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US 2011/0034118 A1Published application
Ripening/Storage Room with Reversible Air Flow
AssigneeChiquita Brands, Inc.
InventorsStanislaw Franaszek, Olaf Van Dooren, Leon Hooghart, Adriaan van Beek
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Abstract
The invention relates to a ripening and/or storage room for produce, including fruit and/or vegetables, more particularly for bananas, and a method for storing and ripening such produce. The invention relates to the construction of said ripening and/or storage room to achieve substantially symmetrical distribution of the heat across the load stacked in room space during ripening/store periods using reversible air flow through the room.
Claims20
A storage/ripening unit comprising:
- (a) a storage/ripening room;
- and
- (b) an air management unit comprising an air cooler comprising at least one fan and at least one heat exchanger;
- said storage/ripening room being operably connected to said air management unit via at least two operational openings;
- wherein said air movement unit is capable of providing substantially symmetrical air flow;
- and
- wherein said air movement unit is capable of reversing the direction of said symmetrical air flow through said storage/ripening room.
4 more elements
A storage/ripening unit comprising
- (a) a storage/ripening room;
- (b) an air management unit comprising an air cooler comprising at least one air fan and at least one heat exchanger, said air cooler being capable of being reversed by 180 degrees;
- (c) at least two center operational openings connecting said storage/ripening room and said air management unit;
- (d) at least four side operational openings connecting said storage/ripening room and said air management unit;
- and
- (e) at least two air reversing components capable of reversibly blocking said center and said side operational openings;
- wherein said storage/ripening unit comprises a first configuration of said heat exchanger, said air fan, and said operational openings such that air circulates in a first direction;
- and
- wherein said storage/ripening unit comprises a second configuration of said heat exchanger, said air fan, and said operational openings such that air circulates in a second direction.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.