Air Freight Temperature Controlled Device Using Liquid Nitrogen

• US 20190322374A1
• Filed: 05/08/2019
• Published: 10/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John J. Hammerman, William G. Moon
• Original Assignee: John J. Hammerman, William G. Moon
• Inventors: Moon, William G., Hammerman, John J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,597,163 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 13/08 the air being heated or cooled
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2013/0648 with energy recovery means, e.g. using turbines
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 9/00 Equipment for handling freight; Equipment for facilitating passenger embarkation or the like emergency equipment B64D17/00, B64D19/00, B64D25/00; structures integral with fuselage to facilitate loading, fuselage floors specially adapted for freight, steps mounted on and retractable within aircraft B64C; ground installations B64F
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0111 Boxes
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0142 bundled in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0329 manually actuated
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0335 Check-valves or non-return valves
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0394 in direct contact with the pressure vessel
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/014 Nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/0161 cryogenic, e.g. LNG, GNL, PLNG
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/033 Small pressure, e.g. for liquefied gas
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/0189 Planes
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 9/00 Methods or apparatus for discharging liquefied or solidified gases from vessels not under pressure

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for transporting products with an airplane by controlling temperature in a payload bay using cryogenic coolant and a heat exchanger to cool the payload bay and heat from a heater; recycling exhaust from the heat exchanger to power a Stirling engine; charging a storage device with power from the Stirling engine; housing the payload bay as part of a modular, stackable module in an aircraft bay for transportation; and venting exhaust gas to an exterior of the airplane.

Claims

1. An air freight unit load device (ULD) for an aircraft with a cargo bay, comprising:

an enclosure with

one or more cryogenic tanks;

a heat exchanger coupled to the one or more cryogenic tanks

a Stirling engine having a cold sink coupled to the one or more cryogenic tanks;

a payload bay, isolated from the cargo environment, with a double wall and Vacuum Insulated Panels (VIPs) placed between the walls;

one or more valves coupling the cryogenic tanks, the heat exchanger, and the Stirling engine;

a controller coupled to the valves and one or more sensors to maintain temperature of the payload at a predetermined temperature setpoint, and

a blowout panel attached to a side of the ULD,

wherein the enclosure fits predetermined dimensions in an airplane cargo bay.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the cryogenic tanks store liquid nitrogen to cool or heat the payload bay and the controller maintains the predetermined temperature setpoint to within +/−

2 deg C. in an air cargo compartment environment ranging from −

40 to 50 deg C.

3. The device of claim 1, comprising an electric heating element powered by deep cycle batteries and deep cycle batteries charged by the Stirling engine generator or a gas turbine generator.

4. The device of claim 1, comprising:

load cell units below the liquid nitrogen tanks,

horizontal liquid nitrogen tanks that fit the form factor of the ULD,

baffles in the horizontal liquid nitrogen tanks for continuous flow during take offs and landings,

safety valve assemblies with several components designed to prevent the valves from failing in the open condition,

fans and heat exchangers for fast cooling prior to take offs,

global communication assurance for tracking biomedical high value products during flight,

flex hoses throughout the cooling system for reliability related to high shock landings and in-flight vibrations, and

fiberglass thermal breaks that provide beam stiffeners and are much lighter weight than comparable steel beams for airline payload weight considerations.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein operational data is recorded and stored in a data recorder and a transmitter communicating with a remote receiver to monitor operational data.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the global communication assurance is accomplished through the use of a GPS tracker and a wireless datalogger that communicate with a point of monitoring.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the cryogenic tanks are removed and the device is connected to and operates from a cryogenic bulk storage tank prior to flight, when liquid nitrogen is prohibited on certain aircraft.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the blow out panel consists of a frame, sliding panel, and one or more springs and acts as an emergency pressure equalizer.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the load cell units are comprised of a load cell, an upper guard, and a lower guard.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the upper guard and the lower guard prevent the load cell from moving beyond operational limits.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the baffles retain more liquid nitrogen near the liquid nitrogen outlet of the LN2 tanks during periods of changing acceleration.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the safety valve assemblies comprise an extended length of copper tubing and a heating element placed on the safety valve to prevent freezing.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the extended length of copper tubing allows nitrogen flowing through it to gain significant thermal energy to prevent the freezing of moisture it comes in contact with and may include fins.

14. A method for transporting products with an airplane, comprising:

controlling temperature in a payload bay using cryogenic coolant and a heat exchanger to cool the payload bay and heat from a heater;

recycling exhaust from the heat exchanger to power a Stirling engine;

charging a storage device with power from the Stirling engine;

housing the payload bay as part of a modular, stackable module in an aircraft bay for transportation; and

venting exhaust gas to an exterior of the airplane.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising isolating the payload bay with a double wall and VIPs between the walls.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein operational data is recorded and stored in a data recorder and a transmitter communicating with a remote receiver to monitor operational data.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the global communication assurance is accomplished through the use of a GPS tracker and a wireless datalogger that communicate with a point of monitoring.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the blow out panel consists of a frame, sliding panel, and one or more springs and acts as an emergency pressure equalizer.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the load cell units are comprised of a load cell, an upper guard, and a lower guard.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the upper guard and the lower guard prevent the load cell from moving beyond operational limits.