Patent EP0294036A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0294036A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Conditioning of the atmosphere over perishable goods
Assignee: BOC Group Ltd
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Filing: 1988-05-06
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2008-05-06
Abstract
Abstract A transport vehicle 74 has a storage compartment 72. An apparatus for the separation of a gas mixture by pressure swing adsorption has a pipeline 2 communicating with the atmosphere outside the compartment 72 and with an inlet to compressor 4 forming part of the apparatus. The inlet of the compressor 4 also communicates with a conduit 3 which has an inlet in communication with the interior of the compartment 72. The apparatus also includes columns 10 and 12 each containing a bed of carbon molecular sieve which adsorbs oxygen, carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons more readily than nitrogen. In operation, the apparatus provides nitrogen enriched air to the storage compartment 72 via a conduit 30 to form a circulating atmosphere that helps to preserve perishable produce stored therein.
Inventors
- 👤 Michael Ernest Garrett
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 05:47
CPC Classifications
B; B01; B01D; B01D53/00; B01D53/02; B01D53/04; B01D53/047; B01D2253/00; B01D2253/10; B01D2253/116; B01D2253/25; B01D2256/00; B01D2256/10; B01D2257/00; B01D2257/10; B01D2257/104; B01D2257/50; B01D2257/504; B01D2257/70; B01D2257/702; B01D2259/00; B01D2259/40; B01D2259/40007; B01D2259/40011; B01D2259/40035; B01D2259/40037; B01D2259/40058; B01D2259/40064; B01D2259/402; B01D2259/45; B01D2259/4566; B01D2259/4575; Y; Y02; Y02C; Y02C20/00; Y02C20/40
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
61 words
A method of storing perishable produce or goods in a storage container, including the steps of withdrawing atmosphere from the storage container, mixing it with air, separating from the gas mixture a gaseous product whose nitrogen content is greater than that of the mixture, and returning said nitrogen product to the storage container to create a storage atmosphere comprising nitrogen-enriched air.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
61 words
A method of storing perishable produce or goods in a storage container, including the steps of withdrawing atmosphere from the storage container, mixing it with air, separating from the gas mixture a gaseous product whose nitrogen content is greater than that of the mixture, and returning said nitrogen product to the storage container to create a storage atmosphere comprising nitrogen-enriched air.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, in which, the gas mixture is separated by pressure swing adsorption or by membranes.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the separation is effected using a molecular sieve adsorbent of a kind that in use adsorbs oxygen, carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons more readily than nitrogen.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
A method as claimed in claim 3, in which the adsorbent is carbon molecular sieve.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
21 words
A method of storing perishable produce substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
21 words
A method of storing perishable produce substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
65 words
A container for the storage of perishable produce or goods, having associated therewith apparatus for separating nitrogen from a gas mixture comprising air and atmosphere withdrawn from said container, a first inlet for said atmosphere to said apparatus, a second inlet for air to said apparatus, and an outlet for nitrogen product from the apparatus, said outlet communicating with the interior of the storage container.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
65 words
A container for the storage of perishable produce or goods, having associated therewith apparatus for separating nitrogen from a gas mixture comprising air and atmosphere withdrawn from said container, a first inlet for said atmosphere to said apparatus, a second inlet for air to said apparatus, and an outlet for nitrogen product from the apparatus, said outlet communicating with the interior of the storage container.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
44 words
A container as claimed in claim 6, wherein the container is releasably mountable in an aircraft, on a sea-going vessel or on a wheeled or other vehicle whereby the perishable produce or goods are able to be transported from one chosen location to another.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
28 words
A container as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7, wherein said apparatus comprises means for separating the gas mixture by pressure swing adsorption or by membranes .
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
36 words
A container as claimed in claim 8, wherein said means for separating the gas mixture utilises a molecular sieve adsorbent of a kind that in use adsorbs oxygen, carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons more readily than nitrogen.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
17 words
A container as claimed in claim 9, in which the molecular sieve adsorbent is carbon molecular sieve.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
37 words
A container as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein the gas separation apparatus is located within the storage container itself (but has one inlet and one exhaust in communication with the outside atmosphere).
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
22 words
A container as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein the gas separation apparatus is located outside the container.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
24 words
A transport vehicle having a storage container, which is substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
24 words
A transport vehicle having a storage container, which is substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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