Smart airflow distribution system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Integrated transport refrigeration units (TRUs) in shipping containers often face challenges in air flow circulation due to cargo packaging and leakage, leading to localized heat damage and hot spots, as the cold air flow is obstructed and unevenly distributed.
Innovation Solution
A shipping container with a TRU and a smart airflow distribution system that includes a smart plenum and controllable ducts, controlled by a sensing system to direct cooled air downward and maintain predefined environmental conditions, potentially eliminating the need for T-bar structures in the floor and addressing leakage issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cold air is directed through floor channels in a shipping container with a TRU, then the cargo space can be cooled, but the airflow can be blocked by cargo packaging leading to localized hot spots and heat damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from horizontal airflow through floor channels to vertical airflow through ceiling-mounted ducts. The TRU remains at the front wall but exhausts air upward through the ceiling into the cargo space, fundamentally changing the airflow dimension from floor-level horizontal flow to ceiling-level vertical distribution, thereby avoiding cargo blockage issues
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of the conventional approach where the TRU exhausts cold air toward the floor and relies on natural convection to distribute it upward, this patent inverts the approach by exhausting air upward through the ceiling and allowing it to naturally descend and circulate back to the TRU intake, reversing the traditional airflow pattern
2Ease of operation
If T-bar structures are used in the floor for air distribution, then cold air can be directed along the length of the container, but the system becomes more complex and heavier
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the T-bar floor structure entirely and extracts the air distribution function to the ceiling-mounted ducts. By taking out the complex floor-based air distribution system and relocating it to the ceiling, the patent eliminates the need for T-bars while maintaining effective air distribution through a simpler implementation
Solution Approach 2:
The ceiling-mounted duct system serves multiple functions: it distributes cold air throughout the cargo space, eliminates the need for separate floor channels, and simplifies the overall structure by consolidating air distribution functionality in a single location rather than requiring both floor and ceiling components
3Reliability
If door seals are damaged causing air leakage, then localized hot spots occur, but detecting and repairing the leakage becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a sensor network throughout the cargo space that continuously monitors temperature and provides feedback to the control system. This real-time feedback enables the system to detect localized hot spots caused by door seal leakage and automatically adjust the air distribution to compensate for the leakage, making the system resilient to seal failures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses temperature parameter monitoring through distributed sensors to detect changes in the cargo space environment. By continuously measuring temperature parameters and comparing them against expected values, the system can identify anomalies indicating door seal leakage and adjust operational parameters to maintain proper cooling despite the leakage
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
This solution ensures improved cargo cooling by dynamically adjusting air distribution, reducing the risk of heat damage and hot spots, while offering weight and cost savings by eliminating T-bar structures.
Implementation Method 1
a refrigeration unit configured to cool the air drawn from the lower region of the interior through the inlet
Implementation Method 2
cold air travels through these channels along the length of the shipping container and rises through certain holes or openings to cool the cargo. This cooling results in warmed air that rises toward the roof of the shipping container
Data Source
AI summary
A shipping container is provided and includes a structural frame defining an interior, a transport refrigeration unit (TRU) and a control system. The TRU includes an inlet through which air is drawn from a lower region of the interior, a refrigeration unit configured to cool the air drawn from the lower region of the interior through the inlet and an outlet through which air cooled by the refrigeration unit is exhausted toward an upper region of the interior. The control system is configured to control an exhaustion of the air cooled by the refrigeration unit toward the upper region of the interior to maintain a predefined environmental condition within the interior.