An ice maker evaporator assembly having an evaporator pan with a back wall and left, right, top and bottom sidewalls extending from the back wall, and a freeze plate located within the evaporator pan. Refrigerant tubing is thermally coupled to the back wall of the evaporator pan opposite the left, right, top and bottom sidewalls. A first layer of insulation is formed on the refrigerant tubing. An evaporator housing having a housing back wall and housing left, right, top and bottom sidewalls extending from the housing back wall is attached to the evaporator pan and covers refrigerant tubing. A second layer of insulation is formed on top of the first layer of insulation.

A heat pump system provides at least six modes of heating, cooling, and/or domestic water heating operation, where domestic water heating may occur concurrently with heating or cooling a space in a structure. The heat pump system comprises a desuperheater positioned downstream of the compressor and operable as a desuperheater, a condenser or an evaporator, a source heat exchanger operable as either a condenser or an evaporator, a load heat exchanger operable as either a condenser or an evaporator, a reversing valve positioned downstream of the desuperheater heat exchanger and configured to alternately direct refrigerant flow from the desuperheater heat exchanger to one of the load heat exchanger and the source heat exchanger and to alternately return refrigerant flow from the other of the load heat exchanger and the source heat exchanger to the compressor, and an expansion valve positioned between the load heat exchanger and the source heat exchanger.

An air-conditioning unit is provided, comprising: an input vent for receiving return air; an intermediate vent; an output vent; a blower fan proximate to the input vent for moving the return air from the input vent to the intermediate vent; and an air-conditioner coil between the intermediate vent and the output vent including an active portion including one or more operational air-conditioning coils that receive a first portion of the return air from the intermediate vent, for circulating a coolant, condition the first portion of the return air by heat exchange with the coolant to create conditioned air, and pass the conditioned air to the output vent, and an inactive portion that does not circulate coolant and passes a second portion of the return air as unconditioned air to the output vent, wherein the conditioned air and the unconditioned air pass through the output vent as supply air.

A heat exchanger includes a pipe made of aluminum, a thermistor, and an attaching portion with which the thermistor is attached to the pipe. The pipe carries a flow of refrigerant. The thermistor detects a temperature of the refrigerant. The pipe includes a sacrificial layer provided on a part of a surface of the pipe. The sacrificial layer is lower in potential than the aluminum of the pipe. The attaching portion is higher in potential than the sacrificial layer. At least one part of the attaching portion is attached to the surface of the pipe where the sacrificial layer is not provided. The attaching portion includes a brazed portion that is higher in potential than the sacrificial layer. The thermistor is attached to the pipe with the brazed portion.

A shell-and-plate heat exchanger includes: a shell forming an internal space; and a plate stack, disposed in the internal space, including heat transfer plates that are stacked and joined together. The shell-and-plate heat exchanger is configured to allow a refrigerant that has flowed into the internal space to evaporate. The plate stack forms: refrigerant channels that communicate with the internal space and through which a refrigerant flows; and heating medium channels that are blocked from the internal space and through which a heating medium flows. Each of the refrigerant channels is adjacent to an associated one of the heating medium channels with one of the heat transfer plates interposed therebetween. The shell-and-plate heat exchanger further includes one or more supply structures that supply the refrigerant to the refrigerant channels such that the refrigerant flows downward.

A vacuum insulated cabinet structure includes panels having sheet metal outer side walls and polymer inner side walls. The polymer inner side walls are heat-sealed to a layer of polymer material laminated to a flat sheet metal blank to form vacuum cavities. The blank is then bent along fold lines to form a cabinet structure.

A vacuum insulated cabinet structure includes panels having sheet metal outer side walls and polymer inner side walls. The polymer inner side walls are heat-sealed to a layer of polymer material laminated to a flat sheet metal blank to form vacuum cavities. The blank is then bent along fold lines to form a cabinet structure.

A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet that defines first and second compartments. A fan assembly is configured to direct cooled air from a cooling assembly into the first and second compartments. The fan assembly includes a housing that defines an inlet, a first outlet, and a second outlet. The first outlet is in communication with the first compartment, and the second outlet is in communication with the second compartment. A fan is positioned within the housing and is configured to direct the cooled air from the inlet toward the first and second outlets. A damper assembly is configured to selectively obstruct one of the first outlet and the second outlet.

A heat management apparatus comprises a first heat exchange portion, a second heat exchange portion and a throttle unit, wherein the first heat exchange portion is used for exchanging heat between a refrigerant throttled by the throttle unit, and a cooling liquid; and a first wall of the first heat exchange portion and a second wall of the second heat exchange portion are arranged opposite each other, such that the structure of the heat management apparatus is relatively compact.

A heat management apparatus comprises a first heat exchange portion, a second heat exchange portion and a throttle unit, wherein the first heat exchange portion is used for exchanging heat between a refrigerant throttled by the throttle unit, and a cooling liquid; and a first wall of the first heat exchange portion and a second wall of the second heat exchange portion are arranged opposite each other, such that the structure of the heat management apparatus is relatively compact.