Refrigerated Shipping Container Airflow Layout for Hot Spot Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The flow of cooling air in refrigerated shipping containers with integrated transport refrigeration units (TRUs) can be obstructed by cargo packaging and damaged door seals, leading to localized heat damage and hot spots due to inefficient air circulation.
Innovation Solution
A shipping container equipped with a smart airflow distribution system featuring a controllable plenum and ducts, integrated into the structural frame, which directs cooled air downward onto cargo and adjusts airflow based on temperature and flow rate sensors to maintain predefined environmental conditions, potentially eliminating the need for T-bar structures in the floor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cold air is directed through floor channels in a shipping container with integrated TRU, then the cargo space is cooled, but the airflow can be blocked by cargo packaging leading to localized hot spots
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from floor-based horizontal airflow channels to ceiling-based vertical airflow distribution. The plenum chamber and ductwork system redirects cooled air from the TRU to flow downward through the cargo space, utilizing the vertical dimension to bypass cargo packaging obstructions that block horizontal floor channels.
Solution Approach 2:
The ceiling airflow distribution system divides the cargo space into multiple zones served by separate ducts and adjustable outlets. This segmentation allows independent control of airflow to different regions, ensuring uniform cooling even when cargo packaging varies by location.
2Reliability
If damaged door seals cause air leakage in the shipping container, then localized hot spots occur, but increasing sealing measures increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
Temperature sensors positioned throughout the cargo space detect localized hot spots caused by air leakage from damaged door seals. The control system receives this feedback and automatically adjusts the airflow distribution through the plenum chamber and ductwork to compensate for the leakage, directing additional cooled air to affected zones without requiring complex sealing mechanisms.
3Temperature
If T-bar structures are used in the floor for airflow channels, then cooling is achieved, but weight and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the T-bar floor structure by relocating the airflow distribution function to the ceiling. The plenum chamber and ductwork system performs the cooling distribution function previously handled by the T-bars, removing the unnecessary weight and simplifying the floor construction.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enhances cargo protection by ensuring uniform cooling, reduces the risk of heat damage, and mitigates localized hot spots, while offering weight and cost savings by eliminating T-bar structures.
Implementation Method 1
a refrigeration unit configured to cool the air drawn from the lower region of the interior through the inlet
Implementation Method 2
the outlet is fluidly communicative with the upper region of the interior by the smart plenum and the controllable ducts
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~6
AI summary
A shipping container (101) including a structural frame (110) defining an interior (111), a transport refrigeration unit (130) and a control system (601), wherein the transport refrigeration unit (130) includes an inlet (131) through which air is drawn from a lower region of the interior (1112), a refrigeration unit (132) configured to cool the air drawn from the lower region of the interior (1112) through the inlet (131) and an outlet (133) through which air cooled by the refrigeration unit (132) is exhausted toward an upper region of the interior (1111), the control system (601) is configured to control an exhaustion of the air cooled by the refrigeration unit (132) toward the upper region of the interior (1111) to maintain a predefined environmental condition within the interior (111).