Portable temperature controlled storage system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerated shipping methods, such as refrigerated trucks and insulated containers with ice or gel packs, are expensive, complex, and unable to maintain precise low temperatures for extended periods, which can compromise the quality of pharmaceuticals like vaccines during transportation to remote areas.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerated container with a coupled and decoupled configuration using an insulated body, exterior and interior heatsinks, thermoelectric cells, and a thermal mass fluid, which allows for efficient heat transfer and temperature control through a Peltier cooler and energy source, while minimizing energy consumption by switching between coupled and uncoupled modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If refrigerated shipping trucks are used to transport pharmaceuticals, then temperature control is maintained, but cost and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the thermal management function into separate components: an active cooling subsystem (thermoelectric cooler) and a passive thermal storage subsystem (phase change material). This segmentation allows the active system to be small and simple while the passive system provides extended duration, resolving the contradiction between temperature control and system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The phase change material is pre-cooled to the target temperature before the shipping journey begins. This preliminary cooling action stores thermal energy in advance, allowing the active cooling system to be minimized or turned off during transport, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining temperature control.
2Device complexity
If insulated containers with ice or frozen gel packs are used, then cost is reduced, but the ability to maintain precise temperatures for long periods is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the physical state parameter of the thermal storage medium by using phase change material that transitions between solid and liquid states at the target temperature. This phase change allows the system to maintain a constant temperature for extended periods without requiring continuous active cooling, thereby extending duration while keeping the system simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The phase change material acts as an intermediary between the active cooling system and the pharmaceutical contents. It absorbs and releases thermal energy during phase transitions, maintaining stable temperatures for long periods without requiring the active cooling system to operate continuously, thus extending duration while maintaining simplicity.
3Temperature
If active cooling systems operate continuously to maintain temperature, then temperature precision is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The active cooling system operates periodically rather than continuously, activating only when the phase change material is depleted or during extreme temperature conditions. This periodic operation maintains temperature precision while dramatically reducing energy consumption compared to continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The phase change material provides self-regulating temperature control through its inherent phase transition properties, absorbing heat when temperature rises and releasing heat when temperature drops. This self-service mechanism maintains temperature precision without requiring continuous active cooling, thereby reducing energy consumption.
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 container effectively maintains a target temperature for extended periods, ensuring the quality of pharmaceuticals during transportation, even to remote areas, by optimizing heat transfer and energy use.
Implementation Method 1
at least one thermoelectric cell... wherein the at least one thermoelectric cell is operated to promote the transfer of heat from the interior heatsink interface to the exterior heatsink interface
Implementation Method 2
the exterior heatsink interface and the interior heatsink interface are separated by a vacuum volume to reduce any heat transfer between the interior heatsink interface and the exterior heatsink interface
Implementation Method 3
Each of the cavities may be filled with a thermal mass fluid
Data Source
AI summary
At least one method and container are described for maintaining a target temperature within the container. The container generally includes a vacuum insulated body; a lid couplable to the vacuum insulated body; a heatsink, coupled to the lid, wherein a portion of the heatsink is positionable within the vacuum insulated body; and at least one thermoelectric cell coupled to the heatsink, wherein the at least one thermoelectric cell is operated to promote the transfer of heat between the inside of the container and the outside of the container to cool the inside of the container or to warm the inside of the container. The container may be arranged so that internal and external portions of the heatsink may be arranged in a decoupled position to reduce heat transfer therebetween.