Ethylene air scrubber for cargo containers and cargo containers including the same
AssigneeAdvanced Composite Structures, LLC
InventorThomas R. Pherson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An air scrubber includes a tray and a cover screen. The tray has walls that define a perimeter of the tray. The tray also includes tabs that extend upward from opposite walls of the tray with each tab configured to engage a sidewall of a thermal protection module to mount the tray thereto. The cover screen is received within the perimeter of the tray and includes a base and raised elements that extend upward from the base. Each raised element defines a cavity with the base that is configured to retain a reactive material therewithin. The cover screen is configured to retain the reactive material while allowing air to pass through the reactive material such that the reactive material reduces undesirable compounds in the air.
Claims20
An air scrubber comprising:
- a tray having walls, the walls defining a perimeter of the tray, the tray including tabs extending upward from opposite walls of the tray, each tab configured to engage a sidewall of a thermal protection module to mount the tray thereto;
- and
- a cover screen received within the perimeter of the tray, the cover screen including a base and raised elements that extend upward from the base, each raised element defining a cavity with the base, each cavity configured to retain a reactive material therewithin and to allow air to pass through the reactive material such that the reactive material reduces undesirable compounds in the air.
A thermal protection module comprising:
- a pair of end caps, each end cap disposed at an opposite end of the thermal protection module;
- a plurality of heat transfer elements, each heat transfer element of the plurality of heat transfer elements extending between the pair of end caps and defining a gap with an adjacent heat transfer element, each heat transfer element filled with a phase change material, the plurality of heat transfer elements configured to cooperate with one another to create a passive convective flow through the gaps, a pair of heat transfer elements of the plurality of heat transfer elements that define outermost sides of the thermal protection module defining sidewalls on opposite sides of the thermal protection module;
- and
- a first air scrubber comprising:
- a tray having walls, the walls defining a perimeter of the tray, the tray including tabs extending upward from opposite walls of the tray, each tab engaged with one of the sidewalls of the thermal protection module to mount the tray thereto with the walls disposed beneath the plurality of heat transfer elements;
- and
- a cover screen received within the perimeter of the tray, the cover screen including a base and raised elements that extend upward from the base, each raised element defining a cavity with the base, each cavity configured to retain a reactive material therewithin and to allow air to pass from the gaps through the reactive material such that the reactive material reduces undesirable compounds in the air.
A method of regulating air within a cargo container, the method comprising:
- mounting air scrubbers to thermal protection modules secured within the cargo container;
- loading the cargo container with perishable cargo;
- and
- transporting the cargo container with the perishable cargo, the air scrubbers receiving air from the thermal protection modules during transport such that the air reacts with a reactive material disposed within the air scrubbers to reduce an undesirable compound in the air, the perishable cargo producing the undesirable compound during transport.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.