DESC:Field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for cooling liquid containers. More particularly the present invention relates to a system for cooling liquids being kept inside a container.

Background of the invention

[0002] The milk cooling systems are used to cool the milk by releasing the heat of the milk outside. The milk must be cooled from 98 degrees F. (37 degrees C.) to storage temperature, typically about 38 degrees F., to preserve its quality. The existing cooling systems for in-place (or in-situ) cooling of milk in containers used for transportation, such as standard aluminium or stainless steel 40-litre milk cans, are water-bath based cooling systems and immersion rod-based cooling systems. The water-bath based cooling system uses a refrigeration system to cool a bath of water. Milk cans are placed in the cold-water bath whereby heat from the warm milk is transferred to the cold water bath via conduction through the walls of the milk can. This takes a longer time to chill the milk and the milk cannot reach the 4O C target temperature within 3 hours as prescribed by dairy standards. Also, the required continuous grid power during the chilling process increases the maintenance cost of the milk chiller.

[0003] The immersion rod-based cooling system for cooling milk immerses in the milk a hollow rod through which water-cooled by a refrigeration system is circulated. This method of cooling milk is susceptible to milk contamination. Furthermore, it takes a longer time to chill the milk and the milk cannot reach the 4O C target temperature within 3 hours as prescribed by dairy standards. Also, continuous grid power is required during the chilling process.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need to provide a system for cooling liquid containers being stored with milk and other liquids that can overcome the drawbacks of the existing prior art.

Objects of the invention

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a system for cooling liquid containers.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide a system for cooling liquid containers, which enables the cooling of the liquids without a diesel generator in the absence of grid power, thereby reducing the operation and maintenance cost.

[0007] One more object of the present invention is to provide a system for cooling liquid containers, which does not contaminate the liquid.
[0008] Still one object of the present invention is to provide a system for cooling liquid containers, which takes three hours to chill the liquid to 4 degrees C as prescribed by dairy standards.

[0009] One object of the present invention is to provide a system for cooling liquid containers, where retention of the energy is done upto 24 hours.

[0010] Yet one object of the present invention is to provide a system for cooling liquid containers, which can chill 160-200 liters of water in a single charge.

[0011] Further one object of the present invention is to provide a system for cooling liquid containers, which is economical and simple in operation.

Summary of the invention

[0012] According to the present invention, there is provided with a system for cooling liquid containers such as a milk can and the like. The system is portable, which is used for cooling the liquids being stored in the portable containers, during and after transportation. The system is essential during the transport of the liquid to a remote location where continuous grid power is not available. The system retains the cool capacity for cooling the containers for up to 24 hours. The system is used for cooling the liquid stored inside the containers. In the present embodiment, the containers are used for storing milk and the like.

[0013] Further, the system includes a refrigeration unit, a thermal storage unit, and the insulated box. The refrigeration unit has a condenser, a compressor, an expansion valve and a heat exchanger. The condenser is provided for condensing a refrigerant in the presence of grid power. The condenser condenses and the compressor compresses the incoming refrigerant, thereby raising the pressure of the refrigerant. The refrigerant is then passed through the expansion valve and then through the heat exchanger.

[0014] Specifically, the heat exchanger is arranged in an enclosure. The heat exchanger cools a first liquid in the enclosure by using the refrigerant therein. In the present embodiment, a brazed PHE heat exchanger is used. It may be obvious to a person skilled in the art to use any other suitable heat exchanger. The brazed PHE is a type of brazed plate heat exchanger used for efficiently transferring heat. In the present embodiment, the first liquid is a heat transfer fluid. Generally, a liquid or a gas that transfers heat from one media to another is called the heat transfer fluid. The heat transfer fluids are used in processes where cooling or heating is required to obtain and maintain a particular temperature.

[0015] The thermal storage unit is arranged adjacent to the refrigeration unit. The thermal storage unit is an insulated container filled with a second liquid, the second liquid is water. The thermal storage unit is provided for storing and circulating the second liquid therethrough. The first liquid is circulated in the thermal storage unit through a tube lattice. The tube lattice are arranged overlapping so that the solidified second liquid remains fairly intact at the extreme ends of the tube lattice. The tubes work as a heat exchanger and the heat transfer fluid cools material such that some of the material changes phase and becomes solid. Only a portion of material changes phase to become solid. The remaining portion of material remains in liquid form so it can be pumped to the insulated box.

[0016] In the present embodiment, the first liquid and the second liquid are circulating using a pump respectively. The pumps are arranged adjacent to the thermal storage unit. Specifically, the first liquid is circulated through the heat exchanger for cooling the heat transfer fluid by using a first pump, and the second liquid (chilled water) is circulated from the thermal storage unit to the insulated box by using a second pump for cooling the liquid being stored inside the containers.

[0017] The thermal storage unit is having a control unit. The control unit is provided for switching ON and OFF the refrigeration and the cooling process. The control unit is provided with a sensor for sensing the thickness of the solid formed around the tube. The sensor can be a temperature sensor as well, or any other sensor that is obvious to a persons skilled in the art. If the thickness of the solid is below a predefined thickness, the cooling process of containers stops. Once the grid power is available the refrigeration unit is operated to cool the first liquid thereafter cooling process stops once the thickness of the solid is reaches above the predefined thickness. Specifically, the cooling process of first liquid (HTF) takes place when the thickness of the solid is below the predefined thickness and grid power is available.

[0018] The thermal storage unit is provided with a diffusor. The diffuser is provided for even distribution of the second liquid received from the insulated box for melting solidified second liquid in the thermal storage unit. The diffusing process of liquefies the second liquid, which helps in faster and uniform melting of ice in the thermal storage unit which is further pumped and distributed to the insulating box by the second pump. Specifically, the second liquid (melted cold water) is pumped by the second pump to cool the liquid stored in containers.

[0019] Further, the insulated box is arranged with a plurality of nozzles. The nozzles are provided to distribute the cold liquid on the upper portion of the container. Using the force of gravity, cold liquid falls uniformly over the sides of the container forming a thin film around the outer walls of the container, thereby cooling the liquid inside the container.

Brief description of the invention

[0020] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a system for cooling liquid containers in accordance with the present invention is illustrated.

Details description of the invention

[0021] An embodiment of this invention, illustrating its features, will now be described in detail. The words "comprising," "having," "containing," and "including," and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open-ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items.

[0022] The terms “first,” “second,” and the like, herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another, and the terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.

[0023] The disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms.

[0024] The present invention provides a system for cooling liquid containers such as a milk can and the like. The system is portable, which is used for cooling the liquids being stored in the portable containers, during and after transportation. The system is essential during the transport of the liquid to a remote location where continuous grid power is not available. The system retains the cool capacity for cooling the containers for up to 24 hours. The system enables cooling of the liquids without using a diesel generator in the absence of grid power, thereby reducing the operation and maintenance cost. Specifically, the system is provided with a DC battery and an inverter which provide power to operate the pump in absence of the grid power. In the present embodiment, once the thermal storage is fully charged (when the solid formed around the tube have reached to a predefined thickness), it can be used to chill up to 160-200 liters of the liquids in the containers up to four degrees C. Also, the system doesn’t use any additional element to insert inside the container with the liquid/milk like an emersion rod for cooling the liquid, therefore it does not contaminate the liquid form the containers.

[0025] Referring now to figure 1, a schematic diagram of a system 100 for the containers 200 with a liquid, such milk and the like in accordance with the present invention is illustrated. The system 100 is used for cooling the liquid stored inside the containers 200. In the present embodiment, the containers 200 are used for storing milk and the like. It may be obvious for a person skilled in the art to fill the container with water or any liquid or beverages. For the sake of brevity and clarity, in the present embodiment, two containers 200 are arranged, each container 200 is a standard aluminium or stainless steel forty-liter milk container. It may be obvious to a person skilled in the art to place a two, three or more containers in an insulated box 130.

[0026] Further, the system 100 includes a refrigeration unit 110, a thermal storage unit 120, and the insulated box 130. The refrigeration unit 110 has a condenser 112, a compressor (not shown), a expansion valve (not shown) and a heat exchanger 114. The condenser 112 is provided for condensing a refrigerant in the presence of grid power. The condenser 112 condenses and the compressor compresses the incoming refrigerant, thereby raising the pressure of the refrigerant. The refrigerant is then passed through the expansion valve and then through the heat exchanger 114. The heat exchanger 114 is a evaporator of the refrigeration unit 110, which helps in transferring the latent heat to a first liquid surrounding thereof.

[0027] Specifically, the heat exchanger 114 is arranged in an enclosure 116. The heat exchanger 114 cools a first liquid in the enclosure 116 by using the refrigerant therein. In the present embodiment, a brazed PHE heat exchanger is used. It may be obvious to a person skilled in the art to use any other suitable heat exchanger 114. The brazed PHE is a type of brazed plate heat exchanger used for efficiently transferring heat. In the present embodiment, the first liquid is a heat transfer fluid (HTF). Generally, a liquid or a gas that transfers heat from one media to another is called the heat transfer fluid (HTF). The heat transfer fluids are used in processes where cooling or heating is required to obtain and maintain a particular temperature.

[0028] The thermal storage unit 120 is arranged adjacent to the refrigeration unit 110. The thermal storage unit 120 is an insulated container filled with a second liquid. In the present embodiment, the second liquid is water. The thermal storage unit 120 is provided for storing and circulating the second liquid therethrough. Precisely, the second liquid is cooled by circulating the first liquid between enclosure 116 and the thermal storage unit 120. The first liquid is circulated in the thermal storage unit 120 through a tube lattice 140. The tube lattice 140 are arranged overlapping so that the solidified second liquid remains fairly intact at the extreme ends of the tube lattice 140. In the present embodiment, the design of the tube lattice 140 (herein after referred as the tubes 140) is made in such a way that it reduces the charging time of the next chilling cycle. The tubes 140 work as a heat exchanger and the heat transfer fluid (HTF) cools material 142 such that some of the material changes phase and becomes solid. Only a portion of material 142 changes phase to become solid. The remaining portion of material 142 remains in liquid form so it can be pumped to the insulated box 130.

[0029] In the present embodiment, the first liquid and the second liquid are circulating using a pump 150 and 160 respectively. The pumps 150 and 160 are arranged adjacent to the thermal storage unit 120. Specifically, the first liquid is circulated through the heat exchanger 114 for cooling the heat transfer fluid (HTF) by using a first pump 150, and the second liquid (chilled water) is circulated from the thermal storage unit 120 to the insulated box 130 by using a second pump 160 for cooling the liquid being stored inside the containers 200.

[0030] The thermal storage unit 120 is having a control unit (not shown). The control unit is provided for switching ON and OFF the refrigeration and the cooling process. It may be obvious to a person skilled in the art to manually close and shut the operating of the refrigeration unit 110. The control unit is provided with a sensor (not shown) for sensing the thickness of the solid formed around the tube 140. If the thickness of the solid is below a predefined thickness, the cooling process stops. Once the grid power is available the refrigeration unit is operated to cool the first liquid thereafter cooling process stops once the thickness of the solid is reaches above the predefined thickness.

[0031] The thermal storage unit 120 is provided with a diffusor (not shown). In the present embodiment, the diffuser is a water diffuser, provided for even distribution of the second liquid received from the insulated box 130 for melting solidified second liquid in the thermal storage unit 120. The diffusing process of liquifies the second liquid, which helps in faster and uniform melting of ice in the thermal storage unit 120 which is further pumped and distributed to the insulating box 160 by the second pump 160. Specifically, the second liquid (melted cold water) is pumped by the second pump 160 to cool the liquid stored in containers 60.
[0032] Further, the insulated box 130 is arranged with a plurality of nozzles 170. The nozzles are provided to distribute the cold liquid on the upper portion of the container 200. Using the force of gravity, cold liquid falls uniformly over the sides of the container 200 forming a thin film around the outer walls of the container 200, thereby cooling the liquid inside the container 200. During the cooling process, the containers 200 are kept in the insulated box 130 to prevent heat loss to the surrounding.

[0033] Therefore, the present invention provides an advantage of the system 100 for cooling liquid containers. The system 100 enables the cooling of the liquids without a diesel generator in the absence of grid power, thereby reducing the operation and maintenance cost. Also, the system 100 does not contaminate the liquid. Further, the system 100 takes three hours to chill the liquid to 4 degrees C as prescribed by dairy standards. Furthermore, in the system 100 retentions of the energy is done up to 24 hours. Also, the system 100 can chill 160-200 liters of water on a single charge. Furthermore, the system 100 is economical and simple in operation.

[0034] The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously, many modifications and variations are possible considering the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described to explain the principles of the present invention best. Its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the use contemplated. It is understood that various omission and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient. However, such are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the description of the present invention.
,CLAIMS:We Claim:

1. A system 100 for cooling liquid containers 200, the system 100 having a refrigeration unit 110 having a condenser 112 for condensing a refrigerant and a heat exchanger 114, characterised in that:
an enclosure 116 is configured around the heat exchanger 114, the heat exchanger 114 cools a first liquid in the enclosure 116 by using the refrigerant from the condenser 112;
a thermal storage unit 120 is provided for storing and circulating a second liquid, the second liquid is cooled by circulating the first liquid between the enclosure 116 and the thermal storage unit 120; and
an insulated box 130 adapted for placing the containers 200, the second liquid from the thermal storage unit 120 is pumped and sprinkled over the containers 200 for cooling a liquid in the containers 200.

2. The system 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thermal storage unit 120 is having a control unit (not shown) to control the process of switching ON and OFF the refrigeration process and the cooling process.

3. The system 100 as claimed in claims 1 and 2, wherein the control unit having a sensor (not shown) for sensing the thickness of the solid formed around a tube 140, if the thickness is below a predefined thickness range, cooling process stops and when grid power is available the refrigeration unit 110 is operated to cool the first liquid.

4. The system 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thermal storage unit 120 having a diffusor (not shown) for even distribution of the second liquid received from insulated box 130 for melting solidified second liquid in the thermal storage unit 120.

5. The system 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first liquid and the second liquid are circulating using pumps 150 and 160 respectively.

6. The system 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insulated box 130 having a plurality of nozzles 170 for sprinkling the second liquid on the upper portion of the containers 200 for even distribution thereover.

7. The system 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thermal storage unit 120 having a tube lattice 140 for circulating the first liquid therethrough, the tube lattice 140 are arranged overlapping so that the solidified second liquid remains fairly intact at the extreme ends of the tube lattice 140.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first liquid is a heat transfer fluid (HTF).

9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second liquid is water.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the containers 200 are used for storing milk.