Semi-solid Biodegradable Refrigerant Gel for Leakage-Resistant Cold Packs
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Solution Overview
Problem
The cold pack industry generates significant packaging waste due to the use of single-use plastic gel packs, which are prone to leakage, irregular shape, and difficult to recycle, exacerbating environmental issues and affecting shipping efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A semi-solid biodegradable refrigerant gel composed of water, biodegradable thickening agents, crosslinking agents, and chelating agents, encapsulated in low-barrier materials like paper, which maintains shape and phase change properties without requiring high-barrier containment, reducing leakage and environmental impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If liquid refrigerant gel is used in gel packs, then excellent phase change properties are achieved, but leakage occurs during shipping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameter of the refrigerant from liquid to semi-solid by adding thickening agents. This parameter change allows the refrigerant to maintain its cooling functionality while achieving the desired consistency to prevent leakage during handling and shipping.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite refrigerant system by combining water-based refrigerant with biodegradable thickening agents and crosslinking agents. This composite approach maintains the excellent phase change properties of water while adding structural integrity through the thickening and crosslinking components.
2Reliability
If high barrier plastic film is used for gel pack encasement, then leakage is prevented, but recycling becomes difficult and environmental impact increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the high barrier plastic film from the gel pack system by making the semi-solid gel itself leak-proof through thickening and crosslinking. This eliminates the need for difficult-to-recycle plastic encasement while maintaining leakage prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables easy disposal and potential recovery of the refrigerant gel by removing the plastic film barrier. The biodegradable thickening agents and crosslinking agents allow the gel to be discarded without plastic contamination, facilitating recovery and recycling processes.
3Productivity
If irregular shaped frozen gel packs are used, then shipping space efficiency decreases, but shape consistency is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by forming the gel pack into a consistent shape while the gel is still in its semi-solid, moldable state before freezing. This preliminary shaping ensures uniform geometry that maintains efficiency during shipping and storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by shaping the gel pack in its semi-solid state rather than allowing it to take an irregular frozen shape and then attempting to reshape it. This reversal of the process sequence achieves consistent shapes more effectively.
4Reliability
If single-use plastic gel packs are used, then cooling function is provided, but packaging waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent facilitates discarding and recovering by eliminating the plastic film component. The semi-solid gel can be easily disposed of or recovered without plastic contamination, reducing packaging waste while maintaining the cooling function through the water-based refrigerant.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material composition parameter from plastic-encased liquid gel to semi-solid biodegradable gel. This parameter change eliminates the need for plastic encasement and enables easy disposal or recovery, reducing packaging waste while preserving cooling functionality.
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 semi-solid gel effectively maintains temperature stability, reduces waste, and is environmentally friendly by eliminating the need for single-use plastics, ensuring consistent cooling and easy disposal.
Implementation Method 1
Water has a Latent Heat of Fusion of 334 J/g as it changes phase from solid (ice) to liquid. This high Latent Heat of Fusion allows water, through changes in its phase, to absorb a significant amount of heat per unit mass
Implementation Method 2
Water has a Latent Heat of Fusion of 334 J/g as it changes phase from solid (ice) to liquid
Implementation Method 3
The semi-solid biodegradable refrigerant gel includes water, a biodegradable thickening agent, a crosslinking agent, and a chelating agent
Implementation Method 4
The semi-solid biodegradable refrigerant gel includes water, a biodegradable thickening agent, a crosslinking agent, and a chelating agent
Data Source
AI summary
A semi-solid biodegradable refrigerant gel and methods of making same are disclosed. The semi-solid biodegradable refrigerant gel includes water, a biodegradable thickening agent, a crosslinking agent, an optional secondary crosslinking agent, and a chelating agent. The semi-solid biodegradable refrigerant gel does not require encasement in a high-barrier containment material.