Self-contained trolley for temperature conditioning and distribution of meal trays

A self-contained trolley for temperature conditioning and distribution of meal trays, comprising:

• a hot compartment and a cold compartment separated from the hot compartment by an insulating wall;
• a first stack for meal trays and a second stack for meal trays, wherein one part of each meal tray of the first stack is located in the hot compartment and another pert of each meal tray of the first stack is located in the cold compartment, and wherein one part of each meal tray of the second stack is located the hot compartment and another part of each meal tray of the second stack is located in the cold compartment;
• and
• a thermochemical system configured to heat the hot compartment and to cool the cold compartment simultaneously, the thermochemical system comprising a reactor containing a solid reactive material and a reservoir associated with an evaporator containing a liquefied gas;
• the reactor and the reservoir are in communication and the thermochemical system is operational so that the liquefied gas contained in the reservoir is vaporized, absorbing heat and resulting in a reduction of temperature on the evaporator side, and the gas is absorbed by the reactive material thus generating an exothermic absorption chemical reaction, so that the reactor is a source of a heat released, and wherein, after the reaction ends, when a product formed by the reaction between the reactive material and the gas contained in the reactor is heated, the gas absorbed by the reactive material is released and is then condensed in the evaporator, wherein the reactor and the evaporator of the thermochemical system are respectively and exclusively located in the hot compartment and in the cold compartment and in a space between the first stack of meal trays and the second stack of meal trays, so that the one part of each meal tray of the first stack and the one part of the meal tray of the second stack share and are heated by the same reactor located in the space between the first stack of meal trays and the second stack of meal trays, and so that the another part of each meal tray of the first stack and the another part of the meal tray of the second stack share and are cooled by the same evaporator located in the space between the first stack of meal trays and the second stack of meal trays;
• and
• wherein the reactive material comprises a mixture of manganese chloride and natural graphite, and the gas comprises ammonia.