Method for thermally insulating an evacuable container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11920735-B2
Application number	US-201816620481-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 30, 2018
Priority date	Jun 9, 2017
Publication date	Mar 5, 2024
Grant date	Mar 5, 2024

Abstract

Method for thermal insulation of an evacuable container comprising an inner container, an outer container and a cavity disposed between the inner container and the outer container, wherein said method comprises
a) using a vacuum pump to reduce a pressure in the cavity and after achieving a first value of the pressure interrupting the connection to the vacuum pump, b) subsequently making a connection from a reservoir container of the thermally insulating particulate material to a filling opening provided in the region of the cavity, c) setting the evacuable container into motion, wherein the thermally insulating particulate material flows into the cavity according to a) and the pressure in the cavity increases due to the air introduced with the thermally insulating particulate material, d) terminating the filling at a second value of the pressure by interrupting the connection from the cavity to the reservoir container, e) repeating step a), wherein the output of the vacuum pump with which the cavity is deaerated is controlled such that the profile over time of the mass flow exiting from the cavity of air introduced with the thermally insulating particulate material is at a maximum, f) subsequently repeating steps b)-e) up to the desired degree of filling and g) as the final step sealing the evacuated cavity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for thermally insulating an evacuable container comprising an inner container, an outer container and a cavity disposed between the inner container and the outer container, wherein the cavity is provided to receive a thermally insulating particulate material; and wherein the method for providing the cavity with the thermally insulating particulate material comprises the steps of: evacuating the cavity; filling the cavity with the thermally insulating particulate material; compressing the thermally insulating particulate material in the cavity; evacuating the cavity; and sealing the cavity; wherein:
a) a vacuum pump is used to reduce pressure in the cavity and after achieving a first value of the pressure, connection between the cavity and the vacuum pump is interrupted;
b) subsequently making a connection from a reservoir container of the thermally insulating particulate material to a filling opening provided in the region of the cavity;
c) setting the evacuable container into motion, wherein the thermally insulating particulate material flows into the cavity according to a) and the pressure in the cavity increases due to air introduced with the thermally insulating particulate material;
d) terminating the filling at a second value of the pressure by interrupting the connection from the cavity to the reservoir container;
e) repeating step a), wherein the output of the vacuum pump with which the cavity is deaerated is controlled such that the profile over time of the mass flow exiting from the cavity of air introduced with the thermally insulating particulate material is at a maximum;
f) subsequently repeating steps b)-e) until desired degree of filling is reached; and
g) as the final step sealing the evacuated cavity.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the reservoir container is set into motion.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the motion is a vibration or rotation.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thermally insulating particulate material is a compressed silica-comprising powder having a tamped density of 50-150 g/l.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the silica is a hydrophobized silica.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the silica is a hydrophilic silica.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the silica comprises at least one hydrophilic and at least one hydrophobic silica.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein the compressed powder is a mixture of a silica and an IR opacifier.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the proportion of the silica is 60-90% by weight and the proportion of the IR opacifier is 10-40% by weight.

10. The method of claim 3 , wherein the thermally insulating particulate material is a compressed silica-comprising powder having a tamped density of 50-150 g/l.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the silica is a hydrophobized silica.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the silica is a hydrophilic silica.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the silica comprises at least one hydrophilic and at least one hydrophobic silica.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the compressed powder is a mixture of a silic and an IR opacifier.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the proportion of the silica is 60-90% by weight and the proportion of the IR opacifier is 10-40% by weight.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the silica is a hydrophobized silica.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the silica is a hydrophilic silica.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the silica comprises at least one hydrophilic and at least one hydrophobic silica.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the proportion of the silica is 60-90% by weight and the proportion of the IR opacifier is 10-40% by weight.

Assignees

• Evonik Operations Gmbh
• Stiebel Eltron Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Geisler Matthias
• Herr Ann-Kathrin
• Asbahr Hark-Oluf
• Schultz Thorsten
• Schäffner Dirk
• Menzel Frank
• Meng Andreas
• Meier Dominik

Classifications

• F17C3/08 Primary

  by vacuum spaces, e.g. Dewar flask (for household use A47J41/02) · CPC title

• F17C13/001

  Thermal insulation specially adapted for cryogenic vessels (vessels not under pressure with insulation F17C3/02; thermal insulation in general F16L59/00) · CPC title

• F16L59/028

  Compositions for or methods of fixing a thermally insulating material · CPC title

• F16L59/065

  using vacuum (F16L59/075 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F17C2203/0337

  Granular · CPC title