REFRIGERATION APPLIANCE WITH A HEAT CIRCUIT

Abstract

A refrigeration appliance includes a refrigerant circuit having a heat exchanger. The refrigeration appliance also includes a heat circuit. The heat exchanger is thermally coupled to the heat circuit by a coupling element. The coupling element is mechanically connected to the heat circuit by a detachable connection. The detachable connection may be a force-locking connection, in particular a screw connection, a plug-in connection or a form-locking connection, in particular a snap-on connection.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A refrigeration appliance, comprising: a refrigerant circuit including a heat exchanger; a heat circuit; a coupling element thermally coupling said heat exchanger to said heat circuit; and a detachable connection mechanically connecting said coupling element to said heat circuit.

17. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 16, wherein said detachable connection is a force-locking connection, a screw connection, a plug-in connection, a form-locking connection or a snap-on connection.

18. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 16, wherein said heat exchanger is a refrigerant evaporator or a refrigerant condenser.

19. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 16, wherein said heat exchanger is a refrigerant evaporator, and said heat circuit is configured to absorb a quantity of heat from a cooling region of the refrigeration appliance and to output the quantity of heat to said refrigerant evaporator.

20. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 16, wherein said heat exchanger is a refrigerant condenser being configured to output a quantity of heat to be absorbed by said heat circuit, and said heat circuit is configured to output the absorbed quantity of heat to an outer region of the refrigeration appliance.

21. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 16, which further comprises: a further heat circuit of the refrigeration appliance; a cooling region and an outer region of the refrigeration appliance; said heat exchanger being a refrigerant evaporator; said refrigerant circuit including a further heat exchanger being a refrigerant condenser; said heat circuit being configured to absorb a quantity of heat from said cooling region and to output the quantity of heat to said refrigerant evaporator in order to supply the quantity of heat to said refrigerant circuit; said refrigerant condenser being configured to output the quantity of heat supplied to said refrigerant circuit to said further heat circuit; and said further heat circuit being configured to output the absorbed quantity of heat to said outer region of the refrigeration appliance.

22. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 16, wherein said heat exchanger includes an inner pipe for routing a refrigerant, said inner pipe having a porous or serrated surface structure.

23. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 16, wherein said heat exchanger is a thermally conducting plate.

24. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 16, wherein said coupling element includes a thermally conducting plate.

25. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 16, wherein said heat circuit includes a thermosiphon, a ventilated thermosiphon, a heating pipe or a ventilated heating pipe.

26. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 16, wherein said heat circuit contains a heat transport substance including an alkane, a fluorocarbon, an alcohol, water or isobutene.

27. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 16, wherein said heat circuit includes a valve configured to release said heat circuit in a first position and to close said heat circuit in a second position.

28. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 27, which further comprises: a cooling region of the refrigeration appliance; a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature value of said cooling region; and a valve controller for controlling said valve, said valve controller being configured to control said valve as a function of the detected temperature value.

29. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 28, wherein: said cooling region has a refrigerator compartment; said heat circuit is thermally coupled to said refrigerator compartment; said temperature sensor is configured to detect a temperature value in said refrigerator compartment; and said valve controller is configured to control said valve as a function of the detected temperature value.

30. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 29, wherein said refrigerator compartment includes a freezer chamber.

Description

[0046] Further exemplary embodiments are explained with respect to the appended drawings, in which:

[0047] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a refrigeration appliance;

[0048] FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of a refrigerant circuit; and

[0049] FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of a refrigerant circuit with a heat circuit and with a further heat circuit in a refrigeration appliance.

[0050] FIG. 1 shows a general refrigeration appliance 100, in particular a refrigerator, which can be closed by a refrigeration appliance door 101 and has a frame 103.

[0051] FIG. 2 shows a refrigerant circuit of a refrigeration appliance as a comparative example. The refrigerant circuit 105 comprises a refrigerant evaporator 107, a refrigerant compressor 109, a refrigerant condenser 111 and a throttle organ 113. After expansion of the liquid refrigerant by absorbing heat from the medium to be cooled, e.g. the air in the interior of the refrigerator, the refrigerant evaporator 107 evaporates the refrigerant. The refrigerant compressor 109 is a mechanically operated component, which sucks in refrigerant vapor from the refrigerant evaporator 107 and strikes the refrigerant condenser 111 at a higher pressure. On account of the refrigerant condenser 111, the evaporated refrigerant is condensed by outputting heat to an external cooling medium, e.g. the ambient air. The throttle organ 113 is an apparatus for completely reducing the pressure by means of cross-sectional tapering.

[0052] The refrigerant is a fluid, which is used to transfer heat in the cold-generating system, which absorbs heat at low temperatures and at low pressure of the fluid and outputs heat at a higher temperature and higher pressure of the fluid, wherein changes in the state of the fluid are usually included.

[0053] FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of a refrigerant circuit with a heat circuit and with a further heat circuit in a refrigeration appliance. The refrigerant circuit 105 comprises a refrigerant evaporator 107, a refrigerant compressor 109, a refrigerant condenser 111 and a throttle organ 113, wherein the refrigerant evaporator 107 is embodied as a heat exchanger 115 and the refrigerant condenser 111 is embodied as a further heat exchanger 121.

[0054] The refrigeration appliance 100 comprises a heat circuit 117 physically detached from the refrigerant circuit 105, which can be embodied as a thermosiphon and is thermally coupled to the refrigerant evaporator 107, which is embodied as a heat exchanger 115, by a coupling element 119, in order to transfer heat from the heat circuit 117 to the refrigerant evaporator 107. The refrigerant evaporator 107 or the coupling element 119 can be embodied as a thermally conducting plate. The coupling element 119 is mechanically connected to the heat circuit 117 by means of a detachable connection, wherein the detachable connection can comprise a force-locking connection, in particular a screw connection, a plug-in connection or a form-locking connection, in particular a snap-on connection.

[0055] The heat circuit 117 is filled with a heat transport substance, in particular an alcohol, and is embodied to absorb heat from a cooling region of the refrigeration appliance 100 in order to obtain a heated heat transport substance. A temperature gradient exists in the heat circuit 117, as a result of which the heat transport substance is present in a liquid aggregate state in the lower region of the heat circuit 117. The heat transport substance is present in a gaseous aggregate state in the upper region of the heat circuit 117. If a quantity of heat is supplied to the lower region of the heat circuit 117 and the heat transport substance absorbs the quantity of heat, this results in the heat transport substance heating. This heating causes the heat transport substance to evaporate and rise upward in the heat circuit 117 as a gaseous heat transport substance. The heated heat transport substance can output the absorbed quantity of heat to the refrigerant evaporator 107 of the refrigerant circuit 105 by means of the coupling element 119. The output of heat results in the heat transport substance in the heat circuit 117 cooling down, as a result of which the heat transport substance condenses and, as a liquid in the heat circuit 117, sinks downward. If the cooled liquid substance has reached the lower region of the heat circuit 117, this is once again available for the absorption of a quantity of heat. An effective heat transport can thus be enabled in the heat circuit 117 by means of the heat transport substance.

[0056] The quantity of heat output to the refrigerant evaporator 107 is absorbed by the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 105. The heated refrigerant is then compressed by the refrigerant compressor 109 in the refrigerant circuit 105 and forwarded at a higher pressure to the refrigerant condenser 111. The refrigerant condenser 111 is embodied as a further heat exchanger 121, in order to discharge the quantity of heat from the refrigerant, as a result of which the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 105 is condensed. The refrigerant condenser 111 can be embodied as a thermally conducting plate.

[0057] The refrigerant condenser 111 outputs the quantity of heat absorbed by the refrigerant via a further coupling element 125 to a further heat circuit 123. The refrigerant condenser 111 is thermally coupled to the further heat circuit 123 by the further coupling element 125, wherein the further coupling element 125 is mechanically connected to the further heat circuit 123 by means of a detachable connection. The further coupling element 125 can comprise a thermally conducting plate. The further heat circuit 123 is based on a mode of operation that is similar to the heat circuit 117. The further heat circuit 123 is filled with a heat transport substance, which heats up by the heat absorption by the refrigerant condenser 111. On account of the present temperature gradients, the heated heat transport substance in the further heat circuit 123 rises upward. In the upper region of the further heat circuit 123, the heated heat transport substance can output the absorbed quantity of heat to the outer region of the refrigeration appliance 100. The heat output results in the heat transport substance in the further heat circuit 123 cooling down, as a result of which the heat transport substance condenses and, as a liquid in the further heat circuit 123, sinks downwards in order to be available again for the absorption of a quantity of heat from the refrigerant condenser 111. An effective heat transport by the heat transport substance can thus be enabled both by the heat circuit 117 and also by the further heat circuit 123.

[0058] A technical advantage with the physical detachment of the heat circuit 117, 123 and refrigerant circuit 105 is that compared with conventional refrigeration appliances 100, the refrigerant circuit 105 can be reduced in size. As a result, a smaller quantity of refrigerant is required in the inventive refrigerant circuit 105.

[0059] In order to improve the heat transfer between the heat exchanger 115, 121 and the heat circuit 117, 123, the heat exchanger 115, 121 can comprise an inner pipe for guiding the refrigerant of the refrigerant circuit 105, wherein the inner pipe has a porous or serrated surface structure. The porous or serrated surface structure causes the surface of the inner pipe in the heat exchanger 115, 121 to enlarge. This measure increases the quantity of heat transmitted between the heat exchanger 115, 121 and the heat circuit 117, 123 on the side of the refrigerant circuit 105. Since the heat circuit 117, 123, embodied in particular as a thermosiphon, can absorb or output the large quantities of heat, a minimal length of the inner pipe is already sufficient to transfer the required quantity of heat between the heat exchanger 115, 121 and the heat circuit 117, 123.

[0060] The heat circuit 117, 123 can comprise a ventilated thermosiphon, since a ventilated thermosiphon can transfer a larger quantity of heat than a static thermosiphon. A ventilated thermosiphon comprises a fan, which routes an air flow to the thermosiphon, as a result of which the heat absorption or heat output of the ventilated thermosiphon can be effectively increased.

[0061] The heat circuit 117, 123 can comprise a valve, by means of which the heat circuit 117, 123, if necessary, can be switched on or off, by the flow of heat transport substance either being released or interrupted by the valve. The valve can be controlled as a function of the temperature requirements in the refrigeration appliance 100 and performed for instance in combination with temperature sensors. The temperature sensors can detect the temperature in specific regions of the refrigeration appliance 100. A controller can control the flow of heat transport substance in the heat circuit 117, 123 as a function of the detected temperature by releasing or closing the valve. The heat circuit 117, 123 can be embodied to discharge heat from a specific refrigerator compartment to be cooled, such as e.g. a freezer chamber.

[0062] A refrigeration appliance 100 which has a refrigerant circuit 105 with a reduced size and with a smaller quantity of refrigerant is thus realized by the present invention. By using the coupling element 119, 125, a detachable mechanical connection is realized between the coupling element 119, 125 and the heat circuit 117, 123. As a result, the heat circuit 117, 123 can be easily installed when the refrigeration appliance 100 is assembled. As a result, assembly of the refrigeration appliance 100 is simplified and the number of connecting points can be reduced. A detachable connection is advantageous if prefabricated assemblies, such as e.g. prefabricated heat circuits 117, 123, are supplied to the manufacturing lines during assembly of the refrigeration appliance 100. The various prefabricated heat circuits 117, 123 can then be connected and technically sealed with one another without a soldering or welding outlay.

[0063] On account of the physical detachment of the refrigerant circuit 105 from the heat circuit 117, 123, a modular delimitation of the functions of the refrigeration appliance 100 is possible. The refrigerant circuit 105 can thus be manufactured in large numbers and fixedly installed in various appliance types of the refrigeration appliance 100. The various designs of the heat circuit 117, 123 can then be easily connected to the refrigerant circuit 105 in the various appliance types. In the case of repair work, the heat circuit 117, 123 can be replaced with minimal effort.

[0064] All features shown and explained in conjunction with individual embodiments of the invention can be provided in a different combination in the inventive subject matter in order simultaneously to realize their advantageous effects.

[0065] The scope of protection of the present invention is provided by the claims and is not restricted by the features explained in the description or shown in the figures.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0066] 100 Refrigeration appliance [0067] 101 Refrigeration appliance door [0068] 103 Frame [0069] 105 Refrigerant circuit [0070] 107 Refrigerant evaporator [0071] 109 Refrigerant compressor [0072] 111 Refrigerant condenser [0073] 113 Throttle organ [0074] 115 Heat exchanger [0075] 117 Heat circuit [0076] 119 Coupling element [0077] 121 Further heat exchanger [0078] 123 Further heat circuit [0079] 125 Further coupling element