DK2843332T3

DK2843332T3 - Refrigerated display case

Info

Publication number: DK2843332T3
Application number: DK14182317.9T
Authority: DK
Inventors: Steffen Schwarz
Original assignee: Aht Cooling Systems Gmbh
Priority date: 2013-08-27
Filing date: 2014-08-26
Publication date: 2019-02-04
Also published as: TR201900635T4; DE102013217058A1; DE102013217058B4; HUE043753T2; SI2843332T1; PT2843332T; ES2705553T3; EP2843332B1; EP2843332A3; EP2843332A2; PL2843332T3

Description

The invention relates to refrigeration equipment, in particular a refrigeration shelf, refrigeration cabinet, refrigeration island or refrigeration counter, for storing and/or presenting refrigerated goods, comprising a refrigeration space for the refrigerated goods and a duct associated with the refrigeration space for supplying air, wherein two airflows having different flow speeds can flow out of an outlet of the channel and form a double protective air curtain protecting access to the refrigeration space.

Refrigeration equipment for the refrigerated goods and a duct associated with the refrigeration space for supplying air is known for example from DE 34 14 033 Al. The refrigeration equipment shown here is specifically a refrigeration shelf, in which cooling air is introduced upwards in a duct on the rear wall of the refrigeration equipment into a front region of the refrigeration shelf and flows out of an outlet upstream of the refrigeration space in order to form a protective air curtain. Due to such a protective air curtain, a heat exchange between the refrigeration space and warmer surroundings is reduced so much that a reliable storage and/or presentation of refrigerated goods in the refrigeration space is made possible.

Furthermore, it is known to form such a protective air curtain from two suitable airflows with different flow speeds. This results in a particularly effective insulation of the refrigeration space from the usually warmer surroundings. For production of such a double protective air curtain the duct is designed to supply air with two separate air ducts which respectively supply airflows with different flow speeds.

With such refrigeration equipment it is problematic that the airflows flowing out of the outlet of the duct generally only flow in a laminar manner over a short distance and in no case flow along the entire refrigeration space in the necessary manner. The consequence of this is that the required protective air curtain cannot be formed reliably along the entire refrigeration space.

Specifically, the airflows exiting from the duct generally tend to flow into the refrigeration space instead of forming a protective air curtain in front of the refrigeration space. This tendency is counteracted by the production of additional supporting air curtains, which are formed by air flows flowing out of the rear wall of the refrigeration space into the refrigeration space, which should deter the air flows forming the protective air curtain from penetrating into the refrigeration space. In this case, care is taken to ensure that as far as possible these supporting air curtains are produced from laminar flows in order to keep the air flows of the protective air curtain out of the refrigeration space as reliably as possible. However, the disadvantage of these laminar flows is that their desired cooling action on the refrigerated goods is not very good, since these laminar supporting air flows only interact with the refrigerated goods for a short time. In other words, the supporting air curtain flows past the refrigerated goods too quickly and too rectilinearly to exert an effective cooling action on the refrigerated goods.

The known refrigeration equipment is therefore disadvantageous from an energy point of view because, in fact, in order to produce a steady protective air curtain flowing reliably along the entire refrigeration space, additional supporting air curtains must be produced which flow in as laminar a manner as possible through the refrigeration space and out from the refrigeration space, but which, due to their desired laminar nature, do not achieve a particularly effective cooling of the refrigerated goods. As a result, a very large amount of energy must be expended for reliable cooling of the refrigerated goods.

Furthermore, JP S52-88760 U discloses refrigeration equipment in which according to Figures 3,6 a protective air curtain of a refrigeration space 7 is formed by three airflows using two baffle plates 12. In this case a speed profile with internally or externally raised speed is produced by a perforated plate arranged upstream. JP H03-271683 A discloses refrigeration equipment in which a duct 16, 17 for supplying air is associated with a refrigeration space 5, it being possible for two airflows having different flow speeds to flow out of an outlet 18 of the duct 16, 17, said airflows forming a double protective air curtain in front of a point of access 3 to the refrigeration space 5. JP S57-144861 A discloses refrigeration equipment in which three airflows are produced in order to form a protective air curtain. The airflows form as they flow through three ducts 9A, 9B, 9C divided by baffle plates, in which different flow speeds of the airflows are produced due to different flow cross sections of the ducts.

The object of the invention is to configure and modify refrigeration equipment of the type referred to above so that an effective and energy-saving cooling of the refrigerated goods is possible by simply designed means.

The above object is achieved by refrigeration equipment having the features of claim 1. Accordingly, the refrigeration equipment is configured and modified in such a way that the duct has an element that acts on the supplied air in such a way that the supplied air is divided by the element into the two airflows having different flow speeds.

According to the invention, first of all it is recognised that, by skilful production and guiding of two cooling airflows which have different flow speeds and form the protective air curtain, the above object is achieved in a surprisingly simple manner. For this purpose, according to the invention, the duct has an element that acts on the supplied cooling air in such a way that this element not only produces a division of the supplied air into two air flows but also produces the different flow speeds of the two air flows. In this case, in a simply designed manner, on the one hand, it is no longer necessary to produce one duct with two separate air ducts in order to guide the two air flows that are necessary for a double protective air curtain. In a simply designed manner it is sufficient to have one duct with one single air duct and an element placed at a suitable location. This embodiment of the duct with only one air duct also has advantages with regard to hygiene requirements since it facilitates easier cleaning of the duct with only one air duct. Furthermore, it has been shown that this embodiment of the duct with a division into the two air flows first occurring on the element leads to a more reliable and quieter guiding of the air. Finally, it has been shown that the embodiment of the duct according to the invention with the element acting on the supplied air leads to a laminar flow of the protective air curtain over a relatively long distance, so that supporting air curtains that were necessary in previous refrigeration equipment are largely no longer necessary or even entirely unnecessary in order to maintain the protective air curtain in the required manner. In other words, it is no longer necessary to guide supporting air curtains in such a strictly laminar way as is necessary in the case of conventional refrigeration equipment. This makes it possible to use a more turbulent supporting air flow than in the past, so that an improved cooling effect can be exerted on the refrigerated goods. This results in significant energy savings for the necessary refrigeration.

Consequently, the refrigeration equipment according to this invention produces refrigeration equipment in which an effective and energy-saving cooling of the refrigerated goods is possible by simple means.

In a reliable and simply designed manner for reliably producing airflows with different flow speeds, the element can be arranged inside the duct or in the region of the outlet of the duct. The arrangement in the duct offers an effective arrangement of the element that is protected against external influences. Depending upon the requirements, this arrangement can be provided in the region of the outlet. It is also conceivable to position the element substantially in front of the outlet of the duct in order to ensure good accessibility to the element for the purpose of cleaning and/or maintenance.

In a particularly effective and elegant manner, the element can be configured like a wing to utilize the Bernoulli effect. On the one hand, such a wing-like configuration of the element ensures a reliable division of the supplied air flowing past the element into two airflows and, on the other hand, it ensures a reliable production of different flow speeds of the airflows on the two sides of the wing-like element. Because of the air pressure differences produced by the winglike element on the different sides of the wing-like element, this produces differences in the flow speeds of the two airflows that are dictated by the individual configuration of the element. Thus, depending upon the configuration of the wing-like element, it is possible to achieve different flow speeds of the two air flows, depending upon the desired application.

With regard to a particularly versatile use and with regard to individual possibilities for adapting the produced air flows to individual existing requirements, the element can be adjusted relative to the duct and/or can be pivoted about an axis relative to the duct and/or can be shifted relative to the duct. Depending on the adjusting, pivoting, or shifting position, different flow speeds and a different flow behavior of the two airflows can be achieved. The axis about which the element can be pivoted can be arranged substantially perpendicular to the flow directions of the airflows.

With regard to an alternative or additional individual production of airflows and the respective flow speeds, the element can have a plurality of portions that are adjustable and/or pivotable relative to one another. In this embodiment, the element can be advantageously configured or shaped - individually - with regard to the extent of the adjustability of the sections. This makes it possible to adapt to the most varied applications.

In order to produce a protective air curtain that has a laminar flow over the greatest possible distance, a guide device for parallel guidance of the supplied air can be positioned inside the duct, upstream of the element in the flow direction. Due to this preceding parallel guidance of the supplied air, a laminar flow with the greatest possible range is produced in the region of the protective air curtain. This produces a pre-alignment, so to speak, of the supplied air so that, after the division of the supplied air into the two airflows, a particularly far-reaching laminar flow is produced.

For parallel guidance of the two airflows, a guide device is arranged in the duct downstream of the element as viewed in a flow direction. In this way the air that has already been divided into two airflows is guided in a parallel manner after it has been divided, so that in this way a lengthening of the laminar flow in the protective air curtain is also achieved.

At least one of the guide devices arranged upstream of the element has a plurality of flat guide elements arranged parallel to one another. Such flat guide elements offer a particularly simple and reliable parallel guidance of the air flowing past them.

At least one of the two guide devices arranged upstream and/or downstream of the element can be composed of a plurality of individual portions. In this respect a modular design of the guide devices can be achieved in order to take the most varied requirements and application situations into account.

The duct has a further outlet opening into the refrigeration space for the supplied air, the at least one further outlet being designed in such a way that air flowing into the refrigeration space is substantially turbulent and preferably forms a supporting air curtain for the protective air curtain. In this case - thanks to the advantage according to the invention of a particularly far-reaching laminar flow in the protective air curtain due to the use of the element - a particularly effective cooling of the refrigerated goods can be achieved by the turbulent flow in the supporting air curtain. A longer-lasting and thus more reliable interaction between the air and the refrigerated goods for cooling of the refrigerated goods is achieved by the turbulent flow. Thus, it is possible to save significant amounts of energy for the cooling of the refrigerated goods.

With the refrigeration equipment according to the invention, a combination of turbulent flow in the refrigeration space and laminar flow in the protective air curtain can be achieved in a manner that is particularly advantageous from an energy point of view. In addition to a very effective heat exchange in the refrigeration space, this combination produces a protective air curtain with different flow speeds, which in an extraordinarily stable way counteracts external interferences such as heat flows to the refrigeration equipment. This results in a particularly high energy efficiency for the refrigeration equipment according to the invention.

The refrigeration equipment according to the invention can be both refrigeration equipment with its own condensing unit - so-called plug-in refrigeration equipment - and also refrigeration equipment with a connection to a central refrigeration unit, for example with a network of connected pipes.

There are now various possibilities for configuring and modifying the teaching of the present invention in an advantageous manner. In this connection reference is made, on the one hand, to the following claims and, on the other hand, to the following explanation of exemplary embodiments of the teaching according to this invention with the aid of the drawings. In conjunction with the explanation of the preferred exemplary embodiments of the teaching according to the invention with reference to the drawings, preferred embodiments and modifications of the teaching are also explained in general. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a schematic side view of conventional refrigeration equipment in the form of a refrigerated shelf,

Figure 2 is a schematic partial side view of a duct of a first exemplary embodiment of refrigeration equipment according to the invention,

Figure 3 is a schematic partial side view of a duct of a second exemplary embodiment of refrigeration equipment according to the invention,

Figure 4 is a schematic partial side view of a duct of a third exemplary embodiment of refrigeration equipment according to the invention,

Figure 5 is a schematic partial side view of a duct of a fourth exemplary embodiment of refrigeration equipment according to the invention,

Figures 6-9 are schematic depictions of advantageous embodiment options of outlets for producing turbulent flows in the refrigeration space of exemplary embodiments of refrigeration equipment according to the invention,

Figure 10 is a schematic side view of refrigeration equipment in the form of a refrigerated counter,

Figure 11 is a schematic side view of refrigeration equipment in the form of a refrigeration cabinet, and

Figure 12 is a schematic side view of refrigeration equipment in the form of a combination set comprising a refrigerated shelf and a refrigeration cabinet.

Figure 1 is a schematic side view of convention refrigeration equipment in the form of a refrigerated shelf. Such refrigeration equipment is used for storage and/or presentation of refrigerated goods. The refrigeration equipment has a refrigeration space 1 for the refrigerated goods, a plurality of shelves 7 for refrigerated goods being arranged in the refrigeration space 1. A duct 2 for supplying air is associated with the refrigeration space 1. The air flows into the duct 2 substantially from below and can flow out in the form of two airflows with different flow speeds from an outlet 3 of the duct 2. The air flows form a double protective air curtain in a region 4 in front of the refrigeration space 1. The flow direction is indicated by an arrow 5. The protective air curtain extends in front of an access 6 to the refrigeration space 1 in order to inhibit a heat exchange with the warmer surroundings of the refrigeration equipment.

During operation of the refrigeration equipment, the airflows constantly flow from the top of the refrigerated shelf to the lower region of the refrigerated shelf and are collected there in order to be conveyed again into a circuit in the ducts 2. After collection, a cooling of the airflows takes place so that the airflows flow out of the duct 2 at a lower temperature than when they are collected again in the lower region.

With regard to a particularly effective and energy-saving cooling of the refrigerated goods by simply designed means, according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention the duct 2 according to the enlarged depiction in Figure 2 is equipped with an element 8 that acts on the supplied air in such a way that the supplied air is divided into the two airflows having different flow speeds is achieved by the element 8 itself. Due to the special design of the element 8, the air supplied through the duct 2 is first divided, at the element 8, into the two airflows that have different flow speeds. The element 8 has a substantially convexly curved upper face and a substantially concavely curved lower face. The flow speed on the upper face is higher than on the lower face. The element 8 extends transversely to the duct 2 along its entire width. The duct 2 is configured with a substantially rectangular cross-section so that a protective air curtain can be produced along the entire width of the duct 2. These two airflows emerge from the outlet 3 and then form the double protective air curtain in front of the access 6 to the refrigeration space 1.

In the exemplary embodiment shown here, the element 8 is arranged in the duct 2. Furthermore, the element 8 is configured like a wing to utilize the Bernoulli effect. The element 8 is arranged so as to be pivotable about an axis 9. In this way the position of the airflows can be easily changed. The axis 9 is arranged perpendicular to the flow direction of the supplied air. Furthermore, in the exemplary embodiment shown here the axis 9 extends in a horizontal direction and perpendicular to the plane of the drawing of Figure 2, which shows a side view of the upper region of the duct 2.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, a guide means 10 is provided upstream of the element 8 in the duct 2, when viewed in the flow direction, to guide the supplied air in a parallel manner. Due to the parallel guidance of the supplied air, a laminar flow that reaches a particularly long way downstream of the outlet 3 can be produced from the two air flows. In the exemplary embodiment shown here, the guide means 10 has three individual portions 10. In addition to the guide means 10 - in order to guide the two airflows in parallel - a guide means 11 is arranged in the duct 2 in the region of the outlet 3 downstream of the element 8 when viewed in the flow direction. In this way a further lengthening of the laminar flow region downstream of the outlet 3 is achieved.

The guide means 10 and 11 have a plurality of flat guide elements 12 arranged parallel to one another. In this way a particularly reliable guidance of the air is achieved.

Figures 3 to 5 respectively show a schematic and enlarged side view of a duct 2 of a second, third, and fourth exemplary embodiment of refrigeration equipment according to the invention with an element 8 arranged in the duct 2. In these exemplary embodiments, the element 8 is arranged fixed in the duct 2 and is not pivotable about an axis. In addition, the exemplary embodiments shown in Figures 3 to 5 differ from the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 2 due to the different configuration of the guide means 10, which guides the supplied air in a parallel manner upstream of the element 8 when viewed in the flow direction. In this case, the second exemplary embodiment according to Figure 3 has a guide means 10 formed of one individual portion 10. The guide means 10 according to the third and fourth exemplary embodiments in Figures 4 and 5 have respectively three and five individual portions 10. In the choice of the number of individual portions 10, it is necessary to take the respective application into account. In principle, more individual portions 10 means a more reliable parallel guidance of the supplied air, the flow resistance increasing due to the greater number of individual portions 10 in the duct 2.

In the exemplary embodiments described above, the duct 2 - in addition to the outlet 3 - can have at least one further outlet 13 for the supplied air opening into the refrigeration space 1. This outlet 13 is configured in such a way that air flowing into the refrigeration space 1 is substantially turbulent and preferably forms a supporting air curtain for the protective air curtain. According to Figures 6 to 9, different configurations of these outlets 13 are shown which lead to turbulent flows into the refrigeration space 1. In this case, Figure 6 shows an arrangement of crescentshaped outlets 13, Figure 7 shows an arrangement of circular outlets 13 with different diameters, Figure 8 shows an arrangement of rod-shaped outlets 13, and Figure 9 shows an arrangement of star-shaped outlets 13. Such outlets 13 can be formed, for example, in the rear wall of a refrigeration space 1.

Figure 10 is a schematic side view of a conventional refrigerated counter which could have a duct 2 with an element 8 according to the invention in order to achieve effective and energysaving cooling of the refrigerated goods by simply designed means.

In the same way, Figure 11 is a schematic side view of conventional refrigeration equipment 11 in the form of a refrigeration cabinet. Here, too, an element 8 can be arranged in the duct 2.

Finally, in the same way, Figure 12 is a schematic side view of conventional refrigeration equipment in the form of a combination set combining a refrigerated shelf and a refrigerated cabinet. Here, too, an element 8 can be arranged in the duct 2.

In principle it may be noted that the idea according to the invention of forming the duct 2 with a suitable element 8 can be advantageously implemented in all conventional types of refrigeration equipment.

In order to avoid repetition, with regard to further advantageous embodiments of the refrigeration equipment according to the invention, reference is made to the general part of the description and to the attached claims.

Finally, it may be explicitly pointed out that the embodiments of the refrigeration equipment according to the invention described above serve merely for explanation of the claimed teaching, but do not limit this to the embodiments.

List of references 1 refrigeration space 2 duct 3 outlet 4 region 5 arrow 6 access 7 shelf 8 element 9 axis 10 guide means 11 guide means 12 guide element 13' outlet

Claims

1. Refrigeration furniture, in particular a refrigerator, refrigerator, refrigerator island or refrigerator, for storage and / or presentation of refrigerated goods, with a cold storage room (1) for the refrigerated goods and a duct (2) connected to the cold storage room (1) for supplying air, two air streams having different flow rates may flow out of an outlet (3) of the duct (2) which forms a double protective air curtain in front of an entrance (6) to the cold room (1), the duct (2) having an element (8) affecting the supply air such that a division of the supplied air is realized in the two air streams at different flow rates via and exclusively at the element (8), characterized in that the element (8) has a substantially convex curved upper surface and a substantially concave curved underside, extending transversely to the channel (2) over its overall width and to exploit the Benoulli effect, the wing shape is made that the flow velocity on the upper side is higher than on the underside. one, that - in the direction of flow in front of the element (8) - there is arranged in the duct (2) a guide device (10) with several planar guide elements parallel to each other for parallel flow of the supplied air, and that the duct (2) has at least one further an outlet (13) which opens into the cold room (1) for the supplied air, and the at least additional outlet (13) is designed in such a way that the air flowing into the cold room (1) is substantially turbulent. .

Refrigeration furniture according to claim 1, characterized in that the element (8) is arranged in the channel (2) or in the region of the outlet (3) of the channel (2).

Refrigerating furniture according to one of Claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the element (8) is arranged adjustably in relation to the channel (2) and / or rotatably and / or slidably around an axis (9).

Refrigeration furniture according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the element (8) has sections which can be adjusted and / or rotated relative to each other.

Refrigeration furniture according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that - in order to parallel the two air streams - seen in the flow direction after the element (8), a guide device (11) is arranged in the duct (2) or at the outlet (3) or after the outlet (3) of the duct (2).

Refrigeration furniture according to claim 5, characterized in that the guide device (11) has several planar guide elements arranged parallel to one another.

Refrigeration furniture according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the guide device (10, 11) is made up of several single sections (10).