Storage and transportation of goods under controlled atmospheres
AssigneeThe BOC Group, Inc.
InventorsPiotr J. Sadkowski, Michael E. Garrett, Alberto LaCava, Norberto Lemcoff, Dimitrios Psaras, Shigeki Hayashi
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Abstract
A system for controlling the atmosphere of a container for use in the storage and/or transportation of perishable goods which includes adsorption apparatus for the selective adsorption in whole or in part and in a predeterminded order of any water vapor, carbon dioxide, oxygen or ethylene contained within the atmosphere, a blower for urging the atmosphere to the adsorption apparatus, and a conduiting for returning the controlled atmosphere to the container.
Claims26
A process for removing one or more impurities from the atmosphere of a container during the storage and/or transportation of perishable goods therein comprising, as sequential steps:
- (a) adsorbing water vapor from the atmosphere in a first adsorption zone containing as adsorbent alumina or silica gel, thereby producing as non-adsorbed product water vapor-depleted atmosphere,
- (b) adsorbing ethylene from the water vapor-depleted atmosphere in a second adsorption zone containing a type Y zeolite adsorbent at least partially substituted with copper, cobalt or silver, thereby producing as non-adsorbed product an atmosphere depleted in water vapor and ethylene,
- (c) adsorbing carbon dioxide from the water vapor- and ethylene-depleted atmosphere in a third adsorption zone containing a zeolite adsorbent, thereby producing as non-adsorbed product an atmosphere depleted in water vapor, ethylene and carbon dioxide,
- (d) passing said atmosphere depleted in water vapor, ethylene and carbon dioxide through a fourth adsorption zone containing a zeolite adsorbent selective for adsorption of nitrogen, thereby producing as non-adsorbed product oxygen-rich gas, and desorbing sorbed gas from said fourth adsorption zone on a pressure swing cycle basis, thereby producing nitrogen-rich atmosphere, and
- (e) recycling said nitrogen-rich atmosphere to said container.
A system for controlling the concentration of gaseous components in the atmosphere of a container during the storage and/or transportation therein of perishable goods, which comprises:
- a first adsorption zone having a feed inlet, a nonadsorbed product gas outlet and a desorbed product gas outlet, containing as adsorbent alumina or silica gel,
- a second adsorption zone having a feed inlet, a nonadsorbed product gas outlet and a desorbed product gas outlet, containing a type Y zeolite adsorbent substituted with copper, cobalt or silver,
- a third adsorption zone having a feed inlet, a nonadsorbed product gas outlet and a desorbed product gas outlet, containing a zeolite adsorbent,
- a fourth adsorption zone having a feed inlet, a nonadsorbed product gas outlet and a desorbed product gas outlet, containing a zeolite adsorbent,
- conduit means providing fluid communication between:
- said container and the inlet to said first adsorption zone;
- the nonadsorbed product gas outlet of said first adsorption zone and the inlet to said second adsorption zone;
- the nonadsorbed product gas outlet of said second adsorption zone and the inlet to said third adsorption zone;
- the nonadsorbed product gas outlet of said third adsorption zone and the inlet to said fourth adsorption zone;
- and the desorbed product gas outlet of said fourth adsorption zone and said container, and
- means for urging the atmosphere from said container, sequentially through said first, second, third and fourth adsorption zones, and back to said container via said conduit means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.