Autonomous refrigerated wagon

Abstract

The utility model relates to isothermal transport vehicles, namely to autonomous refrigerated railcars for the transportation of perishable goods. The autonomous refrigerated railcar operates using liquefied natural gas (LNG). Liquefied natural gas from a cryogenic tank for liquefied natural gas (14), under pressure created by a cryogenic pump (15), enters a cryogenic coil heat exchanger (17) located inside a sealed cargo compartment (5) through an adjustable valve (16). Passing through the heat exchanger (17), the liquefied natural gas evaporates due to the removal of heat from the circulating air, providing cooling of the air in the cargo compartment (5). Regasified natural gas is fed through a gas manifold (18) to a gas piston engine (10). The engine (10) rotates the electric generator (11), which ensures the operation of the autonomous refrigeration unit (9), the gas discharge generator (19) and the ozone destructor (25).The technical result is an increase in the energy efficiency of an autonomous refrigerated wagon. 2 ill.

Description

[0001] The utility model relates to railway transport, and more specifically to autonomous refrigerated wagons designed for the transportation of perishable goods while maintaining a specified temperature regime and regulating the gas environment in the cargo compartment.

[0002] This refrigerated car is known (RU 188285, B60P3 / 20, 04.09.2018). The engine room is located on one side of the self-contained refrigerated car and contains a diesel generator unit that supplies power to the refrigeration and heating units. The engine room is separated from the cargo compartment by a bulkhead, which houses the refrigeration and heating units. The diesel fuel tank is secured to a frame under the engine room floor.

[0003] The disadvantage of this autonomous refrigerated car is its low energy efficiency, due to the use of diesel fuel to ensure autonomy and the lack of auxiliary equipment to monitor the air quality in the cargo compartment.

[0004] A self-contained refrigerated car (RU 150697, B60P3 / 20, 24.09.2014) is known, selected as a prototype, comprising a body on a frame mounted on two-axle bogies consisting of a frame and wheel pairs, an electric generator suspended from the frame and having a drive from the axle of the bogie wheel pair, inside the body there is a sealed cargo compartment with an internal lining made of ozone-resistant material. At one end of the sealed cargo compartment, a gas flow distributor is installed, connected through an inlet valve to a gas-discharge generator controlled by a control unit and a throttle. At the other end of the sealed cargo compartment, a second gas flow distributor is installed, connected in series through an outlet valve to an ozone destructor and an air flow former.The air blower creates a vacuum in the cargo compartment, then an ozone-oxygen mixture is injected into the cargo area from a gas-discharge generator, and the exhaust gas then passes through an ozone destructor. The ozone-oxygen mixture disinfects the air, walls, and surfaces of the cargo, thereby extending the shelf life of perishable goods.

[0005] The disadvantage of the prototype is its low energy efficiency during stops and during low-speed movements, due to the fact that the energy supply of the autonomous refrigerated car is carried out from an electric generator driven by the wheelset.

[0006] The objective of the utility model is to increase the energy efficiency of an autonomous refrigerated wagon by using liquefied natural gas (LNG) as an energy carrier and refrigerant.

[0007] The technical result is achieved in that in an autonomous refrigerated car containing a body on a frame, in which a sealed cargo compartment is made with doors and an internal lining made of ozone-resistant material, at one end of which a first gas flow distributor is installed, connected in series through an inlet valve with a gas-discharge generator and a throttle, and at the other end a second gas flow distributor is installed, connected in series through an outlet valve with an ozone destructor and an air flow former, the cargo compartment is divided by a partition into a sealed cargo compartment and an engine room, in which an autonomous refrigeration unit is located and a power plant on liquefied natural gas is installed, including a gas piston engine, the shaft of which is mechanically connected to the shaft of an electric power generator, and a cryogenic tank for liquefied natural gas,the outlet of which, through a series-installed cryogenic pump and adjustable valve, is connected by a pipeline to the inlet of a cryogenic coil heat exchanger, rigidly fixed inside the sealed cargo compartment on the bulkhead, while the outlet of the cryogenic coil heat exchanger is connected through a gas manifold to the fuel inlet of a gas piston engine, and the outlet of the electric power generator is connected to the power inputs of the compressor-condenser unit of the autonomous refrigeration unit, the air cooler, the gas discharge generator and the ozone destructor.

[0008] Fig. 1 shows the general view of the design diagram of an autonomous refrigerated car, Fig. 2 shows the basic diagram of the process equipment.

[0009] The autonomous refrigerated car contains a body 1 (Fig. 1), rigidly mounted on a frame 2. The cargo compartment of the body 1 is divided by a partition 3 into an engine room 4 and a sealed cargo compartment 5. The inner surface of the lining of the sealed cargo compartment 5 is made of an ozone-resistant material - sheets of stainless steel, anodized aluminum or polycarbonate. In the side wall of the body 1 there are doors 6 for loading and access to the sealed cargo compartment 5. In the engine room 4 and the sealed cargo compartment 5, the frame 2 is closed with a floor covering 7. On the partition 3 on the side of the engine room 4 there is a casing 8 of an independent refrigeration unit 9. As an independent refrigeration unit 9 the following can be used: Supra 1250 MT CNG City (https: / / www.shareddocs.com / hvac / docs / 2000 / Public / 0E / carrier-transicold-solutions-ecatalog-en.pdf) without additional devices or Thermo King V-1000 MAX 20 (https: / / europe.thermoking.eu / com / wp-content / uploads / 2021 / 09 / ТК80071_V-1000_SalesBrochure-09-2021-RU_V2.0_L R.pdf) with a Kubota WG972-N-E4 gas piston engine (https: / / engine.kubota.com / en / products / product_pdf / 97_pdf_l.pdf) or Frigoblock FK2 (https: / / thermokingzapp.com / preview / frigoblocl / ?url=aHR0cHM6Ly90aGVy bW9raW5nemFwcC5jb20vZmstbGVhZmxldC1lbi8=) with a PSI 2.4L Turbo NG gas piston engine (https: / / psiengines.com / wp-content / uploads / 2025 / 08 / PSI-PSYSTEMS_2.4LT-Gas_Engine.pdf) or similar. In the casing 8 of the autonomous refrigeration unit 9, a gas piston engine 10 is rigidly fixed, the shaft of which is mechanically connected to the shaft of the electric power generator 11, and a compressor-condenser unit 12, the power input of which is connected to the output of the electric power generator 11. On the side of the sealed cargo compartment 5, under the ceiling on the partition 3, an air cooler 13 is fixed, connected by a pipeline to the compressor-condenser unit 12.

[0010] A cryogenic tank for liquefied natural gas 14 is rigidly fixed to the flooring 7 of the engine room 4 and is connected by a fuel pipeline to the gas piston engine 10. Between the cryogenic tank with liquefied natural gas 14 and the gas piston engine 10, a pipeline branch is installed to the sealed cargo compartment 5. A cryogenic pump 15 is installed on the supply line before the branch, the inlet of which is connected to the outlet of the cryogenic tank for liquefied natural gas 14. The pipeline branch after the cryogenic pump 15 is connected to the inlet of the adjustable valve 16. The outlet of the adjustable valve 16 is connected by a pipeline to the inlet of the cryogenic coil heat exchanger 17. The cryogenic coil heat exchanger 17 is installed on the partition 3 under the air cooler 13. The cryogenic coil heat exchanger 17 is made of seamless cold-formed steel, resistant to cryogenic and vibration loads.The outlet of the cryogenic coil heat exchanger 17 is connected by a pipeline to the inlet of the gas manifold 18. The inlet of the gas manifold 18 is also connected by a pipeline to the outlet of the cryogenic pump 15. The outlet of the gas manifold 18 is connected to the fuel inlet of the gas piston engine 10. The gas manifold 18 is made hermetically sealed using cold-formed steel. Also, a gas discharge generator 19 is rigidly fixed in the engine room 4. The gas discharge generator 19 is connected by an air duct through an inlet valve 20 and a throttle 21 with the first gas flow distributor 22, located in the sealed cargo compartment 5 on the partition 3. The outlet of the second gas flow distributor 23 is located at the opposite end of the sealed cargo compartment 5 and is connected through an outlet valve 24 to the inlet of the ozone destructor 25, and then with the external environment through a ventilation duct from the air flow former 26.In the engine room 4, the control and automation unit 27 is rigidly fixed. Outside the body 1, near the doors 6, an external control panel 28 is installed, the output of which is connected to the input of the control and automation unit 27. The output of the electric power generator 11 (Fig. 2) is connected to the power inputs of the compressor-condenser unit 12, the air cooler 13, the cryogenic pump 15, the gas-discharge generator 19, the ozone destructor 25 and the control and automation unit 27. The outputs of the control and automation unit 27 are connected to the control inputs of the cryogenic pump 15, the adjustable valve 16, the inlet valve 20, the outlet valve 24, the gas-discharge generator 19 and the compressor-condenser unit 12 (Fig. 2).

[0011] The operation of the autonomous refrigerated car is as follows. Before transportation, the cargo is loaded through doors 6 into the pre-prepared, sealed cargo compartment 5 (Fig. 1). After doors 6 are closed, the operator sends a signal from external control panel 28 to control and automation unit 27, which starts the power plant. LNG from the cryogenic tank for liquefied natural gas 14 partially evaporates during storage in the cryogenic tank with LNG 14 due to heat influx from the engine room 4. The vapors and liquid phase under the working pressure created by the cryogenic pump 15 enter the gas manifold 18, from where the regasified LNG is sent to the gas piston engine 10. The gas piston engine 10 drives the electric generator 11, which supplies power to all the electrical equipment of the autonomous refrigerated car and the autonomous refrigeration unit 9.When additional cooling is required, control and automation unit 27 opens adjustable valve 16. LNG from the pipeline connecting the outlet of cryogenic tank for liquefied natural gas 14 and the inlet of manifold 18 enters the internal cavity of cryogenic coil heat exchanger 17. Air inside the sealed cargo compartment 5, circulated by the pressure created by air cooler 13, washes the surface of cryogenic coil heat exchanger 17, releasing heat for LNG regasification, providing additional cooling capacity. Regasified LNG enters gas manifold 18, then gas piston engine 10.

[0012] While the autonomous refrigerated car is in motion and parked, control and automation unit 27 initiates an ozone disinfection cycle. Discharge valve 24 opens, creating a vacuum inside the sealed cargo compartment 5 via the second gas flow distributor 23. Once the vacuum reaches the preset level, discharge valve 24 closes. Based on a signal from the control and automation unit 27, the gas-discharge generator 19 in the engine room 4 is switched on and the inlet valve 20 is simultaneously opened. Under the influence of the pressure difference in the sealed cargo compartment 5 and the atmospheric pressure, the ozone-oxygen mixture obtained by ozonizing the air of the engine room 4 in the gas-discharge generator 19 enters through the inlet valve 20, the throttle 21 and the first gas flow distributor 22 into the sealed cargo compartment 5. The throttle 21 ensures that a uniform flow rate of the mixture is maintained.The ozone-oxygen mixture penetrates all cavities of the cargo, disinfecting its surface and the inner surface of the casing. At a pressure close to atmospheric, the pumping and filling cycles are repeated on command from control and automation unit 27; the ozone concentration in the sealed cargo compartment 5 increases with each subsequent cycle. Upon completion of the treatment, outlet valve 24 opens, and the gaseous medium enters ozone destructor 25, where ozone is decomposed into oxygen and then released into the atmosphere through the ventilation duct from air flow former 26 (Fig. 1).

[0013] Compared with the prototype, which uses a generator drive from the wheelset, which makes it impossible to operate the system when parked and moving at low speeds, in the claimed utility model, the use of a refrigeration unit with a gas piston engine and an electric generator ensures complete autonomy of the power supply, the introduction of liquefied natural gas as an energy carrier reduces operating costs, cold recovery from the regasification of liquefied natural gas allows for the optimization of the equipment capacity and compensates for energy losses from the ozone disinfection cycle, which together increases the energy efficiency of the autonomous refrigerated car.

Claims

A self-contained refrigerated car comprising a body on a frame in which a sealed cargo compartment is made with doors and an internal lining made of ozone-resistant material, at one end of which a first gas flow distributor is installed, connected in series through an inlet valve to a gas-discharge generator and a throttle, and at the other end a second gas flow distributor is installed, connected in series through an outlet valve to an ozone destructor and an air flow former, characterized in that the cargo compartment is divided by a partition into a sealed cargo compartment and an engine room in which an independent refrigeration unit is located and a power plant on liquefied natural gas is installed, including a gas piston engine, the shaft of which is mechanically connected to the shaft of an electric power generator, and a cryogenic tank for liquefied natural gas,the outlet of which, through a series-installed cryogenic pump and adjustable valve, is connected by a pipeline to the inlet of a cryogenic coil heat exchanger, rigidly fixed inside the sealed cargo compartment on the bulkhead, while the outlet of the cryogenic coil heat exchanger is connected through a gas manifold to the fuel inlet of a gas piston engine, and the outlet of the electric power generator is connected to the power inputs of the compressor-condenser unit of the autonomous refrigeration unit, the air cooler, the gas discharge generator and the ozone destructor.

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