Method for cooling a product with a refrigeration system

Abstract

A method for cooling a product with a refrigeration system is provided. The method includes providing a product within a storage chamber defined by an opening wall surface, a floor surface, a rear wall surface and a ceiling wall surface. The ceiling wall is cooled with cooled air in contact with an opposing surface of an internal baffle. The ceiling wall surface is maintained at a temperature to provide convective heat absorption from the ceiling wall surface in the storage chamber. An enveloping airflow of the cooled air is induced downward along the opening wall surface by discharging the cooled air from the discharge chamber into a discharge area within the storage chamber adjacent the opening wall.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for cooling a product with a refrigeration system, the method comprising:
 providing a product within a storage chamber defined by an opening wall surface, a floor surface, a rear wall surface and a ceiling wall surface;   cooling the ceiling wall surface with cooled air in contact with an opposing surface of an internal baffle, the ceiling wall surface being maintained at a temperature to provide convective heat absorption from the ceiling wall surface in the storage chamber; and   inducing an enveloping airflow of the cooled air downward along the opening wall surface by discharging the cooled air from the discharge chamber into a discharge area within the storage chamber adjacent the opening wall.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enveloping airflow of the cooled air downward along the opening wall surface is a laminar airflow. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the enveloping airflow travels from the air outlet of the air plenum along the opening wall surface, across the floor surface and into the air inlet of the air plenum at the bottom of the storage chamber opposite the opening wall surface. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , homogenizing the cooled air in a discharge chamber, the discharge chamber being adjacent the opposing surface of the ceiling wall surface. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the product includes a plurality of individual bottles of vaccine or boxes containing a plurality of bottles at a predetermined temperature variance as defined by the NSF 456-2021 standard. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the floor surface, the rear wall surface, and the ceiling wall surface are independently formed of a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, stainless-steel components, plastic and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the storage chamber is positioned within a retrofitted refrigerator. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the discharging of the cooled air from the discharge chamber exits the discharge chamber through an air outlet. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the air outlet is a vent including openings in a wall structure. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the air outlet is oriented at an angle from about 10° to about 90° from horizontal. 
     
     
         11 . A method for improving storage chamber air stability in a refrigeration system, the method comprising:
 moderating air temperature within a discharge chamber;   impinging air from the discharge chamber into a discharge area of a storage chamber at or near the top of an opening wall surface; and   absorbing heat from air in the storage chamber from a ceiling wall surface of an internal baffle, the internal baffle being cooled from an opposing surface to the ceiling wall surface, the opposing surface being a bottom surface of the discharge chamber;   wherein a convective bias creates an enveloping airflow moderating temperature fluctuations in the storage chamber.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the impinging exit air from the discharge chamber into a discharge area forms the enveloping airflow downward along the opening wall surface. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the enveloping airflow of the cooled air downward along the opening wall surface is a laminar airflow. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein at least a portion of the enveloping airflow travels from the air outlet of the air plenum along the opening wall surface, across the floor surface and into the air inlet of the air plenum at the bottom of the storage chamber opposite the opening wall surface. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein moderating air temperature within a discharge chamber includes homogenizing cooled air in the discharge chamber. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the storage chamber air stability offsets the negative thermal effects of openings of a door in the refrigeration system. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the air exiting the discharge chamber is mixed with the air at the top of the storage chamber to reduce the recovery time necessary to bring the entire storage chamber to operating temperature. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the impinging of the air from the discharge chamber exits the discharge chamber through an air outlet. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the air outlet is a vent including openings in a wall structure. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the air outlet is oriented at an angle from about 10° to about 90° from horizontal.