Supercooling Temperature Control for Stable Thaw-and-Recool Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional supercooling methods require complex apparatuses to generate electric or magnetic fields, leading to high power consumption and safety concerns, and are ineffective in maintaining objects in a supercooled state for extended periods without knowledge of the object's type or properties.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that detect and maintain an optimum supercooling temperature by cooling an object below its phase transition temperature, sensing its state, and adjusting the cooling temperature based on the object's kind, mass, and volume, allowing for rapid detection of the optimum temperature and stable supercooling without the need for electric or magnetic fields.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If electric or magnetic field is applied to maintain supercooled state, then supercooling continuation is achieved, but device complexity and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the complex electric or magnetic field generation apparatus from the supercooling system. Instead of using external fields to maintain supercooling, the invention uses a simple cooling chamber with temperature control to achieve and maintain the supercooled state, thereby eliminating the need for complicated field-generating equipment while extending supercooling duration
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the object's own thermal properties and phase transition characteristics to maintain supercooling. By controlling the cooling temperature to be above the lowest temperature reached before supercooling release, the system leverages the object's inherent behavior to sustain the supercooled state without requiring external energy input from complex apparatus
2Duration of action of stationary object
If electric or magnetic field is applied to maintain supercooled state, then supercooling continuation is achieved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the high-power electric or magnetic field generation equipment, replacing it with a low-power cooling system that maintains temperature within a specific range. This extraction of complex energy-intensive components dramatically reduces power consumption while achieving extended supercooling duration
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the temperature control parameter from aggressive cooling to maintaining temperature above the lowest point before supercooling release. This parameter adjustment reduces energy consumption by avoiding excessive cooling while still preventing supercooling release, thereby extending supercooling duration with minimal power input
3Temperature
If cooling temperature is set below phase transition temperature, then supercooling is achieved, but object may freeze and lose quality
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates temperature sensing and control mechanisms that monitor the object's temperature and adjust cooling accordingly. By detecting when the object approaches the critical lowest temperature before supercooling release, the system provides feedback to prevent further cooling that would cause freezing, thus maintaining object quality while achieving supercooling
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes a safety margin by setting the cooling temperature above the lowest temperature reached before supercooling release. This beforehand cushioning prevents the object from reaching the freezing point, ensuring quality protection while still achieving and maintaining the supercooled state
4Adaptability or versatility
If conventional supercooling method is used without object information, then general applicability is achieved, but supercooling duration is short
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the cooling temperature based on the object's specific characteristics such as kind, mass, and volume. Rather than using a fixed temperature setting, the cooling temperature is optimized for each object type, enabling both general applicability and extended supercooling duration by adapting to different thermal properties
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 method effectively maintains objects in a supercooled state for extended periods, reducing power consumption and ensuring object freshness by sensing thawing times and adjusting cooling temperatures, thus extending the supercooling continuance time.
Implementation Method 1
supercooling means a phenomenon where a molten object or a solid cooled to below a phase transition temperature in a balanced state is not changed
Implementation Method 2
If a temperature is slowly changed, elements composing the material keep pace with the temperature variations, maintaining stable states at each temperature
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a supercooling method and a supercooling apparatus which can maintain an object in a supercooled state. According to the present invention, a supercooling method includes a first cooling step of cooling a stored object toward a cooling temperature below a phase transition temperature thereof, a step of judging whether the stored object is released from a supercooled state in the first cooling step, a step of thawing the stored object when the stored object is released from the supercooled state, and a second cooling step of cooling the stored object toward a cooling temperature below zero that is higher than the lowest temperature of the stored object before the release of the supercooled state, wherein the first cooling step is continuously performed when the object is maintained in the supercooled state.