REAGENT REFRIGERATOR

• US 20130036755A1
• Filed: 05/03/2011
• Published: 02/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gtscien Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Gtscien Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kang, Yeon Kyun
• Granted Patent: US 9,410,729 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/129
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 1/50 for storing hazardous materials in the laboratory, e.g. cupboards, waste containers sample containers B01L3/50
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/082 Handling hazardous material
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/141 Preventing contamination, tampering
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/16 Reagents, handling or storing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/1894 Cooling means; Cryo cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/52 Containers specially adapted for storing or dispensing a reagent B01L3/02 takes precedence; containers for medical or pharmaceutical purposes A61J1/00; containers in general B65D; storing or dispensing test elements G01N33/4875; automated reagent dispensing G01N35/1002
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 17/042 Air treating means within refrigerated spaces air conditioning in general F24F
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2317/041 by purification
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2317/0654 through the side
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2317/0664 from the side

Abstract

The present invention relates to a reagent refrigerator which comprises a reagent refrigerator compartment including reagent storing trays; an upper housing a cooling equipment compartment and a cooling purification compartment; a side duct defined by a side partition having a through hole at the side of the reagent refrigerator; one each of a second side duct, separately defined by a side partition having a through hole at the other side thereof, and a rear duct, separately defined by a rear partition having a through hole at the rear side thereof; and an upper duct having one end communication with the upper portion of the second side or rear side, and the other end communicating with the cooling purification compartment. Accordingly, refrigeration temperature of the reagent refrigerator can be controlled, and circulation flow in the reagent refrigerator is improved, to thereby purify the air therein and minimize deviations from refrigerator temperature values. In addition, since the reagent refrigerator is based on a closed circulation type structure, impurities are prevented from being introduced to the reagent refrigerator to thereby increase the service life of the filter and reduce energy consumption. Moreover, even when the door of the reagent refrigerator is opened, negative pressure distribution in the reagent refrigerator is relatively even, thereby preventing the emission of noxious gas and an offensive smell from the reagent refrigerator compartment to the indoor space. More particularly, the reagent refrigerator may be modified to have a partial opening circulation structure without a heater to thereby prevent explosions and to perform a defrosting/dehumidifying operation so that safety and economic feasibility can be improved. In addition, the reagent refrigerator can be automatically controlled and the internal condition of the reagent refrigerator compartment can be monitored in real time. Furthermore, not only can on-site/real-time control be executed, but remote control as well.

Claims

1. A reagent refrigerator, comprising:

a reagent storage cooling compartment having a plurality of reagent storage trays which are installed in parallel from one another;

a housing formed of a cooling device compartment and a cooling purification compartment accommodating a blower, a filter and an evaporator and disposed above the reagent storage cooling compartment;

a first lateral duct partitioned by a lateral partition wall having a plurality of through holes at one side of the reagent storage cooling compartment and communicating with the cooling purification compartment;

a second lateral duct partitioned by a lateral partition wall having a plurality of through holes at the other side of the reagent storage cooling compartment; and

an upper duct an end of one side of which communicates with an upper side of the second lateral duct, and an end of the other side of which communicates with a filter of the cooling purification compartment, and

the purification cooling air stream formed by the filter and the evaporator forms a downward air stream by way of the first lateral duct by means of the blower, and forms a horizontal air stream toward each tray by way of the through holes of the first lateral partition wall, and forms a downward air stream by way of the net-shaped floor of the tray, and the contaminated, heated air stream in the reagent storage cooling compartment forms an upward air stream in the second lateral duct by way of the plurality of the through holes of the second lateral partition wall, and forms a horizontal air stream in the partitioned upper duct of the upper side of the reagent storage cooling compartment and is converted into a purification cooling air stream by the filters and the evaporator.

3. The reagent refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the filter comprises first to third filters, and in a sequence from the communications with the upper duct, the first filter is a high efficiency particulated (HEPA) arrestor filter or an ultra low penetration absolute (ULPA) filter, and the second filter is a bed filter in which a first type pallet formed of an adsorption agent, a basic oxide and an amphoteric metallic oxide, a second pallet formed of a basic metallic oxide, an oxide and an amphoteric metallic oxide, and a third type pallet formed of a basic metallic oxide and an amphoteric metallic oxide are randomly mixed at a weight percent ratio of 1:

1˜

5;

3˜

10, and a third filter is an active carbon or an active carbon fiber non-woven cloth.

4. The reagent refrigerator of claim 3, wherein in the second filter, the first type pallet is formed of an adsorption agent of 50˜

65 weight %, a basic metallic oxide of 15˜

30 weight %, an amphoteric metallic oxide of 5˜

15 weight % and a binder of 5˜

15 weight %, and the second type pallet is formed of a basic metallic oxide of 25˜

40 weight %, an oxide of 25˜

40 weight %, an amphoteric metallic oxide of 25˜

40 weight % and a binder of 5˜

15 weight %, and the third type pallet is formed of a basic metallic oxide of 50˜

70 weight %, an amphoteric metallic oxide of 20˜

40 weight % and a binder of 5˜

15 weight %, and the basic metallic oxide is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of Na₂O, K₂O, Rb₂O, Cs₂O, MgO, CaO, SrO, BaO, CrO, Ti₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, MnO and Mn₂O3₃, and the amphoteric metallic oxide is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of Al₂O₃, SnO₂ and PbO₂, and the oxide is KMnO₄ or MnO₂ or PbO₂, and the adsorption agent is an active carbon, and the binder is silica sol, sodium carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) or pulp powder, and the first, second and third pallets are accommodated in the cartridge with a plurality of small pores for thereby forming a movable pallet bed.

5. The reagent refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the first type pallet has a pore volume of 1.91˜

2.17 cc/g, a specific surface area (BET) of 920˜

970 m²/g and a pressure loss of 8.8˜

9.3 mmAq/5 cm height, and the second type pallet has a pore volume of 1.02˜

1.18 cc/g, a specific surface area (BET) of 766˜

792 m²/g and a pressure loss of 7.6˜

8.4 mmAq/5 cm height, and the third type pallet has a pore volume of 1.57˜

1.69 cc/g, a specific surface area (BET) of 788˜

823 m²/g and a pressure loss of 7.7˜

8.2 mmAq/5 cm height.

6. The reagent refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the evaporator is positioned at a downstream of the filter.

7. The reagent refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of the through holes formed at the first and second lateral partition walls are formed at the stage of each tray, and the whole surface area of the through holes formed at the stage of each tray gradually increases from the upper portions to the lower portions.

9. The reagent refrigerator of claim 7, wherein the increase of the whole surface area of the through holes formed at the stage of each tray is based on the increase of the through holes having the same diameters or the increase of the diameter in the same numbers.

10. The reagent refrigerator of claim 1, wherein at an upper side of the cooling purification compartment is installed a guide plate for guiding downward the purification cooling air stream, and a partition wall is provided for the sake of a smooth introduction of the contaminated and heated air stream from the upper duct to the filter.

11. The reagent refrigerator of claim 1, wherein in the cooling device compartment are installed a condenser, an expansion valve, a compressor and a ventilator, and an opening and closing valve is installed communicating with the upper duct for a conversion into a partially open structure for the sake of defrosting and dehumidifying operations or an increase control of storage temperature or an anti-explosion.

12. The reagent refrigerator according to claim 11, wherein at an upstream or a downstream in vicinity of the opening and closing valve is provided a pre-filter or a pre-filter and a high efficiency particulated arrestor (HEPA) or a pre-filter and ultra low penetration absolute (ULPA) filer.

13. The reagent refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the reagent storage cooling compartment is equipped with a door at a front side of which is provided a window, and a heating cable for a dehumidifying function is attached in the interior of the frame of the door or on a front side of the window, and a protection film is coated on it.

14. The reagent refrigerator according to claim 11, wherein the opening and closing valve is positioned at a lower side of the blade of the ventilator, and the heated air stream generating from the compressor and the condenser by the ventilator when the opening and closing valve is open is introduced into the upper duct by way of the opening and closing valve.

15. The reagent refrigerator of claim 1, wherein a rod-shaped blower is provided at a lower side of the second lateral duct.

17. The reagent refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the width of the lateral duct and the height of the upper duct are 3˜

20 cm, and the difference in the flow rates of the trays positioned at the lower side, central side and upper side of the interior of the reagent storage cooling compartment is 0.8 m/sec in max, and the flow rate of the interior of the reagent stage cooling compartment is 0.5˜

1.5 m/sec, and the interior of the reagent storage cooling compartment has a negative pressure state 0.4˜

0.8 millimeter lower than the atmospheric pressure.

18. The reagent refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor unit including a gas sensor measuring the concentration of a harmful gas in the interior of the reagent storage cooling compartment, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor and a flow rate;

a data conversion unit converting a detection signal measured by the sensor unit into a digital signal and outputting the signal;

a micro controller which controls in real time automatically or manually the operations of the cooling device and the blower and the opening and closing operations of the opening and closing valve and displays the data on the operation condition setting and the operation states in the reagent storage cooling compartment and performs a real time control by way of an on-site or distant personal computer and performs a signal process and a control for the purpose of transmitting a corresponding information to a cellular phone or the personal computer by way of a data server when in emergency;

a display controller which receives a data from the micro controller and displays and determines the opening and closing of the opening and closing valve and controls the operations of the cooling device and the blower and processes a signal for outputting the signal from a touch pad or a distant personal computer to the micro controller; and

a controller having a touch panel displaying a signal from the display controller, and

the temperature, the humidity, the filter efficiency and the flow rate in the reagent storage compartment are in real time displayed, and the operations of the reagent refrigerator can be remotely controlled by way of a touch pad or a distant personal computer.

2. A reagent refrigerator, comprising:

a reagent storage cooling compartment having a plurality of reagent storage trays which are installed in parallel from one another;

a housing formed of a cooling device compartment and a cooling purification compartment accommodating a blower, a filter and an evaporator and disposed above the reagent storage cooling compartment;

a first lateral duct partitioned by a lateral partition wall having a plurality of through holes at one side of the reagent storage cooling compartment and communicating with the cooling purification compartment;

a rear duct partitioned by a rear partition wall having a plurality of through holes at a rear side of the reagent storage cooling compartment; and

an upper duct an end of one side of which communicates with an upper side of the rear duct spaced apart from the lateral duct, and an end of the other side of which communicates with a filter of the cooling purification compartment, and

the purification cooling air stream formed by the filter and the evaporator forms a downward air stream by way of the first lateral duct by means of the lateral duct by the blower, and forms a horizontal air stream toward each tray by way of the through holes of the lateral partition wall, and forms a downward air stream by way of the net-shaped floor of the tray, and the contaminated, heated air stream in the reagent storage cooling compartment forms an upward air stream in the rear duct by way of the plurality of the through holes of the rear partition wall, and forms a horizontal air stream in the partitioned upper duct of the upper side of the reagent storage cooling compartment and is converted into a purification cooling air stream by the filters and the evaporator.

8. The reagent refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the plurality of through holes formed at the lateral partition wall and the rear partition wall are formed at the stage of each tray, and the whole surface area of the through holes formed at the stage of each tray gradually increases from the upper portions to the lower portions.

16. The reagent refrigerator of claim 2, wherein a rod-shaped blower is provided at a lower side of the rear duct spaced apart from the lateral duct.

19. The reagent refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the filter comprises first to third filters, and in a sequence from the communications with the upper duct, the first filter is a high efficiency particulated (HEPA) arrestor filter or an ultra low penetration absolute (ULPA) filter, and the second filter is a bed filter in which a first type pallet formed of an adsorption agent, a basic oxide and an amphoteric metallic oxide, a second pallet formed of a basic metallic oxide, an oxide and an amphoteric metallic oxide, and a third type pallet formed of a basic metallic oxide and an amphoteric metallic oxide are randomly mixed at a weight percent ratio of 1:

1˜

5;

3˜

10, and a third filter is an active carbon or an active carbon fiber non-woven cloth.

20. The reagent refrigerator of claim 19, wherein in the second filter, the first type pallet is formed of an adsorption agent of 50˜

65 weight %, a basic metallic oxide of 15˜

30 weight %, an amphoteric metallic oxide of 5˜

15 weight % and a binder of 5˜

15 weight %, and the second type pallet is formed of a basic metallic oxide of 25˜

40 weight %, an oxide of 25˜

40 weight %, an amphoteric metallic oxide of 25˜

40 weight % and a binder of 5˜

15 weight %, and the third type pallet is formed of a basic metallic oxide of 50˜

70 weight %, an amphoteric metallic oxide of 20˜

40 weight % and a binder of 5˜

15 weight %, and the basic metallic oxide is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of Na₂O, K₂O, Rb₂O, Cs₂O, MgO, CaO, SrO, BaO, CrO, Ti₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, MnO and Mn₂O3₃, and the amphoteric metallic oxide is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of Al₂O₃, SnO₂ and PbO₂, and the oxide is KMnO₄ or MnO₂ or PbO₂, and the adsorption agent is an active carbon, and the binder is silica sol, sodium carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) or pulp powder, and the first, second and third pallets are accommodated in the cartridge with a plurality of small pores for thereby forming a movable pallet bed.