# US 2019/0337715 A1 · Mobile dehydrator and method of use thereof

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- Number: US 2019/0337715 A1
- Document ID: US20190337715A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/344,785
- Filed: 2017-10-17
- Published: 2019-11-07
- Earliest claimed: 2016-11-01
- Assignees: Rich Naturals Inc.
- Applicants: Rich Naturals Inc.
- Inventors: Jaya P. RAMANDEV; Gerry C. CARRINGTON; Ian WELL
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190337715A1

## CPC

- B65D 88/747: {dehumidifying, dewatering or draining}
- A23B 2/90: by drying or kilning; Subsequent reconstitution
- A23B 7/0205: {by contact of the material with fluids, e.g. drying gas or extracting liquids}
- B65D 90/02: Wall construction
- F25D 15/00: Devices not covered by group F25D11/00 or F25D13/00, e.g. non-self-contained movable devices
- F26B 9/066: {the products to be dried being disposed on one or more containers, which may have at least partly gas-previous walls, e.g. trays or shelves in a stack (F26B9/003 takes precedence; in combination with duct systems F26B21/00)}
- F26B 21/33: Humidity
- F26B 25/066: {Movable chambers, e.g. collapsible, demountable (self-contained mobile devices, e.g. for agricultural produce F26B19/005)}
- B65D 2588/746: with additional treatment function
- B65D: CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- A23B: PRESERVATION OF FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES
- F25D: REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (refrigerated showcases A47F3/04; thermally-insulated vessels for domestic use A47J41/00; refrigerated vehicles, see the appropriate subclasses of classes B60 - B64; containers with thermal insulation in general B65D81/38; heat-transfer, heat-exchange or heat-storage materials, e.g. refrigerants, or materials for the production of heat or cold by chemical reactions other than by combustion C09K5/00; thermally-insulated vessels for liquefied or solidified gases F17C; air-conditioning or air-humidification F24F; refrigeration machines, plants, or systems F25B; cooling of instruments or comparable apparatus without refrigeration G12B)
- F26B: DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM (drying devices for combines A01D41/133; racks for drying fruit or vegetables A01F25/12; drying foodstuffs A23; drying hair A45D20/00; body-drying implements A47K10/00; drying household articles A47L; drying gases or vapours B01D; chemical or physical processes for dewatering or like separating liquids from solids B01D43/00; centrifugal apparatus B04; drying ceramics C04B33/30; drying yarns or fabrics in association with some other form of treatment D06C; drying frames for laundry without heating or positive air circulation, domestic laundry-or spin-driers, wringing or hot pressing laundry D06F; furnaces, kilns, ovens F27)

## Abstract

A fully self-contained, portable product dehydrator is provided comprising: an intermodal container housing an equipment module, the equipment module including a refrigeration equipment chamber proximate the front door and an air conditioning chamber behind the refrigeration equipment chamber, the equipment module retained in the interior and moveable from a retracted position to an extended position, wherein when in the extended position, the refrigeration equipment chamber is substantially exposed to an ambient environment, outside the front door; a heat pump dehumidifier including a subcooler, a desuperheater, electronic expansion valve and a compressor, housed in the refrigeration equipment chamber and at least two condensers and evaporator housed in the air conditioning chamber, a drying chamber, the drying chamber defined by the interior and the rear door; a motor control center; and a control panel; in electronic communication with the heat pump dehumidifier and the fans.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A self-contained, portable product dehydrator comprising: an intermodal container including a rear door, a front door, a ceiling, a floor, and walls therebetween to define an interior; an equipment module, the interior housing the equipment module, the equipment module including a refrigeration equipment chamber proximate the front door and an air conditioning chamber behind the refrigeration equipment chamber, the equipment module retained in the interior and moveable from a retracted position to an extended position, wherein when in the extended position, the refrigeration equipment chamber is substantially exposed to an ambient environment, outside the front door; a heat pump dehumidifier including a subcooler, a desuperheater, at least two condensers, a compressor, an expansion valve and an evaporator, all in fluid communication; the subcooler, the desuperheater, the expansion valve and the compressor housed in the refrigeration equipment chamber and the at least two condensers and the evaporator housed in the air conditioning chamber, the air conditioning chamber including a front partition wall and a bank of fans in the rear wall, the bank of fans in fluid communication with the air conditioning chamber and the drying chamber; a drying chamber, the drying chamber defined by the interior and the rear door; and a motor control center and a control panel, both in electronic communication with the heat pump dehumidifier and the fans.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The dehydrator of claim 1, further comprising a racking system, the racking system housed in the drying chamber, the racking system including a plurality of carts, each with a plurality of racks, and a plurality of trays, the trays releasably retained on the racks.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The dehydrator of claim 2, wherein the racking system and the ceiling define an upper ductless air channel, the racking system and the floor define a lower ductless air channel and the racking system and the rear door define a rear ductless air channel, the rear ductless air channel in fluid communication with the upper and the lower air channels, the air channels in fluid communication with the bank of fans.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The dehydrator of claim 3, wherein the evaporator and the condensers are mounted on a partition wall between the air conditioning chamber and the refrigeration equipment chamber to provide a barrier to air.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The dehydrator of claim 4, further comprising a pair of adjustable dampers, each damper mounted in an air channel, such that an amount of air flow to the evaporator and to the condensers is modulated.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The dehydrator of claim 5, wherein the equipment module is in slidable and rollable engagement with the intermodal container.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The dehydrator of claim 6, wherein the heat pump dehumidifier further includes a plurality of valves including an electronic expansion valve, the plurality of valves housed in the refrigeration equipment chamber.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The dehydrator of claim 7, further comprising a louvered door in a wall of the refrigeration equipment chamber.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The dehydrator of claim 8, further comprising an air mixing space defined by the evaporator of the air conditioning chamber and the bank of fans, the air mixing space in fluid communication with the bank of fans and the upper and the lower ductless air channels.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The dehydrator of claim 9, wherein the fans are reversible fans.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The dehydrator of claim 10, further comprising a motor control center and a control panel in electronic communication with the heat pump dehumidifier, for controlling the heat pump dehumidifier.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The dehydrator of claim 11, further comprising environmental sensors, the sensors in electronic communication with the control panel.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

A method of drying a food product, the method comprising using the dehydrator of claim 12 to dry the food product.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the food product is dried from about 85 percent moisture content to about 8 percent moisture content at a temperature between about 25° C. to about 50° C.

### Claim 15

A self-contained, portable product dehydrator comprising: an intermodal container including a rear door, a front door, a ceiling, a floor, and walls therebetween to define an interior; an equipment module, the interior housing the equipment module, the equipment module retained in the interior and moveable from a retracted position to an extended position, wherein when in the extended position, a front portion of the equipment module is substantially exposed to an ambient environment, outside the front door; a heat pump dehumidifier housed in the equipment module, the equipment module including a rear wall; a drying chamber, the drying chamber defined by the interior and the rear door; a bank of fans, the bank of fans located in the rear wall and in fluid communication with the equipment module and the drying chamber; and a motor control center and a control panel, in electronic communication with the heat pump dehumidifier and the fans.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The dehydrator of claim 15, wherein the equipment module includes: a refrigeration equipment chamber which is substantially exposed to the ambient when in the extended position, the equipment chamber proximate the front door; and an air conditioning chamber behind the refrigeration equipment chamber.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The dehydrator of claim 16, wherein the heat pump dehumidifier includes a subcooler, a desuperheater, at least two condensers, a compressor, an electronic expansion valve and an evaporator, all in fluid communication; the subcooler, the desuperheater, electronic expansion valve and the compressor housed in the refrigeration equipment chamber and the at least two condensers and evaporator housed in the air conditioning chamber.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The dehydrator of claim 17, further comprising a racking system, the racking system housed in the drying chamber, the racking system including a plurality of carts, each with a plurality of racks, and a plurality of trays, the trays releasably retained on the racks.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The dehydrator of claim 18, wherein the racking system and the ceiling define an upper ductless air channel, the racking system and the floor define a lower ductless air channel and the racking system and the rear door define a rear ductless air channel, the rear ductless air channel in fluid communication with the upper and the lower air channels, the air channels in fluid communication with the bank of fans.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The dehydrator of claim 19, wherein the equipment module is in slidable and rollable engagement with the intermodal container.