Curing systems for materials that consume carbon dioxide and method of use thereof

摘要

The invention provides a curing system that is useful for curing materials that consume carbon dioxide as a reagent. The system has a curing chamber that contains the material to be cured and a gas that contains carbon dioxide. The system includes apparatus that can deliver carbon dioxide to displace ambient air upon loading the system, that can provide carbon dioxide as it is needed and as it is consumed, that can control carbon dioxide concentration, temperature and humidity in the curing chamber during the curing cycle and that can record and display to a user the variables that occur during the curing process.

主权项

1. A curing system for curing a material which requires CO2 as a curing reagent, comprising:
a curing chamber configured to contain a material that consumes CO2 as a reagent and that does not cure in the absence of CO2 during curing, said curing chamber having at least one port configured to allow said material to be introduced into said curing chamber and to be removed from said curing chamber, and having at least one closure for said port, said closure configured to provide an atmospheric seal when closed so as to prevent contamination of a gas present in said curing chamber by gas outside said curing chamber; a source of carbon dioxide configured to provide gaseous carbon dioxide to said curing chamber by way of a gas entry port in said curing chamber, said source of carbon dioxide having at least one flow regulation device configured to control a flow rate of said gaseous carbon dioxide into said curing chamber; a gas flow subsystem configured to circulate said gas through said curing chamber during a time period when said material that consumes CO2 as a reagent is being cured; a temperature control subsystem configured to control a temperature of said gas within said chamber; a humidity control subsystem configured to control a humidity in said gas within said chamber; and at least one controller in communication with at least one of said source of carbon dioxide, said gas flow subsystem, said temperature control subsystem, and said humidity control subsystem, said at least one controller configured to control independently during a time period when said material that consumes CO2 as a reagent is being cured at least a respective one of said flow rate of said gaseous carbon dioxide, said circulation of said gas through said curing chamber, said temperature of said gas, and said humidity in said gas.