EP3441325A1 - Container for storing and transporting organic peroxids - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a container having thermal insulation means (8), characterized in that the thermal insulation means (8) are removable and consist of a partition with a multilayer structure, or films, arranged between the wall the tank (5) and at least the walls of two of the aforesaid sides (2, 2 ') and the upper face (4) of the container (1). The invention also provides the use of such thermal insulation means (8) in a conventional container (1).

Description

Field of the invention

The invention relates to a means for transporting, without danger and without degradation, thermosensitive products, particularly in regions where exposure to very high temperatures is inevitable. The invention relates more particularly to a metal container for the storage and transport of heat-sensitive products.

As an example of thermosensitive products, organic peroxides (or, more generally, chemical compounds capable of starting and / or promoting the polymerization / crosslinking of polymers) for which the present invention is particularly intended to provide solution. Indeed, special considerations in terms of safety must be taken during the storage and transport of organic peroxides, especially in connection with the temperature of said peroxides (often present in liquid form, or pasty).

Organic peroxides having particularly low decomposition temperatures are advantageously packaged in the form of an aqueous emulsion, comprising an antifreeze, said antifreeze allowing a maintenance in liquid form of the emulsion, at temperatures below -10 ° C., preferably below at -20 ° C. These negative temperatures make it possible to prevent the uncontrolled decomposition of said peroxides during storage and transport operations. The presence of water, as a heat transfer fluid, absorbs and dissipates the energy generated in case of possible decompositions of said peroxides.

In contrast to (very) low temperatures, organic peroxides are also transported to hot regions such as, for example, the Middle East region. In addition, these transports inevitably involve periods of storage in particularly hot places, in particular because of their exposure to sunlight.

State of the art

The transport of chemicals is traditionally carried out in conventional metal containers in which the temperature quickly becomes, depending on the extreme environmental conditions, very high.

When the products transported and stored in the metal container are particularly sensitive to high temperatures and present a risk of ignition or even explosion, refrigerants are fitted to the metal containers. There are also extremely complex thermal insulation systems that require a long and expensive installation in the container.

Such refrigerant systems or complex thermal insulation are for example disclosed in the following documents: FR 1272944 , FR 1273907 , FR 1515058 , FR 2407434 and FR 2822880 .

All these systems are particularly expensive, because of their facilities and / or the necessary cost of power supply, and often require a consequent and irreversible transformation / adaptation of the container. As a result, the availability of such containers is limited and does not allow to absorb occasional peaks of demand.

At present, it is necessary to propose, for the transport and storage of heat-sensitive products such as peroxides, a flexible and inexpensive system, while being of absolute reliability as to its primary function of thermal insulation .

Brief description of the invention

The Applicant has discovered an insulation system particularly well suited to the transport and storage of heat-sensitive products such as peroxides in conventionally used containers. This thermal insulation system, removable and requiring no energy source, keeps the temperature of these products below their operating temperature limit, from which the risk of degradation or explosion, said products becomes significant.

The present invention thus relates to a container for storing and transporting thermosensitive products, the container having two parallel longitudinal sides and two parallel lateral sides and two upper / lower faces, the container, preferably metallic, comprising at least one reservoir, preferably thermoplastic, intended to house heat-sensitive products, such as, in particular, polymerization and / or crosslinking initiators, said container comprising at least one opening intended to allow insertion and removal of the tank containing said heat-sensitive products, and thermal insulation means, characterized in that the thermal insulation means are removable and consist of a partition with a multilayer structure, or films, disposed between the wall of the tank and at least the walls of two of the aforementioned sides and the face top of the container.

• avantageusement, les moyens d'isolation thermique sont disposés entre les quatre susdits côtés du conteneur et le réservoir ;
• selon un aspect avantageux de l'invention, la cloison est disposée à distance de chacune desdites parois de manière à former deux chambres d'air, respectivement entre les parois du conteneur et la cloison et entre la cloison et la paroi du réservoir ;
• avantageusement, la distance entre la paroi du réservoir et la cloison est d'au moins deux centimètres, de préférence d'au moins cinq centimètres ;
• de la même manière, la distance entre la cloison et les parois du côté ou de la face du conteneur est d'au moins un centimètre, de préférence d'au moins trois centimètres ;
• selon un mode d'exécution préféré de l'invention, les moyens d'isolation thermique sont fixés mécaniquement au conteneur par une pluralité de point d'accroche et de prise, respectivement présents sur les moyens d'isolation thermique et sur le conteneur ;
• plus précisément, les points d'accroche consistent en des crochets destinés à venir en prise dans une pluralité de point de prise correspondants disposés sur les parois du conteneur ;
• également, les points d'accroche des moyens d'isolation thermique sont protubérants et sont au moins partiellement entourés par un matériau thermiquement isolant ;
• de préférence, l'un des films de la cloison à structure multicouches consiste en un film métallique, de préférence en aluminium, ledit film métallique formant de préférence une couche externe de ladite structure multicouche. Dans ce mode d'exécution, ce film métallique présente une capacité de réflexion thermique d'au moins 95%.
• avantageusement, la cloison à structure multicouches (8) présente au moins trois films thermoplastique et/ou thermodurcissable ;
• plus précisément, l'un des films est en polyéthylène et un autre film en polyester ;
• avantageusement, au moins l'un des films de la cloison à structure multicouches présente une structure à bulles d'air.
• selon un aspect particulièrement avantageux de l'invention, les moyens d'isolation thermique sont aptes à maintenir les produits thermosensibles contenus dans le réservoir (thermoplastique) à une température inférieure à 60°C, de préférence à 50°C, et encore préférée inférieure à 45°C.

The following aspects and features of the invention are:

• advantageously, the thermal insulation means are disposed between the four aforesaid sides of the container and the reservoir;
• according to an advantageous aspect of the invention, the partition is disposed at a distance from each of said walls so as to form two air chambers, respectively between the walls of the container and the partition and between the partition and the tank wall;
• advantageously, the distance between the tank wall and the partition is at least two centimeters, preferably at least five centimeters;
• in the same way, the distance between the partition and the walls of the side or the face of the container is at least one centimeter, preferably at least three centimeters;
• according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the thermal insulation means are mechanically fixed to the container by a plurality of attachment and gripping point, respectively present on the thermal insulation means and on the container;
• more specifically, the hooking points consist of hooks intended to engage in a plurality of corresponding engagement points disposed on the walls of the container;
• also, the attachment points of the thermal insulation means are protuberant and are at least partially surrounded by a thermally insulating material;
• preferably, one of the films of the multi-layer structure partition consists of a metal film, preferably aluminum, said metal film preferably forming an outer layer of said multilayer structure. In this embodiment, this metal film has a thermal reflection capacity of at least 95%.
• advantageously, the partition with multilayer structure (8) has at least three thermoplastic and / or thermosetting films;
• more precisely, one of the films is made of polyethylene and another polyester film;
• advantageously, at least one of the films of the multilayer structure partition has an air bubble structure.
• according to a particularly advantageous aspect of the invention, the thermal insulation means are able to maintain the heat-sensitive products contained in the tank (thermoplastic) at a temperature below 60 ° C, preferably at 50 ° C, and still preferably lower at 45 ° C.

The invention also relates to the use of thermal insulation means of a reservoir disposed in a container for storing and transporting heat-sensitive products, such as in particular polymerization initiators and / or crosslinking, the container, of metallic preference, having two parallel longitudinal sides and two parallel lateral sides and two upper / lower faces, the container comprising at least one tank, preferably thermoplastic, for accommodating heat-sensitive products, said container comprising at least one opening for allowing the insertion and removal of the reservoir, preferably thermoplastic, containing said thermosensitive products, and thermal insulation means, characterized in that the thermal insulation means consist or are arranged according to any one of the preceding claims.

The thermal insulation means can indeed be used in a particularly suitable manner with all types of containers, more particularly those metal currently used at present for the transport and storage of all types of products.

• les moyens d'isolation thermique sont amovibles et peuvent être montés et démontés au sein d'un conteneur par un opérateur (seul) en un temps très court ;
• les moyens d'isolation thermique s'adaptent et se fixent, sans aucune modification du conteneur métallique classique utilisé à l'heure actuelle ;
• les moyens d'isolation thermique évitent toute conduction de chaleur entre le conteneur métallique et le réservoir thermoplastique ;
• les moyens d'isolation thermique présentent une structure leur permettant de réfléchir au moins 95% de la chaleur provenant de l'extérieur (les moyens d'isolation thermique enveloppent, au moins de façon partielle, un volume formant l'enceinte thermiquement isolée dans laquelle est disposée, dans la présente invention, le réservoir contenant les produits thermosensibles) ;
• les moyens d'isolation selon l'invention ne nécessitent aucune source d'alimentation en énergie (par opposition notamment aux systèmes à refroidissement tels que les chambres froides ou analogues) ;
• les moyens d'isolation sont fixés et disposés de telle manière qu'ils forment deux chambres d'air formant chacune une couche thermiquement isolante enserrant de part et d'autre les moyens d'isolation thermique.

The invention has the following advantages:

• the thermal insulation means are removable and can be mounted and disassembled within a container by an operator (alone) in a very short time;
• the thermal insulation means adapt and fix without any modification of the conventional metal container used at present;
• the thermal insulation means avoid any heat conduction between the metal container and the thermoplastic tank;
• the thermal insulation means have a structure enabling them to reflect at least 95% of the heat coming from outside (the thermal insulation means envelop, at least partially, a volume forming the thermally insulated enclosure in which is in the present invention, the tank containing the heat-sensitive products);
• the insulation means according to the invention do not require any power supply source (as opposed to cooling systems such as cold rooms or the like);
• the insulation means are fixed and arranged such that they form two air chambers each forming a thermally insulating layer enclosing on both sides the thermal insulation means.

The description which follows, in connection with the appended figures, is given solely by way of illustration and not limitation.

Brief description of the figures

• the figure 1 is a sectional view illustrating the thermal insulation means arranged and fixed in a conventional metal container;
• the figure 2 is a detailed view of a fastening element of the thermal insulation means;
• the figure 3 is a detailed view of the setting elements present in a metal container;
• the figure 4 is a front view of the metal container, open flaps, in which were installed the thermal insulation means.

Detailed description of the invention

The container 1 is a conventional metal container. This container 1 has two parallel longitudinal sides 2, 2 'and two lateral sides 3, perpendicular to said longitudinal sides, the longitudinal sides 2, 2' having larger dimensions than the lateral sides 3. It also comprises two faces, upper 4 and 4 'lower, so that obviously, this type of container 1 is closed especially during a transport of goods or products.

Since the container 1 is intended to directly receive products / goods and / or one or more tanks or the like containing such products, it conventionally has an opening 6. This opening 6 is here visible on the figure 4 and consists of two leaves 7, 7 'of the container 1 opening and closing one of the two lateral sides 3.

The container 1 also conventionally has walls whose section has a substantially crenellated shape so as to allow in particular a better mechanical resistance to shocks.

The present invention advantageously uses this conventional structure of metallic containers 1 in that it makes it possible to create an air chamber between the walls of the container 1 and the thermal insulation means 8.

The container 1 conventionally comprises at least one vent, generally located on its upper face 4, allowing a certain air exchange between the interior of the container 1 and the external environment. The opening of this vent is often adjustable and can even be completely closed.

This type of container 1 conventionally comprises gripping means 9, such as those visible on the figure 3 . Fastening means 10, present on the thermal insulation means 8, consisting of curved hooks, allow the removable mechanical attachment of the thermal insulation means 8 to the container 1 via its gripping means 9, spaced from each other and conventionally present near the junction of the upper face 4 and the sides 2, 2 'or 3. In this way, a single operator can easily attach the thermal insulation means 8 in the container 1, the attachment means 10 being present ideally in number equivalent to the setting means 9 present in the container 1. Nevertheless, it is conceivable to equip the container of such gripping means 9 (additional), using removable gripping means attached to the container 1 for example by a nut or the like, or by gluing .

It should be noted that the thermal insulation means 8 do not necessarily have fixing means in the lower part, the thermal insulation panels, consisting of the multilayer structure partition, extending vertically to touch the underside 4 'of the container 1. Of course, gripping means 9 and catch 10, optionally having elastic portions (or spring), can also be envisaged respectively on the walls of the container 1 and the thermal insulation means 8 .

The insulation means 8 also have at each attachment means 10 a protruding portion 11 fixing said means, this protruding portion 11 being advantageously made of a thermal insulating material. It has been found that it is particularly important to avoid any physical contact with the walls 2, 2 ', 3 (metal) of the container 1 because the latter, by their very nature, heat very quickly when the containers are placed in an environment with a (very) high temperature. The thermal insulation means 8 according to the invention advantageously make it possible, by their fixing and their arrangement in the container 1, to avoid any heat conduction of heat between the walls 2, 2 ', 3 and 4 of the container 1 and the tank 5 of products.

The thermal insulation means 8 may be installed so as to (re) cover at least the two longitudinal sides 2, 2 'as well as the upper face 4. Nevertheless, advantageously, the thermal insulation means 8 will extend between the reservoir 5 and the four sides 2, 2 'and 3. In this case, on the side face 3 having the opening of the container 1, the thermal insulation means 8 can easily be divided like the flaps 7 , 7 'of the opening of the container 1, for example by means of a zipper / opening 12 allowing an operator to open the thermal insulation means 8 on this side 3, without requiring the integral withdrawal of the latter 8. The figure 4 schematically illustrates the lateral side 3 of the container 1 where the opening is located and the thermal insulation means 8 are visible with the opening / closing zipper 12 extending vertically over the entire height to allow the opening of said means 8 , identical to the two wings 7, 7 'of the opening of the container 1.

It is considered here that a good thermal insulating material, by conduction, has at least one thermal conductivity, expressed in Wm ^-1 .K ^-1 (Watt per meter per Kelvin) at 20 ° C., less than 0.1 Wm ^{. 1} .K ^-1 , preferably less than 0.05 Wm ^-1 .K ^-1 .

The thermal insulation wall 8 consists of a fabric or fabric with a multi-structure, that is to say constituted by a plurality of layers or films fixed to one another. The thermal insulation means 8 are ideally formed of a plurality of adjacent layers or films each having heat-barrier properties, whether by radiation, convection or, of course, conduction, but also having an insulating effect. synergistic thermal by the association, in a specific order, of these different layers or films.

Of course, an essential aspect of the present invention lies in the fact that these thermal insulation means 8 are light and relatively flexible so that a single operator can, without difficulty, adjust, arrange and fix said means 8 in the container 1.

Furthermore, mechanical means, such as hooks or the like, may be present on the entire inner surface of the container 1 and cooperate with anchoring means located on the thermal insulation means 8 so as to tighten this multilayer structure and effectively provide two thermal insulation chambers 14, 15 having a substantially constant volume. Indeed, one of the main aims of the present invention is to provide two thermal insulation chambers, each filled with air (which forms per se a good means of thermal insulation), separated by an excellent means of insulation thermal, in this case the multilayer structure according to the invention.

Optionally, the air chamber 15 may be filled with a refrigerant gas capable of cooling this section and in particular the tank 5 containing the heat-sensitive materials. This solution is conceivable because of the impermeability of the multilayer structure 8.

In this way, whatever the external conditions, and therefore the environmental conditions that the tank undergoes, the thermosensitive material that it contains will not rise in temperature, or at all not beyond a critical threshold.

The outer wall of the thermal insulation means 8 is advantageously made of an excellent radiation reflective heat-reflecting metal material. Such material can be aluminum. Thus, this metallic material may be at the two ends of the sandwich formed by the multilayer structure of the thermal insulation means 8 or at least present on the outer side (forming the layer or film closest to the walls 2, 2 ', 3 or 4 of the container 1).

Apart from the metal outer layer, optionally present on both sides of the multistructure, all the other layers or films are excellent thermal insulator (zero or very low thermal conduction) with respect to the definition given above.

Thus, one of the layers of the thermal insulation means 8 is advantageously made of polyethylene and another layer of polyester. Of course, these elements can be replaced by other polymeric materials having excellent thermal insulation properties, such as for example polyurethane foam or expanded polystyrene.

In addition, the thermal insulation means may advantageously comprise an air bubble layer, conventionally made of polyethylene, because such a layer forms a very good thermal insulation.

Finally, an advantageous aspect of the invention lies in the formation of two air chambers 14, 15 (excellent thermal insulation) obtained by virtue of the particular placement of the thermal insulation means 8 according to the invention. Thus there is an air chamber 14 between the walls of the container 1 and the thermal insulation means 8 and between the insulation means 8 and the tank or tanks 5. This provision also avoids creating heat conduction points in other words, points of contact between the tank (s) 5 and the walls 2, 2 ', 3 or 4 of the container 1, the latter having the most important temperatures.

Tests were conducted by the licensee. Three metal containers, each having a different internal volume and having a reservoir 5 containing a control liquid comprising means for measuring the temperature, have been equipped for two of them thermal insulation means 8 according to the invention. , the third being left without additional insulation as a witness. These thermal insulation means 8 have been arranged and fixed inside the container 1 according to the use prescribed for said means 8.

These three containers 1 were stored in a hot region, specifically in the Middle East, for several days and it was found that the liquids of the two insulated containers never reached a temperature above 50-60 ° C, more precisely the temperature of the liquid was always lower than 45 ° C. In contrast, the liquid in the tank of the non-insulated container reached the temperature of 62 ° C, the temperature of the air around the tank having exceeded 70 ° C for several hours.

The tests show that, contrary to what can be expected from a passive (non-energy consuming) thermal insulation device, the results are particularly interesting in that they make it possible to conserve, even when transport and storage in extremely hot regions, temperatures compatible with the safety of thermosensitive products of the peroxide type.

Claims (12)

Container for storing and transporting thermosensitive products, the container (1) having two parallel longitudinal sides (2, 2 ') and two parallel lateral sides (3) and two upper / lower faces (4, 4'), the container (1), preferably metal, comprising at least one reservoir (5), preferably thermoplastic, for accommodating heat-sensitive products, such as in particular polymerization initiators and / or crosslinking, said container (1) comprising at least an opening for allowing insertion and removal of the tank (5) containing said heat-sensitive products, and thermal insulation means (8),
characterized in that the thermal insulation means (8) are removable and consist of a multi-layer structure partition, or film, disposed between the wall of the tank (5) and at least the walls of two of said sides (2, 2 'or 3) and the upper face (4) of the container (1),
and in that the partition (8) is arranged at a distance from each of said walls (2, 2 ', 3, 4) so as to form two air chambers (14, 15) respectively between the walls (2, 2) ', 3, 4) of the container (1) and the partition (8) and between the partition wall and the tank wall (5), the distance between the partition (8) and the walls (2, 2', 3) of the side or face (4) of the container (1) being at least one centimeter, preferably at least three centimeters,
and in that the multi-layer structure partition (8) has at least three thermoplastic and / or thermosetting films. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that the thermal insulation means (8) are arranged between the four aforesaid sides (2, 2 'and 3) of the container (1) and the tank (5). Container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the distance between the wall of the tank (5) and the partition (8) is at least two centimeters, preferably at least five centimeters. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the thermal insulation means (8) are mechanically fixed to the container (1) by a plurality of attachment point (10) and socket (9), respectively present on the thermal insulation means (8) and on the container (1). Container according to claim 4, characterized in that the hooking points (10) consist of hooks intended to engage in a plurality of corresponding engagement points (9) arranged on the walls (2, 2 ', 3). container (1). Container according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the attachment points (10) of the thermal insulation means (8) are protuberant and are at least partially surrounded by a thermally insulating material. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one of the films of the multilayer structure partition (8) consists of a metal film, preferably aluminum, said metal film preferably forming an outer layer of said multilayer structure. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that . Container according to claim 8, characterized in that one of the films is made of polyethylene and another polyester film. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the films of the multilayer structure partition (8) has an air bubble structure. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the thermal insulation means are able to maintain the heat-sensitive products contained in the tank at a temperature below 60 ° C, preferably at 50 ° C, and still preferred less than 45 ° C. Use of thermal insulation means of a tank arranged in a storage container and transport of heat-sensitive products, such as in particular polymerization and / or crosslinking initiators, the container (1), preferably metallic, having two parallel longitudinal sides (2, 2 ') and two parallel lateral sides (3) and two upper / lower faces (4, 4') , the container (1) comprising at least one reservoir (5), preferably thermoplastic, for accommodating heat-sensitive products, said container (1) comprising at least one opening for allowing insertion and removal of the reservoir (5) , preferably thermoplastic, containing said thermosensitive products, and thermal insulation means (8), characterized in that the thermal insulation means (8) consist or are arranged according to any one of the preceding claims.

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