SBIR Phase I: Adaptable Refrigeration Cycles for Smart Mini-Containers

SBIR一期项目的广泛影响包括通过开发高效和适应性强的冷藏运输系统，减少食物浪费、能源使用和碳排放。迷你集装箱是一种小型的绝缘盒子，其环境由中央驱动单元控制，该单元包含冰箱和其他环境控制装置。这项技术可以提高小型农场的经济可行性，使它们能够瞄准更有弹性、更高效和潜在的碳中性冷供应链。这项研究的潜在影响包括提高一般人群营养食品的可得性，减轻冷物流对环境的负面影响。此外，减少食物浪费将节省整个供应链。本研究解决了两个关键的技术挑战。第一个领域的主要目标是开发一种容量适应性制冷系统，该系统允许几个级别的控制有效运行，以最好地适应高水平的冷却能力需求。研究的第二个领域对应于方法和解决算法的发展，以行使一个混合控制策略的制冷系统的最优调度操作。原型制冷系统将受到储存在不同的特殊储存和运输单元（即接受冷却和其他环境服务的小型容器）中的异质负荷所施加的限制。这项技术将允许在小型容器中有效地聚集、储存、分解和分发新鲜产品。小型集装箱将使大型运输集装箱的容量能够在多个运输工具之间进行拆分，从而为小型货物提供高效的冷物流。拟议的解决方案还将使几乎所有卡车都可以变成冷藏车，任何仓库都可以变成冷藏设施，从而支持冷物流领域共享经济的出现。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact of this SBIR Phase I project includes reductions in food waste, energy use, and carbon emissions by developing a highly efficient and adaptable system for refrigerated transport. Mini-containers, which are small, insulated boxes with environments controlled by a central driving unit that contains a refrigerator and other environmental controls are proposed. The technology may increase the economic feasibility of small farms by allowing them to target a more resilient, efficient, and potentially carbon-neutral cold supply chain. The potential impact of the research includes improved availability of nutritious food for the general population and mitigation of negative environmental effects of cold logistics. Additionally, mitigating food waste will create savings up and down the supply chain.Two key technical challenges are addressed in this research. The first area has, as its main objective, the development of a volume-adaptable refrigeration system that allows for the efficient operation of several levels of control to best adapt to high levels of cooling capacity needs. The second area of research corresponds to the development of the methodology and solutions algorithms to exercise a hybrid control strategy for the optimal scheduling operation of the refrigeration system. The archetype refrigeration system would be subject to constraints imposed by the heterogeneous loads stored in the different special storage and transportation units known as mini-containers which receive cooling and other environmental services. This technology will allow for efficiently aggregating, storing, disaggregating, and distributing fresh products in the mini-containers. The mini-containers will allow the emergence of efficient cold logistics for small loads by enabling the capacity of large transportation containers to be split among multiple conveyances. The proposed solution will also make it possible to convert almost any truck into a refrigerated truck and any warehouse into a cold storage facility, supporting the emergence of sharing economies in cold logistics.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.