Flexible Cargo Cooling Ducts for Targeted Vehicle Refrigeration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle cooling systems are inefficient in targeting specific areas within a cargo space, as they tend to cool the entire cargo space rather than focusing on the cargo or its immediate surroundings, especially in open or tarp-covered vehicles where cooling is lost due to open air and leakage.
Innovation Solution
A flexible cooling unit comprising a compressor, condenser, evaporator, and flexible ducts that direct cooled air directly to the cargo, powered by the vehicle's engine or an auxiliary power unit, allowing for targeted cooling of specific areas within the cargo space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If rigid cooling systems with rigid ducting are used to cool cargo space, then the entire cargo space is cooled, but energy consumption increases and cooling cannot be focused on specific cargo areas
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system divides the cargo space into multiple zones using flexible ducts that can be positioned to target specific cargo areas. Each duct acts as an independent channel delivering cooled air directly to designated locations, allowing selective cooling of only the necessary portions of cargo rather than cooling the entire cargo space uniformly.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements localized cooling by directing cooled air through flexible ducts to specific cargo areas that require temperature control. This allows different regions of the cargo space to have different thermal characteristics, with cooled zones concentrated around cargo and warmer zones in unused spaces, thereby reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining cargo safety.
2Temperature
If rigid cooling systems are installed in open or tarp-covered vehicles, then cooling can be provided, but cooling is lost due to open air and leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs flexible ducts that can be dynamically positioned and adjusted to adapt to different cargo configurations and vehicle conditions. This flexibility allows the ducts to maintain optimal positioning for delivering cooled air directly to cargo, minimizing cooling loss even in open or tarp-covered vehicle environments where conditions may change during transit.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible ducts act as intermediaries between the cooling source and the cargo, creating a direct thermal pathway that bypasses the surrounding ambient air. This intermediary structure delivers cooled air efficiently from the cooling unit to the cargo surface, reducing the impact of open air and leakage in non-enclosed vehicle configurations.
3Reliability
If specialized vehicles with fixed cooling systems are used, then reliable cargo cooling is achieved, but vehicle cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system with flexible ducts is designed to be universally applicable to various vehicle types and cargo configurations. The flexible ducts can be adapted to different cargo shapes, sizes, and positions, allowing the same cooling unit to serve multiple purposes and vehicle configurations without requiring specialized vehicle modifications, thereby maintaining reliability while reducing costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows for parameter changes in duct positioning, orientation, and configuration to adapt to different cargo arrangements. This adjustability enables the cooling system to maintain effective operation across various vehicle types and cargo loads, providing the versatility of standard vehicles with the reliability previously only available in specialized cooled vehicles.
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
The flexible cooling unit effectively cools specific cargo or areas within the cargo space, reducing energy consumption and extending cargo life without the need for specialized vehicles, offering a cost-effective and adaptable solution for various vehicle configurations.
Implementation Method 1
an evaporator operably connected to the compressor and the condenser, the evaporator configured to cool ambient air
Implementation Method 2
a compressor electrically connected to a power module
Implementation Method 3
a condenser operably connected to the compressor
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling unit (506) for a vehicle (200) is provided. The cooling unit includes a compressor (428) electrically connected to a power module (314), a condenser (530) operably connected to the compressor, an evaporator (536) operably connected to the compressor and the condenser, the evaporator configured to cool ambient air (520), and at least one flexible duct (208) configured to fluidly connect the evaporator with a cargo held in a cargo space of the vehicle.