EP3619483B1 - Refrigerated cabinet with a reservoir, cooling system and method for controlling a refrigerated cabinet with a reservoir - Google Patents

Description

A piece of refrigerated furniture with a memory, a cooling system with at least one piece of refrigerated furniture and a cold generator, and a method for controlling a piece of refrigerated furniture with a memory are described. The refrigerated cabinet has a refrigerated space for receiving and storing refrigerated goods. Such refrigerated furniture can be designed as refrigerated shelves, for example, and are used in retail to offer products to be refrigerated. The products in the refrigerated shelves are cooled via an integrated cooling system and can be removed from them via at least a partially open side. As a rule, a large number of refrigerated shelves is part of a refrigeration system that also has a cold generator.

From the prior art it is already known to provide so-called ice storage for a cooling system or a cooling system, wherein a cooling liquid for the refrigerated cabinets can be cooled via the ice storage if, for example, certain operating conditions are reached. The operating states include, for example, a fully loaded ice store and the operating costs for a refrigerated display case. In a supermarket, for example, an ice store can be provided in the ground, which is frozen at night with low operating costs (e.g. for electricity) by extracting heat from the water. After the ice store has been completely discharged, the coolant circulating in the cooling system can be routed through the ice store instead of being cooled by a cold generator, so that the refrigerated shelves connected to the cooling system are cooled via the ice store.

An ice store cannot always be provided for a cooling system, for example because the local conditions do not permit this. Ice banks for a refrigeration system, for example that of a supermarket, are designed in such a way that the entire refrigeration system can be operated for a certain period of time when the ice bank is fully loaded. The ice store is dimensioned accordingly and takes up a lot of space in the ground. However, smaller ice stores, which are arranged above ground, for example, have disadvantages. First of all, it must be ensured that there is sufficient space for such an ice store, which is also the case if there is a fundamental lack of space for an ice store in the ground. Second, above-ground ice storage lacks natural insulation such as soil. As a result, the ice bank is discharged more and the area around the ice bank is cooled excessively. Appropriate insulation for above-ground storage requires additional space and causes additional costs.

A central ice store in a cooling system also makes it possible to cool the coolant circulating in a supply network as a whole. Accordingly, it is therefore difficult for a refrigeration system having a plurality of cabinets to meet different load requirements without over-discharging the ice bank.

For example describes DE 10 2011 104 140 A1 Cooling devices for foodstuffs, the cooling devices being provided with devices which are cooled by ice water in an ice store.

Furthermore, refrigerators with a memory are known from the prior art, which provide an extension of the intervals between cooling cycles.

JP 2015-218 917 A discloses a refrigerated roll container, with lines running in the walls of the roll container, which are used for cooling. For this purpose, the lines are on heat storage plates. In turn, metal walls are arranged on the heat storage plates, which surround the interior of the roll container.

DE 10 2010 041 951 A1 discloses a refrigeration device with a cold accumulator, with a heat exchanger being connected to the cold accumulator via a separate line arrangement.

EP 2 009 373 A2 discloses a cooling system with additional cooling devices.

DE 10 2012 207 682 A1 discloses a household refrigeration appliance with at least one coolable interior for storing refrigerated goods, with a storage material, and a first refrigeration circuit with an evaporator for cooling the storage material, and a second refrigeration circuit which has a first heat exchanger which is thermally coupled to the evaporator and has a second heat exchanger which is arranged in the interior, a first temperature detection sensor for detecting the temperature of the second heat exchanger being arranged, a second temperature detection sensor for detecting the temperature of a fluid circulating in the second refrigeration circuit being arranged in the region of the cold accumulator, and a third temperature detection sensor for detecting the temperature being arranged in the interior, the first being arranged Evaporator is arranged within the cold storage.

EP 3 076 109 A1 discloses a cooling system and a method for operating the cooling system, the cooling system having at least two cooling devices, each with a housing that at least partially surrounds a goods space, a coolant delivery device and at least one heat exchanger. The coolant delivery devices regulate the supply of a coolant to the at least one heat exchanger, the coolant delivery devices being coupled to one another via a control unit.

U.S. 2015/143818 A1 discloses a refrigerator having a cooler inside the refrigerator, the cooler having cooling fins on its top which are in thermal contact with a PCM material accommodated in a first space of the cooler. The PCM material in the first room can be used to cool a second room of the cool box below. The cooling of the PCM material in the first room takes place via the cooling fins from the outside, with this Cooling loops are provided in the refrigerator, which protrude into the space in which the cool box is accommodated.

In contrast, the task is to provide a refrigerated cabinet with a memory, a cooling system and a method for controlling to specify a refrigerated cabinet with a memory, which can be dispensed with external ice storage, a modular connection to existing cooling systems and a self-sufficient operation of the refrigerated cabinet are possible. In addition, the components of the refrigerated cabinet should be protected against damage, such as icing, and the refrigerated cabinet should have a simple structure. A further object consists in specifying a refrigerated cabinet that has a reduced energy consumption compared to refrigerated cabinets from the prior art.

The object is achieved by a refrigerated cabinet having the technical features specified in claim 1, by a cooling system having the technical features specified in claim 4 and by a method for controlling a refrigerated cabinet having the technical features specified in claim 5.

Advantageous developments are specified in detail in the dependent claims.

• ist die Kühlmittelleitungsanordnung durch den Speicherbehälter geführt,
• ist der Wärmetauscher mit dem im Speichermedium aufgenommenen Speichermedium thermisch gekoppelt,
• ist im Vorlauf der Kühlmittelleitungsanordnung eine Kühlmittelregeleinrichtung angeordnet,
• ist die Kühlmittelregeleinrichtung eine drehzahlgeregelte Pumpe,
• besteht der Speicherbehälter mindestens abschnittsweise aus einem thermisch leitenden Material und weist eine Isolierung auf,
• umgibt die Isolierung den Speicher bis auf einen Abschnitt vollständig, über welchen der Speicher mit dem Wärmetauscher verbunden ist,
• weist der Wärmetauscher Kühlrippen auf, und
• ist der Wärmetauscher über mindestens einen thermisch leitendenden Abschnitt des Speicherbehälters mit dem im Speicherbehälter aufgenommenen Speichermedium gekoppelt.

In the case of refrigerated furniture that achieves the above-mentioned object, having at least one refrigerated space for accommodating and storing refrigerated goods, a store with a storage container in which a storage medium is accommodated, a heat exchanger, a controller and a coolant line arrangement which can be connected to a coolant supply network via connections,

• the coolant line arrangement is routed through the storage tank,
• the heat exchanger is thermally coupled to the storage medium contained in the storage medium,
• a coolant control device is arranged in the flow of the coolant line arrangement,
• the coolant control device is a speed-controlled pump,
• the storage container consists at least in sections of a thermally conductive material and has insulation,
• the insulation completely surrounds the accumulator except for a section through which the accumulator is connected to the heat exchanger,
• the heat exchanger has cooling fins, and
• the heat exchanger is coupled to the storage medium accommodated in the storage container via at least one thermally conductive section of the storage container.

In the case of the refrigeration appliance, the cooling of the heat exchanger for cooling the refrigerated space is not achieved directly via the coolant, which is provided in the coolant line arrangement by a coolant supply network. As a result, the coolant can be uncoupled from the coolant supply network. The "cold" required for the heat exchanger is only taken from the storage tank. Depending on the state of charge of the memory and the dimensioning of the memory in relation to the refrigeration appliance and the cold room, the refrigeration appliance can therefore be operated over a long period of time without having to provide a cooling supply via the coolant supply network. The accumulator is loaded via the coolant control device. The coolant control device controls the supply of coolant from the coolant supply network to the memory. Water, for example, can be used as a storage medium. In addition, additives can be added to the water or Be included phase change elements within the storage container, which are surrounded by the storage medium. The portions of the coolant line assembly passing through the storage tank are performed can be designed so that they occupy a relatively large area. For example, these line sections of the coolant line arrangement are arranged in a spiral or meandering pattern in the storage container. The sections of the coolant line arrangement are preferably arranged in the storage container in such a way that the storage media are cooled in a defined manner from the inside to the outside. The controller of the refrigeration appliance regulates the coolant supply via the coolant control device, which is operated, for example, in such a way that in a normal operating cycle the storage is essentially only frozen or discharged between 70% and 90%, e.g. a phase change takes place and the storage medium freezes. The normal operating cycle can include, for example, the period in which the refrigerated cabinet, which is part of a refrigeration system as a refrigerated shelf in a supermarket, has an increased cooling requirement. The increased cooling requirement results from the removal of refrigerated goods and the storage of refrigerated goods, as well as the increased heat exchange between the refrigerated cabinet and the room in which the refrigerated cabinet is located, since one side of refrigerated shelves is usually open during the normal operating cycle. At night, refrigerated cabinets, for example refrigerated shelves, are closed, so that there is less heat exchange between the room in which the refrigerated cabinet is arranged and the interior of the refrigerated cabinet or the cold room. In other control methods for the refrigerated cabinet, however, operating states can also exist during the day, i.e. during business hours of a supermarket, with the storage being fully charged so that at night, with an already reduced refrigeration requirement due to the closing of the refrigerated cabinet of the refrigerated cabinet, the refrigeration requirement is provided solely by the storage. The power consumption of the refrigerated cabinet is then measured only by the Components of the refrigerated cabinet for cooling, such as a fan, the controller and a conveyor.

The refrigerated cabinet can thus be operated independently via the memory. In this way, faults and failures in the cooling system or a refrigerating device can also be compensated for. The refrigerated cabinet thus ensures safe storage of refrigerated goods over a long period of time. In particular, the refrigerated cabinet is not dependent on a central conveying device (e.g. pump) of the coolant supply network. The refrigerated cabinet can also be integrated into an existing cooling system, since the internal control of the refrigerated cabinet acts independently of the cooling system and is only connected to the coolant supply network via the connections.

A further advantage of the refrigerated cabinet described herein is that separate defrosting of the heat exchanger, as is known in the case of refrigerated cabinets from the prior art, can be dispensed with. Icing of the heat exchanger is achieved by "defrosting" in such a way that coolant for cooling the store is no longer supplied and the required "cold" is therefore removed from the store. This can lead to heating of the storage tank and the heat exchanger, which also results in defrosting. The provision of the "cold" via the heat exchanger is taken from the storage. In conventional refrigeration units, the cooling takes place directly via the coolant, which is conveyed in the cooling system, with a coolant that has been cooled too much due to a high coolant requirement causing the heat exchanger to cool down too much. However, the refrigerated cabinet of the technical teaching described herein can essentially with a constant temperature to be cooled. In particular, an essentially defined and hardly fluctuating cooling temperature can be provided in the heat exchanger.

The coolant control device is a speed-controlled pump. The supply of coolant from the coolant supply network can be infinitely adjusted via the pump, with a high flow rate also allowing the accumulator to be cooled or discharged quickly.

The storage tank can be made of different materials and has insulation. The insulation prevents the absorption of heat from components of the refrigerated cabinet inside the refrigerated cabinet. In the case of the heat exchanger coupled directly to it, the insulation surrounds the storage tank except for the section of the storage tank via which the heat exchanger is coupled to the storage tank.

To detect a need for refrigeration, the controller of the refrigeration appliance is connected to other devices and sensors, which have temperature detection devices, for example. The temperature detection devices detect the temperature in the cold room at different positions. In addition, temperature detection devices can be provided in the store, via which the load status of the store can be determined.

Temperature detection devices can be provided in all the variants described herein. Alternatively, the temperature of a memory can also be determined via the temperature of coolants, including temperature detection devices are provided in the corresponding flows and returns.

The heat exchanger is coupled to the storage medium accommodated in the storage container via at least one thermally conductive section of the storage container. This results in different design variants. In one embodiment, an accumulator is provided which is cooled or discharged via a coolant line arrangement which is connected to a coolant supply network. The storage is directly connected to a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger consists, for example, of a thermally conductive metal and is connected to a thermally conductive section of the accumulator.

The accumulator is discharged via the coolant supply network. The storage tank is thawed via the directly coupled heat exchanger. As a result, icing of the heat exchanger can also be prevented, since an essentially constant temperature prevails due to the thermal coupling between the heat exchanger and the accumulator housing.

The refrigerated cabinet can have at least one speed-controlled fan, which is used to circulate air within the refrigerated space. Depending on the control of the speed of the fan via the control of the refrigeration appliance, faster cooling of refrigerated goods or the refrigerated space can be achieved since the circulated air is heated less and thus has a greater heat absorption capacity. A speed-controlled fan can therefore also have a cooling device with a memory and a heat exchanger directly coupled thereto without a second coolant line arrangement provide defined cooling of the cold room. The heat exchanger has cooling ribs that provide a relatively large heat exchanger surface.

In other embodiments, the refrigerated cabinet can also be designed as a refrigerated shelf. Refrigerated shelves usually have one side that can be opened to make the cold room accessible from the outside. A device for closing the refrigerated shelf can be formed by a roller blind, for example. When the blind is open, cold air is circulated through openings in the top and bottom of the refrigerated display case, with the circulation taking place from top to bottom.

• über die Kühlmittelregeleinrichtung im Vorlauf der Kühlmittelleitungsanordnung die Zufuhr von Kühlmittel zum Entladen des Speichers über die Steuerung des Kühlmittels geregelt wird, und/oder
• über den mindestens einen Ventilator das Umwälzen von Luft über mindestens einen Wärmetauscher zum Kühlen des Kühlraums über die Steuerung des Kühlmöbels geregelt wird, und/oder
• in Abhängigkeit des Ladezustands des Speichers und/oder des Betriebszustands des Kälteerzeugers über die drehzahlgeregelte Pumpe im Vorlauf der Kühlmittelleitungsanordnung die Zufuhr von Kühlmittel zu mindestens einem Wärmetauscher über die Steuerung des Kühlmittels geregelt wird.

The above-mentioned object is also achieved by a cooling system having at least one refrigeration appliance of the variants described above and a refrigeration generator, with a coolant being supplied via a central coolant line arrangement with the at least one refrigeration appliance via a supply line and removed via a return line, and the refrigeration generator bringing the coolant to an adjustable temperature, wherein

• via the coolant control device in the flow of the coolant line arrangement, the supply of coolant for discharging the accumulator is regulated by controlling the coolant, and/or
• via the at least one fan, the circulation of air via at least one heat exchanger for cooling the refrigerated space is regulated via the controller of the refrigerated appliance, and/or
• depending on the state of charge of the storage tank and/or the operating state of the chiller via the speed-controlled Pump in advance of the coolant line arrangement, the supply of coolant is regulated to at least one heat exchanger via the control of the coolant.

The cold generator can be a heat pump, for example, which brings a coolant to a specific temperature. Various coolants known from the prior art can be used as coolants. For example, a brine (water-glycol mixture) is used. The supply to the individual refrigeration units takes place via their respective coolant control devices. In order to achieve rapid discharge of the respective storage unit of the refrigerated cabinet, the coolant can be brought to a very low temperature via the chiller. However, since the coolant from the chiller is not in direct contact with the heat exchangers of the refrigerated cabinets, direct icing of the heat exchangers through the coolant is prevented. In addition, the individual refrigeration units can also be controlled independently and are also able to ensure demand-dependent cooling of the refrigerated space over a longer period of time when they are decoupled from the refrigeration generator.

• über ein Kühlmittel der Kühlmittelleitungsanordnung das in den Speicherbehälter aufgenommene Speichermedium gekühlt wird, und
• der Wärmetauscher über das Speichermedium gekühlt wird.

The above-mentioned object is also achieved by a method for controlling a refrigeration appliance of the technical teaching described herein, which has at least one refrigerated space for storing refrigerated goods, a store with a storage container in which a storage medium is accommodated, a heat exchanger, a controller and a coolant line arrangement which can be connected to a coolant supply network via connections, the coolant line arrangement being routed through the storage container, the heat exchanger thermally coupled to the storage medium accommodated in the storage container and a coolant control device is arranged in the flow of the coolant line arrangement, wherein

• The storage medium accommodated in the storage container is cooled via a coolant of the coolant line arrangement, and
• the heat exchanger is cooled via the storage medium.

Reference is also made to the advantages and configuration options described above with regard to the cooling system and the methods.

Further advantages, features and configuration options result from the following figure description of exemplary embodiments which are not to be understood as limiting.

Fig. 1

eine schematische Darstellung eines Kühlmöbels, das nicht Teil der Erfindung ist;

Fig. 2

eine weitere schematische Darstellung eines Kühlmöbels, das nicht Teil der Erfindung ist;

Fig. 3

eine schematische Darstellung eines Kühlmöbels;

Fig. 4

eine noch weitere schematische Darstellung eines Kühlmöbels; und

Fig. 5

eine schematische Darstellung eines Speichers mit einem direkt gekoppelten Wärmetauscher.

In the drawings shows:

1

a schematic representation of a refrigerated cabinet, which is not part of the invention;

2

a further schematic representation of a refrigeration appliance which is not part of the invention;

3

a schematic representation of a refrigerated cabinet;

4

yet another schematic representation of a refrigerated cabinet; and

figure 5

a schematic representation of a memory with a directly coupled heat exchanger.

In the drawings, parts provided with the same reference numbers correspond essentially to one another, unless otherwise indicated. In addition, there is no description of components that are not essential for understanding the technical teaching disclosed herein.

1 shows a schematic representation of a refrigerated cabinet 10. The refrigerated cabinet 10 can be designed, for example, as a refrigerated shelf and be part of a refrigeration system with a large number of refrigerated cabinets 10. In the cooling system is one Cooling device, such as a heat pump is provided, which cools a guided in a coolant supply network coolant.

The coolant supply network has a flow 50 and a return 52 . Cooled coolant is supplied to the refrigerated cabinets 10 via the flow 50 . The coolant returned and heated by the refrigeration units 10 is fed back to the cold generator via the return line 52, which brings the coolant to a specific temperature.

The refrigeration appliance 10 has a housing 12 . The housing 12 surrounds the devices of the refrigeration appliance 10 and a refrigerated space 14. In the housing 12, a closing device can be arranged, which can release and close the schematically indicated refrigeration space 14. Such a device is known, for example, as a roller blind on refrigerated shelves.

The refrigeration appliance 10 has a memory 15 in which a first line arrangement is guided. The first line arrangement is connected via its flow 28 to the flow 50 of the coolant supply network. The coolant line arrangement is routed out of the reservoir 15 and the refrigeration appliance 10 via the return 30 and is connected to the return 52 of the coolant supply network. A coolant control device 22 is arranged in the flow 28 . The coolant control device 22 can be used, for example, as a valve or as a speed-controlled pump 38 (see 2 ) be trained. The coolant control device 22 and the speed-controlled pump 38 therefore control the supply of coolant from the coolant supply network to the reservoir 15.

The memory 15 has a housing 16 . The housing 16 is surrounded by insulation 18, which essentially thermally insulates the memory 15 from the space surrounding it within the refrigeration appliance 10. In the memory 15 is a cooling medium recorded. The cooling medium can be provided by water, for example. When coolants are supplied via the coolant supply network via the flow 28, the coolant in the reservoir 15 is cooled. For example, a phase change takes place, so that the storage medium changes from a liquid to a solid phase.

In addition, a part of a second coolant line arrangement is guided in the reservoir 15 . The second coolant line arrangement is also coupled to a heat exchanger 24, a speed-controlled pump 32 being provided in the flow 34 of the second coolant line arrangement. A coolant is circulated via the pump 32 in the separate coolant circuit of the second coolant line arrangement. The coolant in the second coolant circuit is cooled via the accumulator 15 and fed to the heat exchanger 24 via the pump 32 . Air is guided over the heat exchanger 24 via a fan 26, which is also speed-controlled, so that the air is cooled. The cooled air is conducted into the goods space or refrigerated space 14 and/or circulated in the goods space or refrigerated space 14 .

A controller 20 regulates the coolant control device 22, the pump 32 and the fan 36. In addition, the controller 20 can take on other tasks. For example, the controller 20 is coupled to temperature detection devices which detect the temperature in the cooling chamber 14, in the flow 34 and in the return 36 of the second coolant line arrangement and in the flow 28 and return 30 of the first coolant line arrangement. In addition, the temperature in the memory 15 can be recorded at various positions via temperature recording devices. About the temperature detection devices a refrigeration requirement for goods in the refrigerated space 14 can be determined by the controller 20 . The controller 20 regulates the pump 32 as a function of the cooling requirement determined, so that a larger quantity of coolant can be supplied to the heat exchanger 24 . With an additional increase in the speed of the fan 26, a larger air flow is circulated, with the circulated air not being heated as much, which also serves for rapid cooling. The cooling of the coolant in the second coolant circuit takes place via the storage medium that is accommodated in the storage 15 . When coolant is supplied from the coolant supply network, the storage medium in the reservoir 15 is cooled essentially from the inside to the outside. In this case, a phase transformation of the storage medium can take place. For this purpose, the line sections of the first coolant line arrangement or the flow 28 and the return 30 are routed accordingly in the reservoir 15 or in the housing 16 . The line sections of the second coolant line arrangement, in particular the line sections of the flow 34 and the return 36, which run inside the housing 16 of the reservoir 15, are arranged in such a way that the coolant guided therein is cooled in such a way that the reservoir 15 is thawed or the storage medium undergoes a phase change from solid to liquid from the outside in. In addition, the latent heat of the storage medium can also be used for discharging and thawing the storage device 15 without a phase change.

During operation of the refrigeration appliance 10, the storage 15 is discharged depending on the supply of coolant via the coolant supply line in the flow 50 via the coolant control device 22 or the pump 38. Is the storage completely discharged, the supply of coolant via the flow 50 in the memory 15 via the coolant control device 22 and the pump 38 can be prevented. The cooling of the cooling chamber 14 is regulated via the pump 32, for which purpose the quantity of coolant in the second coolant circuit is regulated with the second coolant line arrangement to the heat exchanger 24. If the refrigerated space 14 or the goods stored therein have an increased cooling requirement and the controller determines that the store 15 is thawing rapidly, the coolant control device 22 can provide the supply of coolant from the flow 50 and regulate the amount of coolant.

In particular, a pump 38 enables a stepless adjustment of the coolant flow rate. In addition, the fan 26 determines the amount of air circulated, with the air being heated to a lesser extent at higher flow speeds than at lower air flows.

If the reservoir 15 is discharged to a certain extent and/or the coolant is no longer supplied via the flow 50 of the coolant supply network, the refrigeration appliance 10 can also be operated autonomously. The reservoir 15 serves as a cold generator and provides cooling of the coolant that is routed in the second coolant circuit. The design of the memory 15 in relation to the dimensioning of the refrigerated space 14 and the maximum number of goods to be accommodated in the refrigerated space 14 can take place as desired. The larger the store 15 is in relation to the refrigerated space 14 and the goods stored therein, the faster and/or longer the goods or the refrigerated space 14 can be cooled. Preferably, a refrigerated cabinet 10 designed as a refrigerated shelf with a roller blind are operated at night solely by the "cold" provided via the memory 15, for which purpose the coolant supply network does not have to be in operation. With heat pumps as cold generators, this has the advantage that the pulsing of the heat pumps, ie the intervals between switching on and off, are increased.

In addition, emergency cooling can be provided in a cooling system with a large number of refrigeration units 10 if the refrigeration generator fails. The refrigerated cabinets 10 of the cooling system, whose stores 15 have a minimum discharge state, can essentially bring the temperature of the coolant in the supply network to a certain temperature, so that at least one other refrigerated cabinet 10 of the cooling system is cooled accordingly and/or its store 15 is discharged.

2 shows a further schematic representation of the refrigeration appliance 10, wherein the coolant control device 22 is designed as a speed-controlled pump 38 and is arranged in the flow 28. Instead of a pump 38, valves can also be provided in further embodiments that are not shown.

In addition, those in the Figures 1 to 4 Shown refrigeration furniture 10 other components such as valves, insulation, assembly and connection elements and control components, which are not shown.

3 shows a further schematic representation of a refrigerated cabinet 10 with a directly connected to the memory 15 heat exchanger 24. The housing 16 of the memory 15 consists of a thermally conductive material and has an insulation 18, the memory 15 except for a section 40, over which the memory 15 is connected to the heat exchanger 24 isolated. Furthermore, only the section 40 can consist of a thermally conductive material. The remainder of the housing 16 can consist of other materials which, for example, have heat-insulating properties. With the refrigerated cabinet 10 from 3 cooling or discharging of the accumulator 15 also takes place via a coolant that is supplied via the flow 50 of a coolant supply network.

Coolant is supplied via the supply network via the pump 38. The controller 20 of the refrigeration appliance 10 regulates the speed of the pump 38, the amount of coolant that is fed from the coolant supply network into the storage 15 in order to discharge the storage 15. In particular, at a relatively low coolant temperature, rapid discharging of accumulator 15 can be achieved by means of a high speed. Furthermore, it is also possible to throttle the speed of the pump 38 to provide a lower coolant supply, resulting in a slower unloading. Likewise, a lower speed of the pump 38 can be set via the controller 20 if the coolant temperature is too low. This ensures that the memory 15 is discharged in a defined manner. In particular, care must be taken that in the storage 15 a discharge, for example a phase change of the storage media from liquid to solid, takes place from the inside to the outside. In order to prevent direct coupling of the heat exchanger 24 to the coolant routed in the first coolant line arrangement, the flow 28 and the return 30 in particular are arranged at a distance from the heat exchanger 24 .

For example, in a conventional prior art refrigeration system for refrigerated display cases with a goods compartment temperature of 4°C, a coolant is provided from a central supply line. This coolant has a temperature of -2 °C. Due to the low temperature of the coolant, relatively severe icing of a heat exchanger can occur in a short time. In the cooling systems described herein, no coolant is supplied to the heat exchangers 24 from a central supply line. A coolant from a second coolant circuit in the refrigeration appliance, which is coupled to a memory 15 , is supplied to the heat exchangers 24 , or the heat exchangers 24 are cooled directly via a memory 15 . As a result, the heat exchangers 24 in a refrigerated display case with a goods compartment temperature of 4° C. do not have any areas that are excessively cooled. For this purpose, the coolant of a second coolant circuit can have a temperature of 2° C. in the flow, for example.

In cooling systems from the prior art, very low flow temperatures of the coolant are also set because the coolant has to be supplied to remote refrigerated shelves over sometimes long distances and the coolant temperature rises along the way. For example, to ensure a coolant temperature of 0°C at a remote refrigeration shelf of a prior art refrigeration system, the coolant temperature at a first refrigeration shelf must be -4°C. These relatively large temperature differences mean that remote refrigeration units are not cooled as much. This can also lead to the heat exchangers of refrigerated shelves, which are not far away from a refrigeration generator, icing up in a relatively short time. Those described herein Variants do not have these problems since the heat exchangers 24 are not directly coupled to the coolant of the supply network. Even with very low coolant temperatures in the coolant supply network, a plurality of refrigeration units 10 can be cooled at the same temperature. Furthermore, the icing, for example of the storage medium in the storage container, offers the possibility of cooling the cooling chamber 14 over a long period of time without a coolant having to be supplied from the outside.

In addition, during execution 3 a homogeneous cooling of the heat exchanger 24 is achieved over its entire extent and in particular over its entire contact surface with the heat-conducting housing 16 of the accumulator 15.

4 shows a still further schematic representation of a refrigerated cabinet 10, wherein the execution of 4 from the execution of 3 differs in that instead of a speed-controlled pump 38, a coolant control device 22 is generally arranged in the flow 28. The coolant control device 22 can be a valve, for example.

figure 5 shows a schematic representation of a memory 15 with a heat exchanger 24 coupled thereto. The housing 16 has a configuration which is wider towards the top. The receiving space for the storage medium 44 is not completely filled with a storage medium 44, 45, but has a compensating area 46. The compensating area 46 is used to accommodate the storage medium 44, 45 after expansion due to a phase change. The trapezoidal configuration of the reservoir 15 in cross section also serves to define due to a phase change. The trapezoidal configuration of the reservoir 15 in cross section also serves to define Expansion of the storage medium 44, 45 after a phase change.

figure 5 shows a schematic sectional view of the storage 15 and the heat exchanger 24. The storage 15 can also have trapezoidal side walls in the longitudinal direction.

On the left side of the housing 16 the heat exchanger 24 is arranged via a section 40 . The heat exchanger 24 consists of a thermally conductive material, preferably of the same thermally conductive material as the housing 16 of the accumulator 15 or the section 40 of the housing 16. In further embodiments, the heat exchanger 24 can also be formed directly on the housing 16 of the accumulator 15 and be produced in one piece with it. In still further embodiments, a surface of the heat exchanger 24 forms a side wall of the housing 16 of the accumulator 15. The remaining parts of the housing 16 can then be made of other materials and connected to the section 40. In addition, the memory 15 has an insulation 18 . The insulation 18 completely surrounds the reservoir 15 except for the section 40, so that there is essentially no heat transfer between the reservoir 15 and the space surrounding it. The insulation 18 can be formed by foam materials, for example.

Furthermore, the insulation 18 can consist of a layered composite of several layers of different materials.

Inside the accumulator 15 are coolant lines 48 of the feed 28 and the return 30 of the first coolant line arrangement and/or coolant lines 48 of the feed 34 and the return 36 of the second coolant line arrangement recorded. The coolant, for example, which is provided via a coolant supply network, flows through the coolant lines 48 .

The representation of figure 5 is schematic. Therefore, the coolant lines 48 can also be lines of the flow 34 and the return 36 of the second coolant line arrangement. Likewise, the number of coolant lines 48 is only exemplary. The coolant lines 48 are preferably laid in the housing 16 in such a way that they are not in direct contact with the side walls of the reservoir 15 . The arrangement of the coolant lines 48 is selected in particular so that a defined discharging of the accumulator 15 by supplying coolant from the coolant supply network from the inside to the outside and thawing by supplying heat via another coolant or via the heat exchanger 24 directly from the outside to the inside takes place.

Inside-out unloading is in 4 represented schematically by the frozen portions of the storage medium 45. The storage medium 45 first freezes on the coolant lines 48, which have a high thermal conductivity, at least in the sections in which they are routed within the memory 15.

The housing 16 of the accumulator 15 has additional connections for the coolant lines 48 . In further embodiments, the storage tank or a storage tank with a heat exchanger 24 is an assembly that can be retrofitted into a refrigeration appliance 10 . This means that coolant lines 48 are already arranged inside the store 15 and a storage medium 44 is provided in the store 15 . Over Correspondingly defined connections can then be connected to a flow 28 and a return 30 of a first coolant line arrangement. In addition, a coupling with a second coolant line arrangement can take place via further optionally provided connections for a feed 34 and a return 36 .

This makes it possible, in particular, to interrupt a coolant circuit of an existing refrigerated appliance and to arrange the reservoir 15 . The accumulator 15 then provides a separation for an internal circuit of the refrigeration appliance from an external circuit of a coolant supply network. However, there is still a thermal coupling of the two coolant circuits and storage of "cold" is provided. The coolant circuits, in particular an internal coolant circuit formed in this way for the refrigeration appliance, can be filled subsequently.

Reference List

10

refrigerated cabinets

12

Housing

14

fridge

15

Storage

16

Housing

18

insulation

20

steering

22

coolant control device

24

heat exchanger

26

fan

28

leader

30

return

32

pump

34

leader

36

return

38

pump

40

Section

42

cooling fin

44

storage medium

45

storage medium

46

compensation area

48

coolant line

50

leader

52

return

Claims (5)

1. Refrigerated cabinet at least comprising a refrigerating space (14) for reception and storage of items to be refrigerated, a reservoir (15) with a reservoir container in which a storage medium (44; 45) is received, a heat exchanger (24), a controller (20) and a coolant line arrangement which is connectible with a coolant supply network by way of connections, wherein

   - the coolant line arrangement is led through the reservoir container,

   - the heat exchanger (24) is arranged on an outer side of the reservoir container and is thermally coupled with the storage medium (44; 45) received in the reservoir container,

   - a coolant regulating device is arranged in the forward run (28) of the coolant line arrangement,

   - the coolant regulating device is a speed-controlled pump (38),

   - the reservoir container at least in a section consists of a thermally conductive material and has an insulation (18),

   - the insulation (18) completely surrounds the reservoir (15) apart from a section (40) by way of which the reservoir (15) is connected with the heat exchanger (24),

   - the heat exchanger (24) has cooling ribs (42), and

   - the heat exchanger (24) is coupled by way of at least one thermally conductive section (40) of the reservoir container with the storage medium (44; 45) received in the reservoir container.
2. Refrigerated cabinet according to claim 1, comprising at least one speed-regulated fan (26).
3. Refrigerated cabinet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the refrigerated cabinet (10) has the configuration of refrigerated shelving.
4. Cooling system comprising at least one refrigerated cabinet (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and a cold generator, wherein a coolant is fed by way of a central coolant line arrangement to the at least one refrigerated cabinet (10) via a forward run (50) and is conducted away via a return run (52) and the cold generator brings the coolant to a settable temperature, wherein

   - the feed of coolant for discharge of the reservoir (15) is regulated by way of the controller (20) of the refrigerated cabinet (10) via the coolant regulating device in the forward run (28) of the coolant line arrangement and/or

   - the circulation of air over at least one heat exchanger (24) for cooling the refrigerating space (14) is regulated by way of the controller (20) of the refrigerated cabinet (10) via the at least on fan (26).
5. Method for controlling a refrigerated cabinet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, at least comprising a refrigerating space (14) for reception and storage of items to be refrigerated, a reservoir (15) with a reservoir container in which a storage medium (44; 45) is received, a heat exchanger (24), a controller (20) and a coolant line arrangement which is connectible with a coolant supply network by way of connections, wherein the coolant line arrangement is led through the reservoir container, the heat exchanger (24) is thermally coupled with the storage medium (44; 45) received in the reservoir container and a coolant regulating device is arranged in the forward run (28) of the coolant line arrangement and wherein

   - the storage medium (44; 45) received in the reservoir container is cooled by way of a coolant in the coolant line arrangement and

   - the heat exchanger (24) is cooled by way of the storage medium (44; 45).

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