Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
WO 2021/049951
PCT/N02020/050235
1
5 TITLE: ENERGY CONTROL
Background of the Invention
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to energy control in general and more specifically a
system and
10 a method for controlling a threshold energy level for a chemical
reaction.
Background Art
State of the art is reflected in temperature control. Many physical and
chemical
reactions are significantly slowed down by lowering the temperature, to the
point of
15 effectively stopping at a low temperature. Conversely many reaction
rates increase
at higher temperatures.
A problem with use of temperature control is that freezing can cause damage
such as by crystals forming and heating can cause damage, especially to
complex
organic compounds.
From prior art one should refer to US 20050199179 which relates to a critical
temperature indicator that includes a transparent housing and a temperature
sensitive transformable material contained within the housing.
25 One should also refer to JP 046065 which relates to a method for
maintaining
freshness of a perishable food by wrapping the perishable food by using a film
comprising antibacterial zeolite particles and vinyl alcohol polymer.
There is therefore a need for a method and a system to overcome the above
mentioned problems.
Summary of the Invention
35 Problems to be Solved by the Invention
CA 03151062 2022-3-11
WO 2021/049951
PCT/N02020/050235
2
Therefore, a main objective of the present invention is to provide a system
and
method to control the threshold energy of chemical reactions.
Means for Solving the Problems
5 The objective is achieved according to the invention by a method to
energize a first
object by exposure for use in energy control as defined in the preamble of
claim 1,
having the features of the characterising portion of claim 1, an energized
object,
called a pad, as defined in the preamble of claim 10, having the features of
the
characterising portion of claim 101 and use of an energized object, called a
pad, for
10 preserving white fish, as defined in the preamble of claim 11, having
the features of
the characterising portion of claim 11.
A number of non-exhaustive embodiments, variants or alternatives of the
invention
are defined by the dependent claims.
The present invention attains the above-described objective by a method for
acquiring energy, a method to transfer energy to an object or a pad, and the
use of
said pad to control a threshold energy of an article in proximity to said pad.
20 For convenience, an activated object according to the methods disclosed
here is
called a pad. In practice the pad can take of the appearance of a piece of
cardboard
but other forms are envisaged.
In this disclosure white fish means lean fish that stores fat in the liver
such as cod, in
25 contrast to fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel.
Effects of the Invention
The present invention comprises a technological advantage over known systems
30 and methods by use of direct effect on the threshold energy using an
exposed pad.
The present invention provides several further advantageous effects:
= it is not necessary to expose the system to very low temperatures
= the pad can be placed in proximity but not necessarily direct contact,
easing
35 handling of products or systems to be controlled
= it makes it possible to control the threshold energy easily
CA 03151062 2022-3-11
WO 2021/049951
PCT/N02020/050235
3
Brief Description of the Drawings
The above and further features of the invention are set forth with
particularity in the
appended claims and together with advantages thereof will become clearer from
consideration of the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments
of the
5 invention given with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The invention will be further described below in connection with exemplary
embodiments which are schematically shown in the drawings, wherein:
Fig. 1 shows schematically a chemical process,
10 Fig. 2 shows an energy capture process in a simplest form,
Fig. 3 shows a system for duplicating pads.
Description of the Reference Signs
The following reference numbers and signs refer to the drawings:
100 A chemical energy system
102 Initial position
104 Added energy to reach activation energy
106 Activated position
108 New stable position
112 Released energy
200 Energy capture system
202 Incident radiation
204 Working medium, fluid
206 A first pad for reception, energised object
208 A second pad for emission
212 A container for the working medium
220 Energy projection system
222 Emission pad for emission into projection
224 Projector
226 Reception pad for reception of projection
CA 03151062 2022-3-11
WO 2021/049951
PCT/N02020/050235
4
Detailed Description of the Invention
Various aspects of the disclosure are described more fully hereinafter with
reference
to the accompanying drawings. This disclosure may, however, be embodied in
many
different forms and should not be construed as limited to any specific
structure or
5 function presented throughout this disclosure. Rather, these aspects are
provided so
that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the
scope of
the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Based on the teachings herein one
skilled in
the art should appreciate that the scope of the disclosure is intended to
cover any
aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein, whether implemented independently
of or
10 combined with any other aspect of the disclosure. For example, an
apparatus may
be implemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspects
set
forth herein. In addition, the scope of the disclosure is intended to cover
such an
apparatus or method which is practiced using other structure, functionality,
or
structure and functionality in addition to or other than the various aspects
of the
15 disclosure set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect of
the disclosure
disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of a claim.
The invention will be further described in connection with exemplary
embodiments
which are schematically shown in the drawings.
Principles forming the basis of the invention
The inventor has realised that inhibiting chemical processes is an alternative
to
cooling for preventing degradation of food due to unwanted biochemical
processes.
Fig. 1 shows schematically a chemical process. Unless energy is added, a
chemical
process will typically go in a direction that reduces Gibbs' free energy.
However, a
semi stable initial position implies that a threshold must be overcome in
order to
proceed, otherwise the initial position would never have been stable. The
system
30 100 starts in a semi stable state 102, takes in an amount of energy 104
to overcome
the chemical activation energy and is raised to activated state 106. Shortly
thereafter
the system falls to a new stable state 108, releasing energy 112 corresponding
to the
energy difference between the activated position 106 and new stable position
108.
35 The inventor has realised that preventing the system from attaining the
activated
position 106 will stop the biochemical processes that cause food degradation.
CA 03151062 2022-3-11
WO 2021/049951
PCT/N02020/050235
In the following the term biotope means a place comprising living beings, in
particular
foodstuff with virus, living bacteria, fungus etc.
Fig. 2 shows the process in an energy capture system 200 in a simplest form,
5 wherein a working medium 204 is exposed to an incident radiation 202,
typically
electromagnetic energy, preferably optical energy. The resulting exposure is
then
transferred to a pad 206 for reception by placing the pad in proximity to a
container
212 holding the working fluid such as water, wherein the pad is 206 preferably
in
contact with the container. One can also immerse the pad in water if the pad
is water
10 proof. The pad starts out in a fluid form and when it is solidified or
hardened the pad
retains the impression from the exposure. This is essentially a phase
transition liquid
to solid or gaseous to solid. The solidified pad retains the energy and an
impression
of the energy. In this disclosure a pad is any object that can be exposed and
retain
an impression of an exposure from another pad or energy.
The pad 206 can additionally be exposed to a second pad 208 for emission which
has previously been exposed, which in Fig. 2 is shown as being attached to the
container In this embodiment the second pad activates the working fluid which
then
activates the first pad 206.
On exposure the working medium is energized. This energy has been found to
dissipate over time, but experiments show that leaving the exposed pad 206 in
place
will maintain the energy level of the working medium for a longer period than
without
the pad in place. It has also been found that the working medium can be
energised
25 by an already energised pad, as an alternative to the incident radiation
disclosed
above.
Fig. 3 shows a system for duplicating pads, using exposure through the working
medium. This system further comprises an energy projection system 220. In this
30 projection system the projection system comprises an emission pad 222
for emission
into the projection on one side of the working fluid, a reception pad 226 for
reception
of projection positioned on the opposite side of the emission pad from the
working
fluid, and a projector 224 positioned between the working medium 204 and the
reception pad 226. The process does not duplicate the energy itself but the
35 impression of the originally exposed energy.
CA 03151062 2022-3-11
WO 2021/049951
PCT/N02020/050235
6
In operations the energy from the working medium 212 is focused onto the
reception
pad. The projector works like an optical projector.
Alternatively if the working medium is already energised it is not necessary
to use an
5 emission pad 222 but instead rely on the working medium alone for
projection onto a
reception pad.
The energy transfer can take on many routes and combinations. For this reason
the
inventor has developed the following nomenclature.
10 The first letter indicates the initial direct exposure
Subsequent letters are indirect exposures from the previous medium
0: Optical exposure
H: Hardening or solidification during
exposure
F: Using fluid
Thus OFH would indicate optical exposure to fluid which is then transferred by
hardening, typically a pad.
Optical Exposure
20 In this context optical exposure comprises both exposure to an incoming
energy
source as well as exposure to an already energised medium. This medium can be
a
fluid.
Hardening or Solidification During Exposure
25 In this context hardening means phase transition of an object into solid
form while
being exposed to an incoming energy source or exposed to an already energised
medium. This object can start as a liquid or a gas, while the process renders
the
object into a solid state.
30 Fluid
In this case a fluid is exposed to an incoming energy source or exposed to an
already energised medium. This energised medium can be a fluid. The exposed
fluid
retains the energised properties but tends to dissipate its qualities over
time.
35 Examples
Experiments have been made by curing epoxy in the presence of sunlight The
curing process has been found to be a practical form of phase transition,
sufficient to
CA 03151062 2022-3-11
WO 2021/049951
PCT/N02020/050235
7
achieve the preservation of the effect. In the nomenclature above, this is an
OH
process. In the tests done, the cured epoxy were shaped as short cylinders,
demonstrating that the effect of the pad is present in several geometrical
shapes.
5 In other experiments a liquid polymer was attached to a container filled
with water
and exposed to sunlight during hardening. Also this process was in effect a
phase
transition process that preserved the effect in the hardened polymer. In the
nomenclature above, this is an OFH process.
10 In both cases the epoxy and the hardened polymer are pads.
Food Degradation
Preservation of food is an application of the technology disclosed here. Food
degradation has several causes. Some are biological such as attack caused by
15 bacteria and fungi, including yeast and mould. Others are based on
enzymes,
oxidation and other chemical reactions. In seafood protease of free amino acid
is a
common form of food degradation.
All of these processes are chemical or biochemical processes. Tests show that
pads
20 prepared according to the methods above will increase the shelf life of
white fish
when a pad is brought into proximity to the fish. Normal shelf life of white
fish when
kept at 4 C is about one week, and if kept at close to 0 C shelf life is up to
2 weeks.
After this degradation has gone too far for human consumption, and the fish
can take
on a smell or appearance that consumers will not accept.
Best Modes of Carrying Out the Invention
The embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention shown in Figs. 2
and 3
comprises water as the working medium, and is placed in a transparent plastic
container. The transparency makes alignment for the projection easier to
adjust. The
30 process is thus optical exposure (0) to a fluid (F), in proximity to a
pad that
undergoes hardening (H). In the nomenclature above this is an OFH process, and
provides an energized pad as an intermediate result.
Next the pad is used as a master for processing subsequent mass production by
35 optical exposure (0) to pads being printed, the fixation of the print
being effectively a
form of hardening (H). In the nomenclature the mass produced pads thus become
a
result of an OFHOH process.
CA 03151062 2022-3-11
WO 2021/049951
PCT/N02020/050235
8
It has been found that a pad that has been impressed by the originally exposed
energy, either exposure, transfer or projection, will increase the activation
energies
of the processes in white fish that are related to food degradation. It has
also been
5 found, qualitatively and quantitatively, that the pad does not have to be
in direct
contact with the food to have this desired effect. This means the pad can be
placed
under a tray for food and wrapped in shrink wrap, thus simplifying the
process. Tests
show that the effective range of a pad will extend to at least the entire
product for
typical food containers used for white fish in serving packaged used when
selling to
10 end users.
In a variation parts of the packaging itself can be a pad such as the tray or
the shrink
wrap, by exposing these to a master pad during solidification.
15 Tests show that shelf life of white fish can be extended from the
normally expected 2
weeks to 3 weeks when the fish is still determined by independent laboratories
to be
of prime quality.
Testing
20 The effect of the invention can be tested and show reproducibility using
the following
method.
The fish selected for the test is cod. The cod is headed and gutted on board
the
fishing vessel, and pre frozen. When it arrives in the test facility, it is
subject to
25 thawing/defrosting, processing and portion packing as fresh fish.
The packing material for the test pack consists of a plastic bowl including
transparent
plastic glued on top. The weight of the fish portion in each pack is
approximately 300
gram. Each pack is preferably labelled on the top of the pack, showing the
test name
30 and the day it should be tested. The fish is stored in a refrigerated
storage room
holding a temperature between 3 and 4 Celsius.
The study is carried out over a period of 3 weeks and samples are withdrawn
from
the packages as follows: Day 1, 10, 14, 16 and day 21.
Two packs (1 and 2) are tested each test day. The average value constitutes
the
trend value.
CA 03151062 2022-3-11
WO 2021/049951
PCT/N02020/050235
9
The following reference/limit values with regard to maximum bacteria colony
forming
units ("cfu") are used as benchmarks under the testing:
5 = Fresh food, general: Max total 5 000 000 cfu/g ¨ Log
cfu/g 6,70
= Fresh food, prime:
Max total 1 200 000 cfu/g ¨ Log cfu/g 6,08
After 21 days the result should show below 5 000 000 cfu/g. In some tests the
result
is even below 1 200 000 cfu/g.
Alternative Embodiments
A number of variations on the above can be envisaged. For instance, the
working
medium can be of different kinds such as but not limited to water, alcohol,
acids etc.
Experiments show that the working medium can be in liquid, solid or gaseous
forms.
Some examples of these are liquids such as acetic acid, solids such as water
ice,
and gases such as water vapour.
20 Also polar and non-polar media can work though the efficiencies of the
resulting
pads will differ. Examples of these are polar matter such as water and acetic
acid,
and non-polar media such as epoxy and hydrocarbons found in petrol and diesel,
and gases such as butane and propane.
25 As an alternative to duplicating pads using exposure through the working
medium, it
is possible to project without a working medium. This system still comprises
an
energy projection system 220. In this projection system the projection system
comprises an emission pad 222 for emission into the projection, a reception
pad 226
for reception of projection positioned facing the emission pad, and a
projector 224
30 positioned between the emission pad 224 and the reception pad 226.
A direct transfer method by projecting from the working fluid to a reception
pad
without the use of an emission pad is possible if the working fluid is already
energised and is maintained in this state. Preferably the working fluid is
maintained
35 in the energised state by continuous irradiation.
CA 03151062 2022-3-11
WO 2021/049951
PCT/N02020/050235
Industrial Applicability
The invention according to the application finds use in preservation of white
fish. The
effect has been documented by an independent laboratory.
5
CA 03151062 2022-3-11
