Insulated Transport Box Partition Layout for Passive Temperature Hold
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thermally insulated transport boxes fail to maintain temperature-sensitive goods within the required range without electricity, leading to vaccine wastage and food safety issues during transportation and temporary storage, especially in remote areas where electric grids are unavailable.
Innovation Solution
A thermally insulated transport box with a cover and box body featuring half columns, notches, and phase-change material accumulators with protrusions and nests, which enhance convective airflow and reduce heat transfer by conduction, allowing for controlled temperature distribution and prolonged storage of cold or heat.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional insulated containers are used for transporting temperature-sensitive goods without electricity, then the goods can be transported to remote areas, but the temperature cannot be maintained within the required range leading to vaccine wastage and food safety issues
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into multiple compartments using partition walls that can be positioned at different locations. Each compartment can independently house accumulators or goods, allowing differentiated temperature control zones. The partition walls with notches create separate air flow paths for different sections, enabling reliable temperature maintenance across the entire container while keeping each segment manageable in complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Half columns project from the inner surfaces of side walls and end walls to create a three-dimensional air flow structure. This vertical dimension adds complexity to the internal geometry but enables multi-directional convective air flow patterns that significantly improve temperature uniformity and maintenance reliability throughout the container volume.
2Temperature
If partition walls are added to create separated spaces for temperature control, then temperature distribution can be controlled, but heat transfer by conduction increases between the box body and goods
Solution Approach 1:
The partition walls are equipped with notches at specific locations to create localized air flow channels. This local modification allows convective cooling/heating at critical points where heat transfer occurs, compensating for conductive heat transfer through the partition walls themselves. The notches are strategically positioned to maximize air flow through areas with highest thermal exchange needs.
Solution Approach 2:
Air acts as an intermediary medium between the box body and the goods. By creating air flow paths through notches in partition walls, the system uses moving air to transfer thermal energy indirectly rather than relying on direct conductive contact between partition walls and goods. This intermediary air layer reduces effective heat transfer by conduction.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If accumulators are stacked face-to-face to extend storage duration, then cold or heat storage time is prolonged, but the structure becomes more complex requiring protrusions and nests for coupling
Solution Approach 1:
Protrusions on one accumulator fit into nests (recesses) on the adjacent accumulator, creating a nested coupling structure. This nesting mechanism enables face-to-face stacking of accumulators to extend storage duration while providing a standardized, relatively simple coupling interface that reduces assembly complexity compared to custom-fitted connections.
4Temperature
If half columns are added to enhance convective air flow, then temperature uniformity improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The half columns serve multiple functions: they structurally support the partition walls, create air flow channels through their gaps, and define the geometry of convective loops. This multi-functionality improves temperature uniformity through enhanced convection while minimizing the addition of separate components, thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity.
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 solution effectively maintains temperature-sensitive goods within the recommended range, reducing vaccine wastage and ensuring food safety by minimizing heat transfer and optimizing air flow, thus extending the storage duration and efficiency of temperature control.
Implementation Method 1
a cold or heat accumulator is forming the partition wall, the cold or heat accumulator comprising a container for phase-change material
Implementation Method 2
at least part of the notches align with gaps between the half columns projecting from the side wall to form an air flow path
Implementation Method 3
said protrusions of the accumulator being arranged to be coupled with corresponding nests of an another accumulator
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a thermally insulated transport box and an arrangement in a thermally insulated transport box, wherein the box comprises a cover and a box body. The box body side walls, end walls, an opening and a bottom wall. The inner surfaces of the side walls comprise half columns projecting from the side wall, wherein the inner surfaces of the end walls further comprise half columns projecting from the end wall, and the half columns run vertically along the side walls and along the end walls. The box further comprises at least one partition wall comprising notches in its opposing edges, and as the partition wall is positioned to cover at least part of the opening the partition wall is supported by the half columns.