A refrigerator including a refrigerator compartment, a freezer compartment, an ice maker compartment, a machine compartment, a first evaporator, a second evaporator, and a pressure balancing conduit. The ice maker compartment is configured to store ice and receive air from the freezer compartment. The machine compartment is located outside the freezer and ice maker compartments and houses one or more of a compressor, a condenser, a fan, or a coolant tank. The first evaporator is configured to cool air within the refrigerator compartment. The second evaporator is configured to cool air within the freezer compartment. The pressure balancing conduit is configured to balance air pressure within the freezer compartment.

A refrigerator includes a compressor configured to compress a refrigerant, a condenser configured to condense the refrigerant compressed in the compressor, an expander configured to depressurize the refrigerant condensed in the condenser, a plurality of evaporators configured to evaporate the refrigerant depressurized in the expander, a first valve configured to be operated to introduce the refrigerant into at least one of the plurality of evaporators, a hot gas valve device disposed at an inlet side of the first valve and configured to guide the refrigerant passed through the compressor or the condenser to the plurality of evaporators, and a hot gas path configured to extend from the hot gas valve device to the plurality of evaporators.

The present invention provides a refrigerator, comprising a storage compartment and a mixed air passage. Both ends of the mixed air passage have air inlets, the middle portion of the mixed air passage comprises a mixed air outlet communicating with the storage compartment, and the mixed air passage is configured to receive air flows from the two air inlets such that two air flows enter the storage compartment in a mixed manner via the mixed air outlet. The refrigerator of this invention comprises a mixed air passage, so that the air in an area of the storage compartment with a relatively high temperature can enter the mixed air passage earlier than external air or the air in the storage compartment with a relatively low temperature. Then, the two air flows are blown to the storage compartment in a mixed manner, realizing even temperature distribution in the storage compartment.

A method for controlling an operation of a refrigeration appliance includes controlling a first cooling routine for a first compartment via a flow of a thermal exchange media to a first evaporator. The method further includes controlling a heating routine in response to a setpoint temperature being greater than the temperature of the first compartment. The heating routine includes activating a heating element and a fan in the first compartment over a first interval and deactivating the heating element and the fan over a second interval. The heating routine continues by activating the first interval and the second interval over alternating time periods. In response to the temperature of the first compartment being greater than or equal to a target temperature associated with the setpoint, the method may control the operation of the appliance by returning to the cooling routine.

A refrigeration appliance has at least a first and a second temperature zone and a refrigerant circuit that includes a compressor, a first evaporator for cooling the first temperature zone and a second evaporator for cooling the second temperature zone. The first evaporator is serially connected downstream of the second evaporator in the refrigerant circuit, and a controllable throttle point is arranged upstream of the first evaporator and downstream of the second evaporator in the refrigerant circuit. A compressor controller is configured to control the rotational speed of the compressor on the basis of the temperature in the first temperature zone.

A refrigeration appliance with multiple storage compartments has a refrigerant circuit with a first expansion valve, a first heat exchanger, a second expansion valve, and a second heat exchanger connected in series between pressure and suction connections of a compressor. Each heat exchanger is associated with at least one storage compartment in order to control its temperature. A control unit controls the compressor rotational speed and positions of the expansion valves. The control unit has a continuously linear regulator for each storage compartment with a P-component for estimating a required temperature control output using a difference between actual and target temperatures. A model computing unit ascertains a target evaporation temperature for a first storage compartment controlled by the first heat exchanger, and for a second storage compartment controlled by the second heat exchanger. The heat exchangers are operated by selecting the compressor rotational speed and the valve positions of the expansion valves.

A hybrid shellfish cooling system employs both DC and AC cooling units that use both solar power and AC electrical supply as energy sources. As temperature control and uniform temperature distribution in the cooling system are critical factors in reducing vibrio growth on raw oysters and reducing energy consumption, the hybrid shellfish cooling system is equipped with a specially configured divider that optimizes airflow through the cooling system interior cabinet to achieve uniform temperature distribution in six individual internal compartments inside of the cooling system. Test results indicated that an average of 130 min. cooling was required to reach the suggested oyster temperatures of 7.2° C. and meet the cooling time requirement (i.e., 10 h or less). Airflow is further optimized via fan location and airflow direction, whereby a circulation fan located on the lower part of the 12-volt DC section with an air supply from the 12-volt DC section to the 110-volt AC section provides the optimal condition to achieve relatively uniform temperature distribution.

A refrigerating appliance is provided. The refrigerating appliance comprises: —a first storage compartment and a second storage compartment, the first and second storage compartments being separated from each other; —a refrigeration circuit comprising a first evaporator associated to the first storage compartment, a second evaporator associated to the second storage compartment, and a compressor for causing refrigerant to flow in the refrigeration circuit through the first evaporator and the second evaporator, the first evaporator, the second evaporator and the compressor being fluidly connected in series; —temperature sensors adapted to sense a first temperature indicative of the temperature inside the first storage compartment and a second temperature indicative of the temperature inside the second storage compartment; —a control unit configured to set a flow rate of the compressor according to both: —a first difference between the sensed first temperature and a first storage compartment target temperature, and —a second difference between the sensed second temperature and a second storage compartment target temperature.

A refrigerator includes a cabinet having a first storage compartment and a second storage compartment, and a cooling module removably mounted to the cabinet. The cooling module includes an evaporator, a condenser, and a compressor. A first cold air duct extends from the first storage compartment and is configured to allow a portion of the cooling module in which the evaporator is arranged, to communicate with the first storage compartment when the cooling module is coupled to the cabinet, and a second cold air duct is different from the first cold air duct and extends from the second storage compartment. The second cold air duct is configured to allow the portion of the cooling module in which the evaporator is arranged, to communicate with the second storage compartment.

A refrigerator is proposed. The refrigerator includes a refrigerating compartment, a freezing compartment, and an ice-making compartment. The refrigerating compartment is configured to receive cool air from a refrigerating compartment side grill fan assembly, and the ice-making compartment is configured to be located in any one refrigerating compartment door and to receive cool air from a freezing compartment side grill fan assembly with the freezing compartment. The refrigerating compartment side grill fan assembly is configured to supply a greater amount of cool air to a space at a refrigerating compartment door without the ice-making compartment than the amount of cool air supplied to other spaces, and the freezing compartment side grill fan assembly is configured to supply a greater amount of cool air to a space communicating with a recovery duct for the ice-making compartment than the amount of cool air supplied to other spaces.