Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Insulating insert; e.g. – filler in cavity in preconstructed... – Filler spaced from inside face of cavity
Patent
1994-01-25
1994-10-11
Friedman, Carl D.
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Insulating insert; e.g., filler in cavity in preconstructed...
Filler spaced from inside face of cavity
454174, 454186, 454236, F04B 228
Patent
active
053535642
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to an improved food storage structure of double wall construction having a between wall controlled atmosphere for purposes of controlling the surface temperature of the interior wall. More particularly it relates to a double wall construction system having a forced air heating and/or cooling system within a between wall air cavity for purposes of controlling the surface temperature of the interior wall in food storage buildings requiring relatively cool, high humidity, environments for food storage.
2. Background Art
There are a number of agricultural food products such as potatoes, onions, radishes, carrots, ginger root, artichokes, etc. which are placed into bulk storages after harvest and held from a few months to up to a year prior to processing. In general, the storage environment most suitable for holding these products with a minimum of rot, shrinkage, or other losses, is a relatively cool and very humid environment. For purposes of this disclosure, the potato and potato storage parameters are used as an example, however it should be noted that the problems associated with potato storage environments, and the principals of the present invention, are equally applicable to the storage of onions, carrots, radishes, and other food products requiring a cool and humid storage environment.
The potato tuber, when harvested from the ground, is a living, respirating, organism. The potatoes are dug from the ground and hauled, in trunks, in bulk, to a storage facility where they are piled, by means of movable conveyor belts, into piles 14 feet to 22 feet high atop of ventilation pipes or ducts as shown in FIG. 1. The typical potato storage in use today ranges in size from 5,000 square feet of earthen or concrete floor space to 65,000 square feet of earthen or concrete floor space, and will hold between 2,500 tons to 40,000 tons of potatoes. Since these potatoes are living, respirating organisms, there is approximately 2 BTU's per ton of potatoes, per day, of heat generated by the dormant potatoes, or, between 5,000 BTU's to 80,000 BTU's per day of heat generated. Thus, in temperate weather conditions, the problem is not one of keeping the potatoes warm, but rather one of keeping them cool.
In general, there are two means of cooling potatoes in common use today. The first, is generally described of the ventilation system, which uses outside ambient air and is suitable for holding potatoes in storage until late spring when the thermal load on the building from the potatoes within, and the outside atmosphere, increases to the point where a suitable storage environment can no longer be maintained. Where storages are designed to hold potatoes into hot summer months, refrigeration systems are added to the ventilation to provide a supplemental cooling.
The ventilation system, as is shown in FIG. 1, consists of a primary air recirculation system wherein cool humid air is blown into ventilation ducts positioned at the bottom of the potato pile. Air coming through the ventilation ducts escapes through vent holes in the pipes and filters up through the pile of potatoes into a return air plenum or is discharged directly to the outside atmosphere through exhaust dampers. The return air plenum usually has two discharge louvers, one to the outside atmosphere to exhaust hot air, and the second a recirculation louver which returns the air to the ventilation fans in the supply air plenum. Also provided is an outside air intake louver which can also be used to supply cool, fresh air to the ventilation fans. A control system is provided which monitors the discharge air temperature atop the potato pile in the vicinity of the return air louvers and a second sensor monitors outside air temperature. Thus, in relatively moderate temperature conditions, when the outside air temperature is below the desired storage temperature, the outside air louver is opened, either partially or fully, to provide a mixture of cool outside air with warmer inside air in the
REFERENCES:
patent: 979444 (1910-12-01), De Armond
patent: 3303770 (1967-02-01), Anthony
patent: 3929186 (1975-12-01), Becker
patent: 4580487 (1986-04-01), Sosnowski
"Insulation and Vapor Barriers in Potato Storage Buildings", by Henry Waelti, Pacific Northwest Extension Publication No. PNW 285 of Apr., 1987.
Friedman Carl D.
Hansen-Rice, Inc.
Kent Christopher Todd
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