Container Storage Purge Gas Flow Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing container storage facilities face challenges in stably supplying purge gas to containers, as the flow rate adjustment mechanism leads to insufficient gas supply when containers are not fully loaded, resulting in increased complexity and costs due to the need for control valves.
Innovation Solution
A container storage facility with ejection portions that eject purge gas regardless of container presence, and a gas supply device that controls the flow rate based on the total number of stored containers, simplifying the structure and ensuring sufficient gas supply to occupied containers by increasing flow rate as the number of containers decreases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the flow rate of purge gas is adjusted based on the number of loaded containers (TF×N), then the gas supply is optimized for the number of containers, but when containers are not loaded, purge gas leaks out of the supply pipe without resistance, causing insufficient gas supply to loaded containers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the control parameter from a fixed formula-based flow rate (TF×N) to a dynamically adjusted flow rate that accounts for the actual number of loaded containers. The gas supply device increases the flow rate when fewer containers are loaded, compensating for gas leakage and ensuring sufficient supply to loaded containers without requiring complex control valves in each supply pipe.
2Reliability
If on-off valves are provided in each supply pipe to suppress purge air flow to unoccupied loading portions, then gas supply stability is improved, but the structure becomes complex, device scale increases, and equipment cost rises
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the control function from individual supply pipes (removing the need for on-off valves in each pipe) and centralizes it in a single gas supply device. This eliminates the complex valve structure while maintaining the ability to control and adjust purge gas flow based on container loading status.
Solution Approach 2:
The gas supply device serves multiple functions: it controls the total flow rate, adjusts flow based on container loading status, and compensates for gas leakage to unoccupied portions. This multi-functional approach replaces the need for multiple individual control valves, simplifying the overall structure.
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 configuration allows for stable and efficient purge gas supply to containers without the need for additional control valves, maintaining a simple facility structure and ensuring adequate gas delivery even when containers are not fully loaded.
Implementation Method 1
an ejection portion provided in each of the storage portions, capable of being connected to the container stored in the storage portion and ejecting a purge gas into the container
Implementation Method 2
a gas supply device that controls a supply flow rate of the purge gas; the gas supply device acquires information regarding a storage state of the containers in the storage portions, and controls the supply flow rate of the purge gas so as to increase as a total number of containers stored in the storage portions decreases
Data Source
AI summary
A container storage facility has storage portions for storing containers, and supplies a purge gas to the interior of the containers. The container storage facility includes ejection portions that eject the purge gas, a gas supply device that controls the supply flow rate of the purge gas, a main pipe that conducts the purge gas output from the gas supply device, and branch pipes that are branched from the main pipe and are connected to the ejection portions. The ejection portions eject the purge gas regardless of whether or not containers are stored in the storage portions, and the gas supply device controls the supply flow rate of the purge gas so as to increase as the total number of containers stored in the storage portions decreases.