Drying a refrigerated cargo box following wash out prior to loading
AssigneeCarrier Corporation
InventorsMark G. Fragnito, John R. Reason, David C. Brondum, Deborah A. Champagne
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method is provided for accelerating the drying of a cargo box (18) of a refrigerated truck (12), trailer (16), or container following a wash out. In an aspect, the method includes circulating air from the cargo box (18) through an evaporator (30) of the refrigerant unit (20) and back to the cargo box (18); and operating the refrigerant unit (20) in alternating cycles of first heating the circulating air and then cooling the circulating air.
Claims11
A method for conditioning an empty cargo box of a mobile refrigerated container equipped with a refrigeration unit, the method comprising:
- prior to loading cargo into the empty cargo box, performing operations to dry the cargo box by removing moisture from the cargo box, the operations comprising:
- circulating air from the cargo box through an evaporator of the refrigerant unit and back to the cargo box;
- and
- operating the refrigerant unit in alternating cycles of first heating the circulating air and then cooling the air.
A method for conditioning an empty cargo box of a mobile refrigerated container equipped with a refrigeration unit, the method comprising:
- prior to loading cargo into the empty cargo box, performing operations comprising:
- operating a fan operatively associated with an evaporator of the refrigeration unit for circulating air from the cargo box through the evaporator and back to the cargo box;
- determining whether a sensed ambient temperature external to the cargo box is less than the freezing point of water;
- when the sensed ambient temperature is less than the freezing point of water, operating the refrigeration unit in a heating cycle and heating the circulating air passing through the evaporator for a preset heating period of time;
- when the sensed ambient temperature is not less than the freezing point of water or upon termination of the heating cycle, setting a setpoint control air temperature and operating the refrigeration unit in a cooling cycle for cooling the circulating air passing through the evaporator;
- sensing a temperature of the circulating air having traversed the evaporator and being supplied back to the cargo box;
- comparing the sensed supply air temperature to the setpoint control air temperature;
- and
- when the sensed supply air temperature equals the setpoint control air temperature, then performing:
- determining an elapsed time from initiating operation of the refrigeration unit in the remove moisture mode;
- if the elapsed time is less than a preset drying period of time, repeating the heating cycle and cooling cycle sequence;
- and
- if the elapsed time equals or exceeds the preset drying period of time, terminating operation of the refrigeration unit in the remove moisture mode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.