranged between the four above-mentioned sides (2, 2' and 3) of the container (1) and the reservoir (5).

3. Container according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the distance between the wall of the reservoir (5) and the partition (8) is of at least two centimetres, preferably at least five centimetres.

4. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the thermal insulation means (8) are secured mechanically to the container (1) by means of a plurality of attachment points (10) and eyes (9) respectively present on the thermal insulation means (8) and on the container (1).

5. Container according to Claim 4, characterized in that the attachment points (10) consist of hooks that are designed to engage in a plurality of corresponding eye points (9) arranged on the walls (2, 2', 3) of the container (1).

6. Container according to Claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the attachment points (10) of the thermal insulation means (8) project and are at least partially surrounded by a thermally insulating material.

7. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one of the films of the partition having a multilayer structure (8) consists of a metal film, preferably of aluminium, said metal film preferably forming an external layer of said multilayer structure.

8. Container according to Claim 8, characterized in that one film is made of polyethylene and another film is made of polyester.

9. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the films of the partition having a multilayer structure (8) has an air-bubble structure.

10. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the thermal insulation means are suitable for keeping the organic peroxides contained in the reservoir at a temperature below 60°C, preferably 50°C, and more preferably below 45°C.

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