| 摘要 |
A self-contained cooler/freezer apparatus (10) for carrying items (58) in a frozen or refrigerated environment. The apparatus comprises an insulated container (12) which is divided into two portions. The first portion (60) is utilized for item storage and the second portion (34) houses a pressurized coolant compartment for storing a solid coolant (76); namely, solid carbon dioxide or dry ice. The pressurized coolant compartment comprises removable insulation panels (74) to control the rate of heat transfer. Based upon a number of factors including desired temperature, storage duration, total item weight and the quantity of dry ice the number of removable insulation panels (74) can be determined. Cold gaseous carbon dioxide is circulated throughout the insulated container (60) via a solenoid actuated gas feed valve (50). A thermostatic controller activates the gas feed valve based upon temperature readings from thermocouples (78) located within the first portion (60) of the insulated container. A pressure relief valve (82) is positioned within the insulated container. |
