Abstract:
The invention relates to an insulation-time determining device (2) for a thermally insulated container (1) having a latent heat accumulator, comprising an energy-calculating apparatus (22) for calculating the thermal energy stored in the latent heat accumulator from at least one state parameter of the thermally insulated container (1) or the interior thereof and comprising a display apparatus (21) for displaying the calculated stored thermal energy or a value correlated therewith. The insulation-time determining device (2) additionally comprises an insulation-time calculating apparatus (23), by means of which a maximum insulation time of the thermally insulated container (1) provided with a safety correction factor can be calculated from the calculated stored thermal energy or a value correlated therewith or from a specified outside temperature progression outside of the thermally insulated container (1), within which maximum insulation time of the thermally insulated container a specified temperature range is neither fallen below nor exceeded in the interior of the thermally insulated container (1).
Abstract:
A method of manufacturing a latent heat storage element comprising the following steps: - providing a graphite sheet made of expanded graphite, the sheet having a sheet plane and comprising graphite layers that are oriented substantially parallel to the sheet plane so that the graphite sheet has a higher thermal conductivity in a direction parallel to the sheet plane than perpendicular thereto, - infiltrating the graphite sheet with a phase change material, while the phase change material is in a liquid state, in order to obtain an infiltrated graphite sheet, - cooling the infiltrated graphite sheet to a temperature below the melting point of the phase change material, - completely encapsulating the infiltrated graphite sheet or each infiltrated graphite body by means of an encapsulation that is impermeable to the phase change material when in its liquid state.