Dry ice containing shippers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11519657-B1
Application number	US-202117485974-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 27, 2021
Priority date	Sep 27, 2021
Publication date	Dec 6, 2022
Grant date	Dec 6, 2022

Abstract

Dry ice shippers with unique structural features designed to deliver optimized performance for preserving one or more perishable items in a presence of dry ice during transport are provided. The improved dry ice shippers exhibit superior properties that overcome the performance limitations of conventional dry ice shippers.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An improved dry ice containing apparatus, comprising:
a transportable shipper with a contents region volume, said contents region volume at least partially defined by shipper walls surrounding therealong, said contents region volume apportioned between a first portion for holding dry ice and a second portion for holding one or more perishable items;
the dry ice occupying the first portion of the contents region volume;
the one or more perishable items occupying the second portion of the contents region volume;
one or more openings extending into the shipper walls, each of said one or more openings in fluid communication with the contents region volume to allow dry ice and the one or more perishable items to be introduced thereinto and removed therefrom;
one or more corresponding insulated plugs to substantially close the one or more openings;
the improved dry ice containing apparatus comprising an insulative structural element, said insulative structural element encapsulating the contents region volume and configured to reduce heat ingress from a surrounding environment into the contents region volume to create a loading ratio overall heat transfer coefficient designated as (U R ) and having a value that is less than about 2 kJ/hr/m 2 /° C., but greater than 0, wherein the loading ratio overall heat transfer coefficient (U R ) is determined under a condition where each of the one or more openings is substantially closed by the one or more corresponding insulated plugs.

2. The improved dry ice containing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the loading ratio overall heat transfer coefficient (U R ) is 1.85 kJ/hr/m 2 /° C. or less, but greater than 0, wherein the loading ratio overall heat transfer coefficient (U R ) is determined under the condition where each of the one or more openings is substantially closed by the one or more corresponding insulated plugs.

3. An improved dry ice containing apparatus, comprising:
a transportable shipper with a contents region volume, said contents region volume surrounded by insulative shipper walls;
wherein the contents region volume contains all of the available locations for placement of dry ice and one or more perishable items;
the dry ice occupying a portion of the contents region volume;
one or more openings in the surrounding insulative shipper walls through which (i) the dry ice can be loaded into and removed from the contents region volume, and (ii) the one or more perishable items can be loaded into or removed from the contents region volume;
one or more corresponding insulated plugs to substantially close off the one or more openings;
wherein the improved dry ice containing apparatus is configured to maintain all of the available locations within the contents region volume at or below −70 degrees Celsius when 10-70 vol % of the contents region volume contains the dry ice, as determined under a condition when each of the one or more openings are substantially closed by the one or more corresponding insulated plugs.

4. The improved dry ice containing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the contents region volume is maintained at or below −70 degrees Celsius when 10-60 vol % of the contents region volume contains the dry ice.

5. The improved dry ice containing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the contents region volume is maintained at or below −70 degrees Celsius when 10-50 vol % of the contents region volume contains the dry ice.

6. The improved dry ice containing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the contents region volume is maintained at or below −70 degrees Celsius when 10-40 vol % of the contents region volume contains the dry ice.

7. The improved dry ice containing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the contents region volume is maintained at or below −70 degrees Celsius when 10-30 vol % of the contents region volume contains the dry ice.

8. The improved dry ice containing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the contents region volume is maintained at or below −70 degrees Celsius when 10-20 vol % of the contents region volume contains the dry ice.

9. The improved dry ice containing apparatus of claim 3 , said apparatus adapted to exhibit an average rate of change of the temperature of any location in the contents region volume between zero and 0.05° C./% as dry ice sublimates and is reduced in the contents region volume of the dry ice shipper from an initial amount occupying up to about 80 vol % of the contents region volume to a final amount occupying a percentage of the contents region volume less than the initial amount and no less than about 10 vol % of the contents region volume.

10. The improved dry ice containing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the contents region volume is maintained at or below −70 degrees Celsius when at least 10 vol % of the contents region volume contains the dry ice.

Assignees

• Praxair Technology Inc

Inventors

• Sever Robert R
• Zhou Ying
• Bursac Ranko
• Gupta Amitabh

Classifications

• F25D3/14 Primary

  portable, i.e. adapted to be carried personally · CPC title

• F25D2201/10

  with respect to heat · CPC title

• F25D23/06

  Walls (F25D23/08 takes precedence; containers with thermal insulation B65D81/38) · CPC title