Aqueous Lithium-Bromide Cold Storage Composition for Stable Melting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cold storage material compositions exhibit instability in melting temperatures and lack sufficient stability, particularly when used in low temperature ranges, limiting their effectiveness in maintaining articles at constant temperatures during transportation and storage.
Innovation Solution
A cold storage material composition containing water, lithium ions, bromide ions, a crystal nucleating agent, and a defoaming agent or alkali metal salt of a higher fatty acid, with specific amounts of each component, to stabilize the melting temperature and enhance temperature control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cold storage material compositions are used, then temperature control is provided, but melting temperature stability is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the chemical composition parameters of the cold storage material by adding specific crystal nucleating agents (such as sodium chloride, calcium chloride, or barium chloride at 0.1-10 wt%) and defoaming agents (such as silicone oil or polyethylene glycol at 0.01-5 wt%) to the aqueous inorganic salt solution. These parameter changes stabilize the melting temperature and improve composition stability during repeated freezing-thawing cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite cold storage material composition by combining multiple components: water, inorganic salts (lithium chloride, calcium chloride, sodium chloride), crystal nucleating agents, and defoaming agents. This composite structure provides stable melting temperature and improved reliability for temperature control applications.
2Temperature
If dry ice is used as cold storage material, then low temperature control is achieved, but volume expansion during sublimation causes handling limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameter from gaseous sublimation (dry ice) to liquid-phase freezing (aqueous inorganic salt solution). This eliminates volume expansion issues while maintaining low temperature control capability, achieving -50°C to -100°C range without handling limitations associated with gas generation.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If aqueous inorganic salt solution is used as cold storage material, then phase transition to gas is avoided, but melting temperature stability is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds crystal nucleating agents (0.1-10 wt%) and defoaming agents (0.01-5 wt%) to the aqueous inorganic salt solution to modify its physical-chemical parameters. These additions promote stable crystal formation during freezing and prevent supercooling, thereby stabilizing the melting temperature while maintaining the liquid-phase transition advantage.
Solution Approach 2:
The crystal nucleating agents act as intermediaries that facilitate controlled phase transition from liquid to solid. They provide nucleation sites that enable stable and reproducible freezing points, improving melting temperature stability without causing gas generation.
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 composition achieves stable melting temperatures and extended duration of temperature maintenance, making it suitable for use as a substitute for dry ice and ensuring consistent temperature control for temperature-sensitive articles.
Implementation Method 1
a method in which (i) a cold storage material, which has been frozen and solidified in advance, is placed in a container having a thermal insulation property to prepare a temperature keeping container and (ii) an article housed in the temperature keeping container is transported or stored in a state in which the temperature of the article is maintained by using latent heat of melting of the cold storage material
Implementation Method 2
a cold storage material composition containing: water; lithium ions; bromide ions; a crystal nucleating agent; and a defoaming agent and/or an alkali metal salt of a higher fatty acid
Data Source
AI summary
A cold storage material composition that is excellent in melting temperature and stability of the melting temperature and a technique for using the cold storage material composition are provided. The cold storage material composition contains: water; lithium ions; bromide ions; a given amount of a crystal nucleating agent; and a given amount(s) of a defoaming agent and/or an alkali metal salt of a higher fatty acid.