CN107869877B

CN107869877B - Cooling unit

Info

Publication number: CN107869877B
Application number: CN201710697190.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 薄达也
Original assignee: Maxis Ind Co ltd; Fujikoki Corp
Current assignee: Maxis Ind Co ltd; Fujikoki Corp
Priority date: 2016-09-28
Filing date: 2017-08-15
Publication date: 2021-03-23
Anticipated expiration: 2037-08-15
Also published as: KR102354159B1; KR20180035144A; JP6698490B2; JP2018054201A; CN107869877A

Abstract

Provided are a duct fan assembly and a cooling unit using the same, wherein the water retention during defrosting operation can be prevented. The cooling unit includes: a housing forming a closed space therein; a heat exchanger disposed inside the housing, the duct fan assembly including: a tubular duct portion having both ends open; a fan unit installed inside the duct portion, an angle formed by at least a lower end portion of the duct portion and an installation end portion of the ducted fan assembly being less than 90 degrees.

Description

Cooling unit

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a duct fan assembly and a cooling unit using the same, and more particularly, to a duct fan assembly which is preferable for discharging dew condensation water attached to an inner wall of a cooling unit, and a cooling unit using the same.

Background

A cooling unit (unit cooling device) for supplying cool air to a large refrigerator or freezer is configured to: the outside air introduced from the outside of the enclosure is cooled by a cooler (evaporator) disposed inside the enclosure, and the cooled outside air is supplied to a refrigerator or freezer (this operation is referred to as "cooling operation").

In such a cooling unit, moisture contained in the outside air may adhere to the cooler as frost when the moisture becomes cold air, and thus the cooling capacity of the cooler may be reduced.

In order to remove the frost adhering to the cooler, the following so-called "defrosting" operation (this operation is referred to as "defrosting operation") is conventionally performed: in order to improve the heat retaining effect in the housing while temporarily stopping the cooling operation, the inside of the housing is almost closed by closing the exhaust port of the housing, and then the cooler is heated by hot gas, a heater, or the like to melt frost attached to the cooler.

In addition, in order to close the exhaust port, for example, a unit refrigerator having the following structure is known (see patent document 1): a damper (damper) that is opened and closed by wind pressure is provided in a duct located downstream of the cooler and the blower. In patent document 1, the exhaust duct extends horizontally, and during the defrosting operation, the fan is stopped to automatically close the damper, so that the inside of the housing is almost closed.

In addition, a water spray system for performing a defrosting operation by spraying water may be adopted, and in this case, a cooling unit having a structure in which a damper is not provided is also known (see patent document 2). In patent document 2, a fan is provided at an upper portion of a unit refrigerator, and air introduced from a side surface of a housing is blown out from above the housing, but in the water spray system, there is also a structure in which an exhaust duct extends horizontally as described in patent document 1.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese Utility model registration No. 2527015

Patent document 2: japanese Kokoku publication Sho 50-32352

When the defrosting operation is performed by heating, the frost attached to the cooler is melted by supplying heat generated by hot gas or the like to the inside of the chamber, and a part of the frost is changed into water vapor (mist) and floats, and then adheres to the inner wall of the chamber, and is changed into water droplets by condensation. The water drops fall into a drain pan disposed at a lower portion in the cavity, are stored in the drain pan, and are discharged to the outside by an appropriate member such as a drain pump.

Here, during the defrosting operation, the damper is closed, and therefore, although the chamber interior is closed, a slight gap is generated between the main body of the damper and the damper because the damper is configured to be closed by the self-weight of the blade, and water vapor adheres as water droplets from the gap to the duct inner surface side on the downstream side of the damper.

However, if the duct for exhaust extends horizontally, water droplets condensed on the downstream side of the damper do not flow into the drain pan disposed on the upstream side of the damper, and as a result, after the cooling operation of the cooling unit is resumed, water accumulated on the lower surface of the duct flows into the downstream side of the duct by the wind generated by the blower.

In addition, when the duct is opened, the dew condensation water flows out from the duct to the outside of the cooling unit, or when the duct is not opened, the dew condensation water flowing out from the duct may adversely affect other devices and the like disposed on the downstream side of the cooling unit.

Further, when the exhaust pipe extends upward, water droplets condensed on the ceiling of the chamber fall vertically from the condensed position, and therefore, there is a possibility that condensed water cannot be efficiently collected.

Disclosure of Invention

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a duct fan assembly and a cooling unit using the same, which can prevent water from being accumulated during a defrosting operation and can efficiently recover water.

Means for solving the above technical problems

In order to achieve the above object, the ducted fan assembly of the present invention comprises: a tubular duct portion having both ends open; and a fan unit mounted inside the duct portion, one end of the duct portion being a mounting end portion of the duct-type fan assembly, wherein an angle formed between at least a lower end portion and the mounting end portion is less than 90 degrees.

The ducted fan assembly according to the present invention can be applied to a cooling unit including a housing having a space formed therein and a heat exchanger disposed inside the housing.

Effects of the invention

According to the duct fan assembly of the present invention, it is possible to prevent water from being retained during a defrosting operation and efficiently recover dew condensation water.

In addition, when the duct fan assembly is mounted on the side surface of the cooling unit, water that has vertically dropped to the lower surface of the duct can be reliably discharged, and therefore, there is no adverse effect on other devices that are disposed downstream of the cooling unit on which the duct fan assembly of the present invention is mounted.

In addition, when the duct fan assembly is attached to the upper surface of the cooling unit, dew condensation water adhering to the ceiling surface of the cooling unit can be efficiently discharged.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of a cooling unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an outline of the duct fan assembly and the damper portion mounted to the housing of the cooling unit shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view showing an example of the end structure of the duct section shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of a cooling unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an outline of the duct fan assembly and the damper portion mounted to the housing of the cooling unit shown in fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a side view and a front view showing a schematic configuration of a cooling unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Description of the symbols

10. 510 cooling unit

12. 512 basket body

14 suction hood

18 drain pan

20 heat exchanger

22 partition board

30 adjustable air door part

31 axle

32 air door

33 drainage pipe

100. 200 ducted fan assembly

110. 210 duct section

120. 220 fan unit

121. 221 blower

122. 222 impeller

123. 223 fixed mount

512a top plate surface

Detailed Description

(embodiment one)

As shown in fig. 1, a cooling unit 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes: a casing 12 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped space formed therein and a drain pan 18 at a lower portion of the casing 12; a heat exchanger 20, the heat exchanger 20 being disposed inside the casing 12; a suction cover 14, the suction cover 14 is mounted on the rear side surface of the housing 12; and a duct fan assembly 100, the duct fan assembly 100 being mounted on a front side surface of the housing 12.

The casing 12 has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a suction cover 14 communicating with the outside of the casing 12 is attached to one side surface (rear side surface 12a) of the side surfaces of the casing 12. The suction cover 14 has a box shape including an opening (a lower-side opening 14a) on a lower surface side.

On the other hand, an adjustment damper unit 30 described later is mounted on the inner side of a side surface (front side surface 12b) of the housing 12 at a position facing the side surface 12a, and a duct fan assembly 100 described later is mounted on the outer side of the front side surface 12 b.

In the present embodiment, the cooling unit 10 is provided on the bottom surface B of a large refrigerator, freezer, or the like (not shown) via the leg portions 16, for example, but the cooling unit 10 may be suspended from the top plate of the refrigerator or freezer by an appropriate member (for example, a wire connected to the top plate surface of the casing 12).

The heat exchanger 20 is, for example, a cooler, and is configured to directly contact air (outside air) sucked from the suction cover 14 and to discharge heat from the air.

In addition, a defrosting gas supply mechanism for heating the heat exchanger 20 during a defrosting operation, a heater, a water spray mechanism for spraying water to the heat exchanger 20, and the like (all not shown) are provided in the housing 12 as defrosting means.

Here, in the case where the defrosting gas supply mechanism or the heater is used as the defrosting means, the damper section 30 is shielded during defrosting to make the inside of the housing 12 almost airtight, but in the case where the watering mechanism is used, the damper section 30 may not be provided.

With this configuration, water formed by melting frost during the defrosting operation inside the housing 12 is accumulated in the drain pan 18 and then discharged to the outside through an appropriate member such as a discharge pump (see arrow D1).

The ducted fan assembly 100 of the first embodiment of the present invention includes: a tubular duct portion 110, both ends of the duct portion 110 being open; and a fan unit 120, the fan unit 120 being mounted inside the duct portion 110.

The duct portion 110 is a cylindrical member having a circular or polygonal cross section, and as shown in fig. 2, the central axis X and the lower surface (lower end) 112 of the duct portion 110 are arranged to be inclined at a predetermined angle α with respect to the horizontal plane.

At this time, an angle formed between the upstream opening end portion (mounting end portion) 113 of the duct portion 110, the central axis X, and the lower surface (lower end portion) 112 is β, and α + β is 90 degrees. That is, β is less than 90 degrees, but may be about 75 degrees.

The dampers 32 of the damper section 30 are rotatably attached to a rectangular tubular damper housing 30a via a shaft 31, and the damper section 30 is attached to an upstream opening end 113 of the duct section 110.

The dampers 32 are configured to be opened and closed toward the fan unit 120 described later, and when the blower 121 of the fan unit 120 is driven to discharge air from the inside to the outside of the enclosure 12, the dampers 32 are rotated to the open position P1 by the pressure of the air, and when the drive of the blower 121 is stopped, the dampers 32 fall down by their own weight to return to the closed position P2.

Further, a drain pipe 33 is attached to the bottom of the damper housing 30a, and the drain pipe 33 is used to drain dew condensation water generated by the defrosting operation to the drain pan 18 of the enclosure 12 (see arrow D2).

The fan unit 120 includes: a blower 121 having an impeller 122; and a fixing bracket 123 for fixing the blower 121 to the duct portion 110, and the fan unit 120 is attached to the inner surface of the duct portion 110 on the downstream side of the opening end portion 114 side.

When the blower 121 is rotationally driven, the damper 32 of the damper unit 30 is opened by the rotation of the impeller 122, air is sucked into the housing 12 from the lower surface side opening 14a of the suction cover 14, and the air cooled in the heat exchanger 20 is discharged from the duct unit 110 in the direction of the arrow a 2.

The cold air discharged from duct portion 110 is supplied to a refrigerator, freezer, or the like via a supply pipe (not shown) connected to duct portion 110.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view showing an example of the end structure of the duct portion shown in fig. 2, in which fig. 3(a) shows a state in which the duct portion is viewed from the upstream side, and fig. 3(b) shows a state in which the duct portion is viewed from the downstream side.

As shown in fig. 3(a), the opening end portion 113 disposed on the upstream side of the duct portion 110 is configured as a plate-like member having a through hole formed in the center portion thereof to communicate with the duct portion 110, and has a plurality of fastening holes 115 formed therein.

The duct portion 110 is attached to the front side surface 12b of the housing 12 by a fastening member such as a bolt inserted into the fastening hole 115 of the opening end portion 113.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 3(b), the opening end portion 114 disposed on the downstream side of the duct portion 110 is configured as a plate-like member having a through hole formed in the center portion thereof to communicate with the duct portion 110, and has a plurality of fastening holes 115 formed therein. A blower 121 having the impeller 122 is attached to the vicinity of the opening end 114 of the duct portion 110 via a fixing bracket 123.

Then, duct portion 110 is attached to a supply pipe (not shown) connected to a refrigerator, freezer, or the like disposed downstream by a fastening member such as a bolt inserted into fastening hole 115 of opening end portion 114.

Next, the operation of the cooling unit 10 in embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to a case where the defroster gas supply mechanism is used as a defrosting device.

First, in the cooling operation of the cooling unit 10, the blower 121 of the duct fan assembly 100 is rotationally driven while driving the heat exchanger 20.

When the blower 121 is rotationally driven, the impeller 122 rotates to discharge the air inside the duct portion 110 in the direction of the arrow a2, and therefore, as shown in fig. 2, the damper 32 of the damper portion 30 is rotated to the open position P1.

As shown in fig. 1, an air flow toward duct fan assembly 100 is generated inside casing 12 (see arrow a 3).

When an air flow toward arrow A3 is generated inside the enclosure 12, outside air is sucked from the suction cover 14 (see arrow a 1).

By the series of air flows, the outside air sucked from the suction cover 14 is exhausted while flowing through the heat exchanger 20, and is exhausted as cold air from the duct portion 110 of the duct fan assembly 100.

On the other hand, during the defrosting operation for removing frost or ice that adheres to the heat exchanger 20 inside the housing 12 or to the adjustment damper section 30 disposed on the upstream side of the duct fan assembly 100 due to the cooling operation, the drive of the heat exchanger 20 and the blower 121 of the duct fan assembly 100 is stopped.

Then, the exhaust from the duct portion 110 of the duct fan assembly 100 is stopped, and therefore, the damper 32 of the damper portion 30 is rotated to be located at the closed position P2.

Accordingly, the inside of the enclosure 12 is sealed from the outside with the damper section 30 as a boundary, and the intake of the outside air from the intake cover 14 is also stopped.

In this state, the defrosting gas supply mechanism of the heat exchanger 20 is driven to perform a defrosting operation by hot gas, thereby melting frost or ice attached to the heat exchanger 20 or the inside of the housing 12.

The melted frost or ice is then turned into water and accumulated in the drain pan 18 provided on the bottom surface of the housing 12, and then the water is discharged to the outside of the housing 12 by a predetermined discharge member.

On the other hand, water adhering to the shaft 31 or damper 32 of the damper unit 30 is discharged to the drain pan 18 in the housing 12 through a drain pipe 33 provided at the bottom of the damper housing 30 a.

Further, even if the melted water is generated in the duct portion 110 during the defrosting operation, the lower surface (lower end portion) 112 of the duct portion 110 is inclined toward the adjustment damper portion 30, and therefore, the water flows from the duct portion 110 toward the adjustment damper portion 30 and is discharged to the outside through the drain pipe 33.

With the above configuration, in cooling unit 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, since lower surface (lower end) 112 of duct portion 110 of duct fan assembly 100 is inclined toward casing 12 disposed upstream, even if water is generated in duct portion 110 after the defrosting operation, the water does not stay in duct portion 110.

Therefore, after the defrosting operation and after the cooling operation is returned, the water is not pushed by the cold air (wind) discharged from duct fan assembly 100 and flows downstream, and therefore, it is possible to prevent adverse effects on other devices and the like disposed downstream of cooling unit 10.

(second embodiment)

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of a cooling unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to portions having the same or common functions or configurations as those of the first embodiment shown in fig. 1 and 2, and the description thereof is omitted.

As shown in fig. 4, the cooling unit 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes: a casing 12 having a drain pan 18 at a lower portion of the casing 12; a heat exchanger 20, the heat exchanger 20 being disposed inside the enclosure 12; a suction cover 14, the suction cover 14 is mounted on one side surface of the side surfaces of the basket body 12; and a duct fan assembly 200, wherein the duct fan assembly 200 is mounted on the other side surface of the side surfaces of the housing 12.

The ducted fan assembly 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes: a tubular duct portion 210, both ends of the duct portion 210 being open; and a fan unit 220, the fan unit 220 being mounted inside the other end side of the duct portion 210.

As shown in fig. 5, the duct portion 210 is formed as a member having the following cylindrical shape: one opening end 213 and the other opening end 214 are disposed in parallel in the vertical direction, and the lower surface (lower end) 212 is inclined at a predetermined angle α with respect to the horizontal plane.

That is, the duct portion 210 has the following shape: the cross-sectional area is reduced from the upstream opening end 213 to the downstream opening end 214 while inclining the lower surface (lower end) 212.

In addition, as in the case of the first embodiment, the upstream opening end 213 and the downstream opening end 214 are configured in the same manner as the configuration shown in fig. 3.

As in the embodiment, the dampers 32 of the damper section 30 attached to the opening end 213 on the upstream side of the duct section 210 are rotatably attached to the rectangular tubular damper housing 30a via the shaft 31, and when the air blower 221 of the fan unit 220 described later is driven to discharge air from the inside to the outside of the enclosure 12, the dampers 32 are rotated to the open position P1 by the pressure of the air, and when the driving of the air blower 221 is stopped, the dampers 32 are dropped by their own weight and return to the closed position P2.

A drain pipe 33 is attached to the bottom of the damper housing 30a, and the drain pipe 33 is used to drain dew condensation water generated by the defrosting operation to the drain pan 18 of the housing 12.

The fan unit 220 attached to the inner surface of the duct portion 210 on the downstream side of the opening end portion 214 includes: a blower 221, the blower 221 having an impeller 222; and a fixing bracket 223, wherein the air blower 221 is fixed on the duct part 210 by the fixing bracket 223.

When the blower 221 is rotationally driven, as in the embodiment, the damper 32 of the damper portion 30 is opened by the rotation of the impeller 222, air is sucked into the housing 12 from the lower surface side opening 14a of the suction cover 14, and air cooled in the heat exchanger 20 is discharged from the duct portion 210 in the direction of the arrow a 2.

The cold air discharged from duct portion 210 is supplied to a refrigerator, a freezer, or the like via a supply pipe (not shown) connected to duct portion 210.

Next, the operation of the cooling unit 10 in embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to a case where the defroster gas supply mechanism is used as a defrosting device.

In the cooling unit 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, when the defrosting operation for removing the frost or ice attached to the heat exchanger 20 inside the enclosure 12 or the damper section 30 attached to the duct fan assembly 200 or the like by the cooling operation is performed, the driving of the fan 221 of the heat exchanger 20 and the duct fan assembly 200 is stopped.

Then, since the exhaust from the duct portion 210 of the duct fan assembly 200 is stopped, the damper 32 of the damper portion 30 is rotated to be positioned at the closed position P2, and the intake of the outside air from the suction cover 14 is also stopped.

At this time, the water attached to the shaft 31 or the damper 32 of the damper unit 30 flows through the drain pipe 33 provided at the bottom of the damper housing 30a and is discharged to the drain pan 18 inside the housing 12.

Further, even if the melted water is generated in duct section 210 during the defrosting operation, since lower surface (lower end) 212 of duct section 210 is inclined toward adjustment damper section 30, the water flows from duct section 210 toward adjustment damper section 30 and is discharged to the outside through drain pipe 33.

With the above configuration, in cooling unit 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, since lower surface (lower end) 212 of duct unit 210 of duct fan assembly 200 is inclined toward casing 12 disposed upstream, water does not remain in duct unit 210 even if water is generated in duct unit 210 after the defrosting operation, as in the first embodiment.

In addition to the above-described effects, since upstream opening end 213 and downstream opening end 214 of duct section 210 are disposed in parallel in the vertical direction, housing 12 of cooling unit 10 disposed upstream of duct fan assembly 200 and the supply pipe disposed downstream can be easily connected via duct fan assembly 200.

(third embodiment)

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a cooling unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention, in which fig. 6(a) is a side view and fig. 6(b) is a front view. In fig. 6, the same reference numerals as those in fig. 1 to 5 denote the same or equivalent components as those described in the first or second embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

Although the first embodiment and the second embodiment are the embodiments in which air is blown out from the side surface of the enclosure 12, the third embodiment is an example in which air is blown out from the upper surface (ceiling surface) of the enclosure 512.

In fig. 6(a) and 6(b), a ceiling surface 512a of a housing 512 of the cooling unit 510 is inclined at an angle α with respect to a horizontal plane, and the upstream-side opening end portion 113 of the duct fan assembly 100 shown in fig. 1 to 3 is attached to the ceiling surface 512 a. Further, an angle formed by the central axis X of the duct portion 110 (i.e., the central axis of the duct-type fan assembly 100) and the opening end portion (attachment end portion) 113 (i.e., the ceiling surface 512a) is β. Reference numeral 512b denotes an inlet for outside air.

When the cooling unit 510 is provided, the central axis X is set to be vertical. Further, heat exchanger 20 or defrosting equipment (not shown) is disposed in casing 512, and a damper or the like that closes the inside of the enclosure during defrosting is provided on the upstream side or the downstream side of duct fan assembly 100 as necessary.

As is clear from the above description, in the third embodiment, since the inner wall (lower surface side) of the ceiling surface 512a of the housing 512 is an inclined surface forming an angle α with respect to the horizontal plane, even if dew condensation water adheres to the inner wall of the ceiling surface 512a, dew condensation water is guided to the side inner wall of the housing 512 along the inclination, efficiently falls onto the drain pan 18, and is discharged from the drain port 18 a.

In addition, in the third embodiment, the structure of the ducted fan assembly 200 described in the second embodiment can be adopted.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made.

For example, in the first and second embodiments, the case where a plurality of dampers are provided in the damper portion is exemplified, but one damper may be provided.

In the above embodiment, the upstream opening ends (attachment ends) 113 and 213 of the

duct portions

110 and 210 are set as one end, and the downstream opening ends 114 and 214 of the duct portion 110 are set as the other end. The direction of the other end is referred to as the other end side when viewed from the one end, and the direction of the one end is referred to as the one end side when viewed from the other end. In the above embodiments,

fan units

120 and 220 are attached to the other end of

duct portions

110 and 210, but the attachment site may be one end side and may be attached to the inside of

duct portions

110 and 210.

Further, although the damper is provided on the upstream side (one end side) of the duct fan assembly, instead of providing the damper, a damper (not shown) that is opened and closed by the wind pressure using the fastening hole may be provided on the downstream side (the other end side) of the duct fan assembly, that is, on the opening end portion of the duct fan assembly.

Further, in the above description, the case of using the defrosting method using hot gas in combination has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is needless to say that all defrosting methods such as a heater, sprinkling, or a combination thereof may be used in combination.

Claims

1. A cooling unit, characterized in that the cooling unit has:

a basket body;

a heat exchanger disposed inside the housing;

a drain pan provided at a lower portion of an inside of the basket;

a duct type fan assembly mounted on a side surface of the basket body through a mounting end portion; and

a plurality of dampers provided on the housing side of the duct fan assembly and capable of shielding the inside and outside of the housing,

the ducted fan assembly has:

a tubular duct portion having both ends open and having the mounting end portion provided at one end;

a fan unit installed inside the duct portion; and

a damper portion provided with the plurality of dampers and provided inside the housing so as to be connected to one end side of the duct portion,

an angle formed by at least a lower end portion of the duct portion and the mounting end portion is less than 90 degrees,

the dampers are rotatably mounted on shafts provided in the damper portion, and are configured to be rotated to an open position by the pressure of the air when the air is discharged from the inside to the outside of the housing by the driving of the fan unit, and to be returned to a closed position facing the heat exchanger by its own weight when the fan unit is stopped,

the plurality of shafts are arranged in parallel with the heat exchanger.

2. The cooling unit of claim 1,

the pipe part is cylindrical or square-cylindrical, and the central axis of the pipe part and the mounting end part form an angle smaller than 90 degrees.

3. The cooling unit of claim 1 or 2,

a drain pipe for draining water to the drain pan is installed at the bottom of the adjusting damper part.