EP2980305A1 - Household appliance such as a laundry dryer, a laundry washing-drying machine, a laundry washing maschine, a dishwasher having a heat pump unit - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a household appliance such as a tumble dryer, washer dryer, a washing machine, a dishwasher with a heat pump device (2) comprising a refrigerant circuit, wherein in a line system (3) with an evaporator (4), a compressor (5), a Condenser (6) and a throttle (7), the refrigerant circulates, and wherein the heat pump device (2) forms a floor module (1) forms part of the device housing. According to the inventive concept, using a flammable refrigerant, at least one region in the refrigerant circuit of the heat pump device (2) is provided with an encapsulation (13) against the atmospheric environment in the housing of the household appliance.

Description

The invention relates to a household appliance such as a tumble dryer, washer-dryer, a washing machine, a dishwasher with a heat pump device comprising a refrigerant circuit, wherein the refrigerant circulates in a piping system with an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser and a throttle and wherein the bottom module as Carrier for the heat pump device forms a part of the device housing.

From the prior art is according to the EP 2 407 587 A1 a clothes dryer with a heat pump device known. Heat pump tumble dryers are particularly popular because they use the heat provided by the heat pump for the process air flow to dry the laundry, as well as the correspondingly generated cold. As a result, the use of energy can be used more efficiently.

For example, from the DE 10 2012 014 230 A1 a laundry drying apparatus with a heat pump device is known which has a fire protection device. In this dryer known from the prior art, in particular a floor module is known in which the heat pump device comprises a line system which connects an evaporator, a compressor and a condenser and a throttle. The aggregates present in the floor module are covered here by means of a sheet, in order to prevent in this way that deposit on the floor group and here on the aggregates lint, which can lead to a fire. Thus, the cover sheet described in the document acts as a fire protection in the device.

This fire protection arrangement described there is particularly designed so that the heat pump device and the ignition sources are protected from external influences, and it should also be ensured that, for example, dust and lint should not penetrate into the heat pump unit. However, the fire protection device described therein does not ensure that in particular leaks of refrigerants that can lead to a fire can be prevented.

There are many alternatives for using or replacing the refrigerant, with alternative refrigerants being subject to a fire protection coating. With the current construction of the Trockners can be very difficult to realize a dryer with a combustible refrigerant, since in the case of a leak, an explosive concentration of the air-gas mixture in the range of ignition sources (relay, motor, etc.) may be present.

Possible leakage of the refrigerant near ignition sources is less problematic when using non-flammable refrigerants. In the event of a leak, the refrigerant spreads throughout the dryer. Solder joints, which are seen as weak points in the system, are located in the process air stream and also near ignition sources. A refrigerant leakage in this case leads to a good distribution of the refrigerant within the dryer. Flammable refrigerants can therefore only be used with increased safety of the possible ignition source.

The invention thus raises the problem of forming a household appliance with a heat pump device such that the use of alternative refrigerants such as combustible refrigerants is also possible.

According to the invention, this problem is solved by the features of patent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention will become apparent from the following subclaims.

The advantages achieved with the invention are that combustible refrigerants with a low greenhouse gas potential can be used for tumble dryers, washer-dryers or washing machines or dishwashers. A new design or division of the floor module results in gas-tight or gas-shielded zones, which are isolated from the rest of the dryer. In this case, the floor module can be changed to the effect that encapsulations in the area of the floor module are provided on the basis of cover hoods produced by injection molding. It is thereby an encapsulated zone (encapsulation) constructed around the compressor and / or the solder joints. The zone (encapsulation) can be provided with holes (openings) for the execution of the escaping refrigerant. In addition, critical lines with solder joints below the cover, that is led outside the rest of the floor module. Constructively, this may be done by corresponding inverted-U (or similar) tunnels (collection channels) that are open to the bottom or another favorable position. As a result, a targeted gas discharge is achieved.

A distribution of the gas in the device during the dynamic process and thus the potentially critical accumulation of flammable gas is thus prevented. The encapsulated zone (encapsulation) may be in a ventilated area and unventilated area can be separated to further reduce the risk of leakage. It is possible to separate the zones into several areas, which are oriented at the solder joints.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the encapsulated zone (encapsulation) can be filled with an inert gas (eg nitrogen) in order to avoid the penetration of oxygen. For this, the holes in the bottom of the enclosure must be closed to a gas-tight zone. The cooling of the compressor can be done by means of "heat pipes" or "thermosyphons", so that the desuperheater no longer cools the compressor directly. A direct cooling of the compressor is still possible with the use of blowers, if only the solder joints of the compressor intake and compressor pressure in the protected area, ie within the enclosure, ( FIG. 6a ). The encapsulated zone (encapsulation) can in this case also be provided with sensors in order to detect a possible leakage of the refrigerant. Before reaching a critical, ignitable air-gas mixture, the device can be shut down automatically via a switching device. The arranged as Schnittstellte between the pipe bends and the process air separator plate can, for example, with epoxy or other sealing materials such. B. PUR foam shed. For example, a desuperheater fan can be used to reduce the concentration of combustible refrigerant in the zone.

A dryer with flammable refrigerant can be realized in this way. The ignition sources such as relays, drive motor electronics and switches do not need to be installed in explosion-proof design. In the case of a leak, the combustible refrigerant remains in a protected area or within an encapsulation and deviates into the installation space via suitable openings and / or collecting ducts. For this purpose, collecting ducts can be mounted below the floor module, to direct the exiting refrigerant specifically to a defined position of the device. Furthermore, it is advantageous that refrigerant leaks can be better identified.

According to the invention, it is proposed for this purpose that, using a flammable refrigerant, at least one region in the refrigerant circuit of the heat pump device is provided with an encapsulation with respect to the atmospheric environment in the device housing. In this case, the encapsulation may preferably be arranged around the compressor and / or the solder joints of the conduit system.

At the enclosure tunnel-like openings or collecting channels are provided so that the feeding lines can be sealed in the tunnel-like passage. It is particularly advantageous, for example, to lay the tunnel-like openings preferably below the floor module.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the encapsulation of the refrigerant circuit comprises several areas. These can be formed separately from each other. There is also the possibility to equip individual areas here with an internal ventilation. For this purpose, an explosion-proof blower can be used.

In an advantageous embodiment, the encapsulation is designed as a plastic hood which is fixed to the floor module and covers the compressor with its first area and the solder joints of the line system with the second area.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the encapsulation can also be filled with an inert gas. To dissipate, for example, resulting heat in the sealed enclosure, the enclosure can act together with a Enthitzergebläse. It is also possible to provide sensors in the enclosure, which signal a potential leak to detect it.

Figur 1

eine perspektivische Ansicht eines Bodenmoduls für einen Wäschetrockner mit einer Kapselung in einer ersten Ausführungsform mit einem Bereich,

Figur 2

eine weitere perspektivische Ansicht eines Bodenmoduls mit einer Kapselung in einer zweiten Ausführungsform mit zwei Bereichen;

Figur 3

eine Draufsicht auf ein Bodenmodul mit einer Kapselung in der ersten Ausführungsform,

Figur 4

eine Draufsicht auf ein Bodenmodul mit der Kapselung in der zweiten Ausführungsform mit zwei Bereichen,

Figur 5

eine Vorderansicht in teilweise geschnittener Darstellung des Bodenmoduls mit Kapselung in der geöffneten Ausführungsform,

Figur 5a

eine Vorderansicht in teilweise geschnittener Darstellung des Bodenmoduls mit tunnelartigen Öffnungen,

Figur 6

eine weitere Vorderansicht in teilweise geschnittener Darstellung des Bodenmoduls mit Kapselung in der geschlossenen Ausführungsform,

Figur 6a

eine weitere Vorderansicht mit Kapselung des Kompressordruckstutzens und des Kompressorsaugstutzens,

Figur 7

ein Ausführungsbeispiel der in Figur 5 bzw. 6 schematisch dargestellten Kapselung,

Figur 8

eine Ansicht mit Blick auf die Unterseite des Bodenmoduls.

An embodiment of the invention is shown purely schematically in the drawings and will be described in more detail below. It shows

FIG. 1

a perspective view of a floor module for a tumble dryer with an encapsulation in a first embodiment with an area

FIG. 2

a further perspective view of a floor module with an encapsulation in a second embodiment with two areas;

FIG. 3

a plan view of a bottom module with an encapsulation in the first embodiment,

FIG. 4

a plan view of a bottom module with the encapsulation in the second embodiment with two areas,

FIG. 5

a front view in partial section of the encapsulated floor module in the open embodiment,

FIG. 5a

a front view in partial section of the floor module with tunnel-like openings,

FIG. 6

1 is a further front view in partial section of the encapsulating floor module in the closed embodiment,

FIG. 6a

Another front view with encapsulation of the compressor pressure port and the compressor intake,

FIG. 7

an embodiment of in FIG. 5 or 6 schematically illustrated encapsulation,

FIG. 8

a view overlooking the bottom of the floor module.

The FIGS. 1 and 2 each show in perspective views a floor module 1 for a household appliance, such as for a tumble dryer, which has a heat pump device 2. The heat pump device 2 in this case comprises a refrigerant circuit, wherein in a line system 3, an evaporator 4, a compressor 5, a condenser 6 and a throttle 7 are arranged. In the pipe system 3, a refrigerant circulates.

Like from the two FIGS. 1 and 2 can be seen, the evaporator 4 and the condenser 6 are below a hood 8, through which a fan 9, shown in the Figures 3 and 4 , the process air flows to dry the laundry in a drum 10, indicated in the Figures 5 and 6 , serves. The process air flows starting from the drum 10 via the evaporator 4 in the duct device 11 shown as a cover, before it again absorbs heat at the condenser 6, and then passes back into the drum 10 at the back of the tumble dryer.

Like from the Figures 3 and 4 , but also in the two perspective representations of FIGS. 1 and 2 can be seen, is to use a flammable refrigerant in the conduit system 3, at least one area 12, in particular here exposed by the box-like arrangement in the FIGS. 1 and 2 in which the refrigerant circuit of the heat pump device 2 is kept, provided with an encapsulation 13 with respect to the atmospheric environment in the housing of the household appliance.

In the Figures 3 and 4 the encapsulation 13 is also visible in the plan view. In this case, the encapsulation 13 is preferably around the compressor 5 and the solder joints 14 of the conduit system 3 is arranged. The enclosure 13 is provided with tunnel-like openings 15, which are not shown here. These tunnel-like openings 15 may in this case preferably be arranged below the floor module 1, as shown for example in the FIG. 5 is shown where a portion of the floor module 1 is shown schematically in front view. Thus, it can be seen that here the "tunnel-like" openings 15 extend downwards, so that due to the given encapsulation 13, the flammable refrigerant can not penetrate into the inner housing area here but is specifically led out down from the device housing housing. The tunnel-like openings 15 may be associated with collecting channels 15a for the targeted discharge of the leaked refrigerant (see FIG. 5a ).

The encapsulation 13 in this case comprises a plurality of regions 16 and 17, as these for example in the FIG. 4 are shown. The areas 16 and 17 of the encapsulation 13 are in this case separated from each other. So one recognizes in particular in the FIG. 3 in that, on the one hand, the compressor 5 is encapsulated in the first region 16 and, in addition to the encapsulation of the compressor 5, a second region 17 for the line system 3 is provided, which in particular establishes the connection between the compressor 5 and a throttle 7. An embodiment of this is in FIG. 7 shown. The encapsulation 13 is designed as a plastic hood which is fixed to the floor module 1 and covers the compressor 5 with its first area 16 and the solder joints 14 of the line system 3 with the second area 17.

FIG. 8 shows a view looking at the bottom of the module, where the in FIG. 5 shown openings 15 are shown. In the illustrated embodiment, the openings 15 are integrated in the receptacle for the compressor 5.

In this case, the encapsulation 13 may also be equipped with an internal ventilation, in particular, the air masses, which is located in the enclosure 13 of one or the other area 16, 17, circulates, so that, as in the FIG. 4 it can be seen, this can be derived in the process air stream. The internal ventilation has the advantage that thereby the compressor 5 is cooled and thus it does not come to overheating.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is also possible that the encapsulation 13 is sealed so tight, as in particular in the FIG. 6 and 6a is shown. Here, the encapsulation 13 is filled with an inert gas such as nitrogen. In order to make this possible, the encapsulation 13 cooperates with a desuperheater blower which dissipates the resulting heat removed from the hermetically sealed room. In order to detect in particular possible leaks in the enclosure 13, it is also possible to provide sensors which detect a concentration of the combustible gas with the ambient air, so that the heat pump device 2 is automatically switched off.

For the use of the replacement refrigerant can now be used due to the so-equipped heat pump device 2 with an encapsulation 13 flammable refrigerant, which consist for example of propane gas or isopropane gas.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

01

Base module

02

A heat pump apparatus

03

line system

04

Evaporator

05

compressor

06

condenser

07

throttle

08

Hood

09

fan

10

drum

11

passage means

12

Area

13

encapsulation

14

solder

15

Openings, 15a collection channels

16

First area encapsulation

17

Second area encapsulation

Claims (9)

Household appliance such as a tumble dryer, washer dryer, a washing machine, a dishwasher with a heat pump device (2) comprising a refrigerant circuit, wherein the refrigerant in a line system (3) with an evaporator (4), a compressor (5), a condenser ( 6) and a throttle (7) circulates and wherein the bottom module (1) as a support for the heat pump device (2) forms a part of the device housing,
characterized,
in that at least one region in the refrigerant circuit of the heat pump device (2) is provided with an encapsulation (13) relative to the atmospheric environment in the housing of the domestic appliance using a flammable refrigerant, the encapsulation (13) preferably being around the compressor (5) and / or the solder joints of the conduit system (3) is arranged. Household appliance claim 1,
characterized,
in that the encapsulation (13) is provided with tunnel-like openings (15) and / or collecting channels (15a). Household appliance claim 2,
characterized,
that tunnel-like openings (15) and / or collecting channels (15a) preferably extend below the floor module (1). Household appliance claim 3,
characterized,
in that the encapsulation (13) of the refrigerant circuit comprises a plurality of regions (16, 17). Household appliance claim 4,
characterized,
that the areas (16) and (17) are formed in the enclosure (13) separated from each other. Household appliance claims 1 to 5,
characterized,
that the encapsulation (13) is equipped with an internal ventilation. Household appliance claim 1,
characterized,
that the encapsulation (13) is filled with an inert gas. Household appliance claim 7,
characterized,
that the encapsulation (13) cooperates with a desuperheater blower. Household appliance claims 1 to 8,
characterized,
that sensors are provided in the encapsulation (13) for detecting a possible leakage.

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