EP3665426A1

EP3665426A1 - Refrigeration appliance with improved defrosting system having double pipe heater

Info

Publication number: EP3665426A1
Application number: EP17758813.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Mustafa Arslan; Metin Kaya; Umut Yilmaz; Cenk UYAR; Halit EKMEKCI
Original assignee: Arcelik AS
Current assignee: Arcelik AS
Priority date: 2017-08-09
Filing date: 2017-08-09
Publication date: 2020-06-17
Also published as: TR201802003A2; WO2019029801A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method for improved defrosting of evaporators of refrigerators. The present invention more particularly relates to a refrigeration appliance (1 ) comprising a freezer compartment (2) and a fresh food compartment preserving food items, said refrigeration appliance (1) further having a refrigeration circuit circulating a compressed refrigerant at a predetermined temperature and pressure, said refrigeration circuit having a fresh food compartment evaporator (4) and a freezer evaporator (3).

Description

REFRIGERATION APPLIANCE WITH IMPROVED DEFROSTING SYSTEM HAVING DOUBLE PIPE HEATER

The present invention relates to a system and method for improved defrosting of evaporators in refrigerators.
Refrigeration appliances allowing use for refrigeration of perishable materials e.g. as a fresh food refrigerator or alternatively, as a deep-freeze, utilize an evaporator which can be located between the inner plastic liner of the storage compartment and the outer housing of the device. The evaporator serves for reducing the temperature of circulating air within the cooling device. Preserved food items are cooled in the cooling compartment by way of passing the ambient air over the evaporator by means of a fan and accordingly circulating the same inside said compartment. The surface temperature of the evaporator eventually causes frost of the humidity contained in the circulating air in the form of ice accumulations. Ice being a relatively good heat insulator, ice and frost accumulation on the evaporator surface should be prevented and the build-up of frost should be removed to maintain the ability of the evaporator to transfer thermal energy as well as to ensure the efficient operation of the refrigeration appliance. To address the ice accumulation problem, a defrost heater can be employed to thaw or defrost the ice formed.
It is well-known that in the current state of the art, it is not possible to defrost coil-type evaporators, leading to frosting and ice build-up in the freezer. It is possible to use a defrosting heater with finned evaporators; however, this causes loss of space within the refrigerator.
Among others, a prior art publication in the technical field of the invention may be referred to as US2003177772, which discloses a refrigerator with an evaporator having a refrigerant pipe, and a defrosting heater placed below the evaporator and defrosting the evaporator. The refrigerant pipe includes a main refrigerant pipe evaporating a refrigerant, and a heat-transfer refrigerant pipe extended from a lower part of the main refrigerant pipe so as to exchange heat, and disposed adjacent to the defrosting heater. Therefore, the refrigerator can defrost an evaporator quickly and uniformly. Other prior art publications in the technical field of the invention may be referred to as WO2012136618, JPH08303932, GB814447, GB755414, GB725114, GB715002, GB701778 and GB710066.
The present invention, on the other hand, addresses the situation where a heater is placed within the evaporator coils whereby the speed of defrosting is increased and accordingly a larger refrigerator volume is provided with lower manufacturing costs.
The present invention provides a system and method for improved defrosting of evaporators of refrigerators, as provided by the characterizing features defined in Claim 1.
Primary object of the present invention is to provide a system in which the defrosting cycle can be performed by a heater element such that said heater element is allowed to reach outside a connection structure containing a freezer evaporator and said heater element.
The present invention proposes a refrigeration appliance comprising a freezer compartment and a fresh food compartment with fresh food and freezer evaporators. Said freezer evaporator is disposed to at least partially extend inside a connection means which provides a sealed opening through which leads of a heater element disposed within the inside hollow portion of said freezer evaporator can be taken out of said connection means in isolation with said freezer evaporator.
Accompanying drawings are given solely for the purpose of exemplifying a refrigeration appliance with an improved defrosting system, whose advantages over prior art were outlined above and will be explained in brief hereinafter.
The drawings are not meant to delimit the scope of protection as identified in the Claims, nor should they be referred to alone in an effort to interpret the scope identified in said Claims without recourse to the technical disclosure in the description of the present invention. The drawings are only exemplary in the sense that they do not necessarily reflect the actual dimensions and relative proportions of the respective components of the system.
Fig. 1 demonstrates a perspective view of a refrigerator having a defrosting system according to the present invention.
Fig. 2 demonstrates a perspective view of a freezer of the refrigerator of Fig. 1 having a defrosting system according to the present invention.
Fig. 3 demonstrates a close up view of a connecting means according to the present invention.
The following numerals are assigned to different part number used in the detailed description:

Refrigeration appliance
Freezer compartment
Freezer evaporator
Fresh food compartment evaporator
Connecting means
Heater element
Sealing device
Main section
Opening section

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
The present invention proposes a refrigeration appliance (1) having a freezer compartment (2) with a freezer evaporator (3) and a fresh food compartment with a fresh food compartment evaporator (4).
Said refrigeration appliance (1) further comprises a heater element (6) typically in the form of a tubular form electrical element configured to extend through said freezer evaporator (3) of the freezer compartment (2). During the defrosting cycle, heater element (6) is conventionally powered in order to effectuate regular defrost operations.
In accordance with the present invention, a double pipe structure is obtained in the manner that said heater element (6) is disposed within the freezer evaporator (3). A connecting means (5) is provided, having a main section (8) and an opening section (9), the latter being closed by a sealing device (7), whose location is shown in Fig. 3. Said connecting means (5) encloses said freezer evaporator (3) and the heater element (6) therein such that the latter is allowed to reach outside said connection means (5) from inside said freezer evaporator (3) by means of said sealing device (7).
In a nutshell, the present invention proposes a refrigeration appliance (1) comprising a freezer compartment (2) and a fresh food compartment preserving food items, said refrigeration appliance (1) further having a refrigeration circuit circulating a compressed refrigerant at a predetermined temperature and pressure, said refrigeration circuit having a fresh food compartment evaporator (4) and a freezer evaporator (3).
In one embodiment of the present invention, said freezer evaporator (3) is configured to extend into a connection means (5) in the form of a longitudinal hollow member at least partially enclosing said freezer evaporator (3).
In a further embodiment of the present invention, said freezer evaporator (3) encloses a longitudinally extending heater element (6) at least partially extending therethrough.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, said connection means (5) comprises an opening section (9) such that said heater element (6) is allowed to reach outside said connection means (5) from inside said freezer evaporator (3).
In a further embodiment of the present invention, said connection means (5) has a tubular form main section (8) and an opening section (9) branching out from said main section (8) at an intermediate common junction point.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, said freezer evaporator (3) at least partially extends through said main section (8) and/or said opening section (9).
In a further embodiment of the present invention, said connection means (5) comprises a sealing device by which said heater element (6) extends outside said opening section (9) from inside said freezer evaporator (3) in isolation with said freezer evaporator (3) inner space.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, said freezer evaporator (3) connects with fresh food compartment evaporator (4) inside the main section (8) of said connection means (5).
In a further embodiment of the present invention, said sealing device (7) has a first wall (not shown) closing opening of said opening section (9) of said connection means (5) and a second inner wall (not shown) neighboring an outermost portion of said freezer evaporator (3) portion inside said opening section (9).
In a further embodiment of the present invention, said first and second walls are separated from each other by a solid material zone.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, said first and second walls comprise passages for accommodating said heater element (6) outer parts.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, said second wall of said sealing device (7) is the outermost wall of the said freezer evaporator (3) portion inside said opening section (9).
Therefore, the present invention is devised under the recognition that freezer evaporator’s (3) defrost operation is performed by a heater element (6) and terminals thereof are taken outside said freezer evaporator (3) through a connection means (5) at least partially enclosing said freezer evaporator (3) and providing a sealed passage from the inside hollow portion of said freezer evaporator at an opening section (9) thereof.

Claims

A refrigeration appliance (1) comprising a freezer compartment (2) and a fresh food compartment for preserving food items, said refrigeration appliance (1) further having a refrigeration circuit circulating a compressed refrigerant at a predetermined temperature and pressure, said refrigeration circuit having a fresh food compartment evaporator (4) and a freezer evaporator (3) characterized in that;

said freezer evaporator (3) is configured to extend into a connection means (5) in the form of a longitudinal hollow member at least partially enclosing said freezer evaporator (3),

said freezer evaporator (3) encloses a longitudinally extending heater element (6) at least partially extending therethrough and,

said connection means (5) comprises an opening section (9) such that said heater element (6) is allowed to reach outside said connection means (5) from inside said freezer evaporator (3).
A refrigeration appliance (1) as in Claim 1, characterized in that said connection means (5) has a tubular form main section (8) and an opening section (9) branching out from said main section (8) at an intermediate common junction point.
A refrigeration appliance (1) as in Claim 2, characterized in that said freezer evaporator (3) at least partially extends through said main section (8) and/or said opening section (9).
A refrigeration appliance (1) as in 2 or 3, characterized in that said connection means (5) comprises a sealing device (7) by which said heater element (6) extends outside said opening section (9) from inside said freezer evaporator (3) in isolation with said freezer evaporator (3) inner space.
A refrigeration appliance (1) as in any preceding Claim, characterized in that said freezer evaporator (3) connects with fresh food compartment evaporator (4) inside the main section (8) of said connection means (5).
A refrigeration appliance (1) as Claim 4, characterized in that said sealing device (7) has a first wall closing opening of said opening section (9) of said connection means (5) and a second inner wall neighboring an outermost portion of said freezer evaporator (3) portion inside said opening section (9).
A refrigeration appliance (1) as Claim 6, characterized in that said first and second walls are separated from each other by a solid material zone.
A refrigeration appliance (1) as Claim 6 or 7, characterized in that said first and second walls comprise passages for accommodating said heater element (6) outer parts.
A refrigeration appliance (1) as Claim 6, 7 or 8, characterized in that said second wall of said sealing device (7) is the outermost wall of the said freezer evaporator (3) portion inside said opening section (9).