Scrubber system with moving adsorbent bed

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9341408-B2
Application number	US-201214233179-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 11, 2012
Priority date	Jul 18, 2011
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 2016

Abstract

A regenerative carbon dioxide removal system ( 38 ) is provided onboard the container ( 10 ) through which air from within the cargo box ( 12 ) may be circulated for removing at least a portion of the carbon dioxide present in the air. The regenerative carbon dioxide removal system ( 38 ) includes a scrubber module ( 40 ) containing a carbon dioxide absorbent material ( 42 ), and an actuator ( 50 ) for moving the scrubber module ( 40 ) to pass the carbon dioxide absorbent material ( 42 ) alternately between a first flow of air ( 32 ) to be cleaned drawn by the evaporator fan ( 30 ) from within the cargo box ( 12 ), and a second flow of air ( 44 ) drawn from an environment outside the cargo box for regenerating the carbon dioxide adsorbent material ( 42 ) by removing collected carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide adsorbent material ( 42 ).

First claim

We claim:

1. A refrigerated transport container comprising:
a cargo box;
a compressor and a condenser/gas cooler module isolated from the cargo box by a partition panel;
an evaporator module including an evaporator heat exchanger and an associated evaporator fan disposed in air flow communication with the cargo box;
a regenerative scrubber system for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere within the cargo box, the regenerative scrubber system comprising:
a scrubber module containing a carbon dioxide adsorbent material; and
an actuator for moving the scrubber module to pass the carbon dioxide adsorbent material alternately between a first flow of air to be cleaned drawn by the evaporator fan from within the cargo box from which carbon dioxide is removed and a second flow of air from an environment outside the cargo box for regenerating the carbon dioxide adsorbent material by removing collected carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide adsorbent material.

2. The refrigerated transport container as set forth in claim 1 wherein the actuator comprises a rotary actuator for rotating the scrubber module about an axis of rotation through the first flow of air and the second flow of air in sequence.

3. The refrigerated transport container as set forth in claim 2 wherein the scrubber module is mounted in the partition panel separating the condenser/gas cooler module from the evaporator module; and the actuator rotates the scrubber module through the evaporator module and the condenser/gas cooler module.

4. The refrigerated transport container as set forth in claim 2 wherein the scrubber module is disposed in the evaporator module of the refrigeration unit on a high pressure side of the evaporator fan.

5. The refrigerated transport container as set forth in claim 2 wherein the actuator comprises a rotary actuator for rotating the scrubber module about an axis of rotation through the first flow of air and the second flow of air and a third flow of air in sequence, the third flow of air comprising a flow of cooling air.

6. The refrigerated transport container as set forth in claim 1 wherein the scrubber module comprises a rotating wheel mounted to a shaft driven by the rotary actuator and having a body with a screened floor for housing the carbon dioxide adsorbent material.

7. The refrigerated transport container as set forth in claim 6 wherein the carbon dioxide adsorbent material comprises a porous mass of carbon dioxide adsorbent material in the form of a packed bed of particles or extruded pellets.

8. The refrigerated transport container as set forth in claim 6 wherein the carbon dioxide adsorbent material comprises a spiral winding or concentric rings of a fabric made from or coated with the carbon dioxide adsorbent material.

9. The refrigerated transport container as set forth in claim 6 wherein the carbon dioxide adsorbent material further comprises an ethylene adsorbent material.

10. The refrigerated transport container as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a heater for heating the second flow of air.

11. The refrigerated transport container as set forth in claim 10 wherein the heater comprises a heat exchanger wherein the second flow of air passes in heat exchange relationship with a flow of engine exhaust gases.

12. The refrigerated transport container as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a cooling coil for cooling the first flow of air prior to the first flow of air passing through the carbon dioxide adsorbent material.

13. The refrigerated transport container as set forth in claim 1 wherein the actuator comprises a push-pull actuator for translating the scrubber module back and forth between the first flow of air and the second flow of air.

14. The refrigerated transport container as set forth in claim 13 wherein the scrubber module comprises a sliding drawer translatable within a stationary housing and having a first compartment and a second compartment, each compartment housing carbon dioxide adsorbent material, the push-pull actuator operative for translating the sliding drawer to either a forward position or a rearward position within the stationary housing.

Assignees

• Fleming Jr Malcolm N
• Thibaud-Erkey Catherine
• Carrier Corp

Inventors

• Fleming Jr Malcolm N
• Thibaud-Erkey Catherine

Classifications

• B01D2259/4566

  for use in transportation means · CPC title

• B01D2253/102

  Carbon · CPC title

• B01D53/0462

  Temperature swing adsorption · CPC title

• A23B7/148

  in a controlled atmosphere, e.g. partial vacuum, comprising only CO2, N2, O2 or H2O · CPC title

• F25D17/042

  Air treating means within refrigerated spaces (air conditioning in general F24F) · CPC title