# US 2017/0299234 A1 · Method for getting the inside of a thermally insulated space up to temperature and maintaining it at temperature without the provision on continuous energy, and associated device

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- Number: US 2017/0299234 A1
- Document ID: US20170299234A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/516,220
- Filed: 2015-09-29
- Published: 2017-10-19
- Earliest claimed: 2014-10-01
- Assignees: Coldway
- Applicants: Coldway
- Inventors: Laurent RIGAUD; Francis KINDBEITER; David TADIOTTO
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170299234A1

## CPC

- F25B 17/00: Sorption machines, plants or systems, operating intermittently, e.g. absorption or adsorption type
- F25B 17/083: {with two or more boiler-sorbers operating alternately}
- F25B 2315/005: Regeneration
- F25B 2315/007: Parallel systems therefor
- F25B 2400/01: Heaters
- F25B 2600/2515: Flow valves
- F25B 2700/04: Refrigerant level
- F25B: REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS

## Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for getting the interior volume of a thermally insulated space (5) up to temperature and maintaining it at temperature using two thermochemical systems (TCU1; TCU2). According to the invention, a suitable device is supplied and steps are taken to ensure that all the fluid of each of said systems (TCU1; TCU2) is contained in the reservoir (1; 2) of each of said systems (TUC1; TCU2); at least one of said systems (TCU; TCU2) is used to bring said space to a setpoint temperature, a) the reactor (15; 25) of one of said systems (TCU1; TCU2) is heated until fully regenerated, while the other system (TCU1; TCU2) keeps the temperature at said setpoint temperature; b) when the reactor (15; 25) is fully regenerated, said system comprising the reactor that has just been regenerated is used to maintain the temperature and the reactor (15; 25) of the other system (TCU1; TCU2) is heated long as said connection means are connected to said external energy.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A device enabling the bringing to temperature and holding at temperature of a thermally insulated enclosure, comprising:
at least a first and a second system chosen independently of each other from among absorption systems, adsorption systems and thermochemical systems, said first and second systems each comprising:
at least one reservoir containing a fluid, connected to a reactor, which contains a reagent capable of reacting exothermically and reversibly with said fluid, said reagent being consumed during said exothermic reaction and being able to be regenerated during the reverse reaction, which can be induced by heating said reactor,
valve means capable of regulating the flow of said fluid between said reservoir and said reactor and
means of heating said reactor that are capable of inducing said inverse reaction; said heating means comprise means of temporary connection to a source of energy external to said device, said temporary connection means being capable of being connected or disconnected from said external energy source; in that said device further comprises,
means of determining the quantity of fluid present in each of said systems that has not reacted;
means of control of said valve means that are coupled to said means for determining the quantity of fluid not having reacted and coupled to said heating means of each of said systems; and
at least one thermally insulated enclosure disposed in such a way that its internal volume can be heated and/or cooled by said systems.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The device according to claim 1, wherein said reservoir contains the fluid in liquid/vapor phase equilibrium and in that said device further comprises at least one evaporator connected to the outlet of the at least one of said reservoirs.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The device according to claim 1, comprising at least one condenser mounted between said reactor and said reservoir of at least one of said systems.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The device according to claim 1, wherein said reservoir of each of said systems and/or said evaporator and/or said condenser is/are disposed in such a way as to enable a heat transfer with the internal volume of said thermally insulated enclosure.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The device according to claim 1, wherein the reservoir of said systems and/or said evaporator is disposed in said thermally insulated enclosure.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The device according to claim 1, comprising means of cooling the reactors of said systems.

### Claim 7

A method of bringing to temperature and holding at temperature the internal volume of a thermally insulated enclosure, wherein:
a device is provided comprising:
at least a first and a second system chosen independently of each other from among absorption systems, adsorption systems and thermochemical systems, said first and second systems each comprising:
at least one reservoir containing a fluid, connected to a reactor which contains a reagent capable of reacting exothermically and reversibly with said fluid, said reagent being consumed during said exothermic reaction and being able to be regenerated during the reverse reaction, which can be induced by heating said reactor,
valve means to regulate the flow of said fluid between said reservoir and said reactor and
means of heating said reactor capable of regenerating said reactor by inducing said reverse reaction; said heating means being capable of being connected to an energy source external to said device and able to be disconnected from said external energy source;
said device further comprising,
means of determining the quantity of fluid present in each of said systems that has not reacted;
means of controlling said valve means that are coupled to said means of determining the quantity of fluid and coupled to the means of heating each of said systems; and
at least one thermally insulated enclosure disposed in such a way that its internal volume can be heated and/or cooled by said systems;
it is arranged that all of the fluid of each of said systems is contained in said reservoir of said system;
at least one of said systems is used to bring the temperature of the internal volume of said enclosure to a given preset temperature;
if this has not already been done, said heating means are connected to said external energy source;
a) the reactor of one of said systems is heated until complete regeneration, while the other system maintains the temperature of the internal volume of said enclosure at said setpoint temperature;
b) when the reactor is completely regenerated, said system having the reactor that has just been regenerated is used to maintain the temperature of the internal volume of said enclosure at said setpoint temperature before all the reagent and/or all the fluid of the other system is consumed in said exothermic reaction, and the reactor of the other system, which still contains reagent and said fluid capable of reacting, is heated until its complete regeneration;
while said connection means are connected to said external source of energy, the aforementioned steps a) and b) are repeated;
when said heating means are disconnected from said external source of energy, each of said systems is used successively to maintain the temperature of the internal volume of said enclosure at said setpoint temperature.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method according to claim 7, wherein if the two systems are used to bring the internal volume of said enclosure to said setpoint temperature, the quantity is determined of fluid not having yet reacted in each of said systems, and the reactor is heated of the system that contains the smallest quantity of fluid not having reacted.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The method according to claim 7, wherein said valve means of each of said systems are kept closed for a given period of time after having caused said given quantity of fluid to penetrate into the at least one of said reactors.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The method according to claim 7, the reactor is used in which the reagent has just been regenerated in order to maintain the temperature of the internal volume of the enclosure at said setpoint temperature before the temperature of said reactor reaches the temperature of the ambient environment at said enclosure.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

An automotive vehicle comprising the device according to claim 1, said thermally insulated enclosure being contained in the trunk of said vehicle.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The automotive vehicle according to claim 11, wherein said temporary connection means comprise an electrical plug capable of being connected to the mains and/or to the vehicle's battery.