| 主权项 |
1. An installation for maintaining a quantity of product at a desired temperature, comprising:
a plurality of pallet assemblies; a storage warehouse space having a plurality of racks sized for receiving the plurality of pallet assemblies arranged in rows and columns on racks, the pallets assemblies loaded with a quantity of product to be maintained at the desired temperature, each of said plurality of racks positioned adjacent to an aisle, whereby a forklift can access each of the plurality of pallets assemblies; at least one air handler operably connected to said warehouse space to condition an ambient air in said warehouse space, said at least one air handler having an output sufficient to maintain a temperature of the ambient air in said warehouse space at a desired temperature; at least one air flow chamber in fluid communication with a plurality of air intake openings formed through each of said plurality of racks; at least one fan in fluid communication with said at least one air flow chamber, said fan operable to create a circulation of the ambient air flowing through said plurality of air intake openings, into said at least one air flow chamber and back to said warehouse space; at least one of said plurality of pallet assemblies comprising:
a pallet;a plurality of cases containing the quantity of product; andat least one spacer, each said spacer comprising:
a substantially planar first surface extending in an x-y plane of a Cartesian coordinate system, said planar first surface formed of a first surface material, said planar first surface defining a spacer outer perimeter of a size and shape about congruent to the outer perimeter of the pallet;a substantially planar second surface formed of a second surface material; anda plurality of supports extending between said first surface and said second surface along a trajectory having a directional component along a z-axis of the Cartesian coordinate system, whereby each of said plurality of supports space said first surface from said second surface, said first surface, said second surface and said supports defining at least one airflow channel, said at least one airflow channel spanning a pair of opposing sides of said at least one spacer, wherein one of said pair of opposing sides of said at least one spacer comprises an airflow inlet and the other of said pair of opposing sides of said at least one spacer comprises an airflow outlet, whereby an airflow enters said at least one airflow channel at said airflow inlet, traverses said channel and exits said channel at said airflow outlet to define an airflow trajectory from said inlet to said outlet along an x-axis of the Cartesian coordinate system, whereby said plurality of supports substantially preclude the airflow from exiting said channel along a trajectory defined by the y-axis of the Cartesian coordinate system;each of said plurality of cases stacked on said pallet of one of said plurality of pallet assemblies in a plurality of case layers, each of said plurality of case layers separated from another of said plurality of case layers by one of a plurality of said spacers; and said at least one of said plurality of pallet assemblies received on one of said plurality of racks and associated with one of said plurality of air intake openings, whereby said circulation created by said at least one fan causes the airflow through the channel in the at least one spacer. |
