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The invention relates to a household refrigerating appliance comprising at least one electrical wire and a heat pump system comprising a tray to store the condensation water coming from the evaporator.
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Refrigerating appliances comprise components that require electrical energy to work properly and, therefore, they comprise electrical wires leading the mains power to the different components. This type of components may be the compressor of the heat pump system, the control unit of the refrigerating appliance, illumination systems of the same, control screens for the user, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, motors, valves, etc.
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In addition, refrigerating appliances comprise trays to store water coming from the evaporator. The water can be generated mainly by condensation of the air humidity that comes into contact with the evaporator or by the defrosting of the ice built up in the evaporator itself. This tray or evaporation tray is usually located near a heat focus (the compressor of the heat pump system, for example) that helps the water in this type of trays to evaporate. In some cases, these refrigerating appliances may further comprise one or more additional trays to store the condensation water exceeding the maximum water volume that can be contained in the first tray.
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Therefore, these refrigerating appliances comprise water stored in trays to facilitate its evaporation as well as electrical wires that allow components requiring power for their functioning to work. In order to avoid failures and accidents in these refrigerating appliances, it needs to be guaranteed that electrical wires do not come into contact with water stored in said trays.
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There is therefore a need for household refrigerating appliances comprising systems to prevent the electrical wires from coming into contact with the water stored in evaporation trays.
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Household refrigerating appliances comprising evaporation trays are known on which additionally a cover with openings is placed. On the one hand, said cover avoids that the electrical wires come into contact with the water stored in said trays and, on the other hand, the openings allow said stored condensation water to evaporate.
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These systems require workforce to mount the cover on the tray as well as higher production costs of both pieces and transportation, storage and storage management costs of both pieces in the assembly lines of these household refrigerating appliances. In addition, if the assembly between the cover and the tray is not correct or the cover moves from its position during the transportation of the household refrigerating appliance up to the final user, the electrical wires could come into contact with the water.
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Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a household refrigerating appliance requiring less workforce to mount the tray in the household refrigerating appliance and requiring lower production, transportation, storage and storage management costs of the same while guaranteeing that the electrical wires cannot come into contact with the water stored in said evaporation trays. Furthermore, a wrong assembly of both pieces due to an incorrect placing itself or during the transportation of the household refrigerating appliance needs to be avoided.
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This invention relates to a household refrigerating appliance comprising at least one electrical wire, and a heat pump system comprising at least one evaporator, one condenser, one compressor, and a tray to collect condensation water generated by the evaporator, wherein the tray has a tray base and at least one tray wall extending from the tray base, thereby defining a tray cavity able to store condensation water, and at least one separating system to prevent the at least one electrical wire from approaching the tray base at a shorter distance than the safety distance, wherein the at least one separating system and the tray are made in a sole piece.
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In this manner, a one-piece tray is achieved. Therefore, the assembly costs are eliminated and the production, transportation, storage and storage management costs are reduced and the electrical wires are prevented from approaching the evaporation tray base at a shorter distance than a safety distance. In addition, no assembly errors of one piece on the other one can be made and one piece cannot move relative to the other one during the transportation of the household refrigerating appliance.
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The household refrigerating appliances according to the invention comprise at least one electrical wire inside them as well as a heat pump system comprising at least one compressor, one condenser and one evaporator and one tray to store the water coming from the evaporator. Additionally to the compressor, they may comprise other elements that require the utilisation of electrical wires for their functioning such as motor pumps, electrovalves, sensors, control units, interfaces to be controlled by the user, illumination devices, etc.
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A heat pump system according to the invention is a thermal machine that takes heat from a cold space and transfers it to a warmer one by means of a mechanical work. A heat pump system comprises at least one condenser, one evaporator and one compressor and a refrigerant circulating through a pipe among the components of said heat pump. In most cases, it further comprises a capillary tube and a dehydrating filter.
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The refrigerant in a gaseous state flows out of the evaporator through the return pipe, and it is absorbed by the compressor. The compressor is usually composed of an electric motor and a piston to compress the refrigerant. In the compressor, the refrigerant is compressed and heated. When flowing out of the compressor, the hot refrigerant flows into the condenser, where the refrigerant starts to cool down. Along the condenser, the refrigerant cools down and condenses and, when flowing out of the condenser, the refrigerant is almost entirely liquid. For this reason, the condenser is also known as the hot focus of the heat pump system, since it emits heat.
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Subsequently, the refrigerant preferably flows through a dehydrating filter. The dehydrating filter is an element containing a material able to absorb the water. It is here where the water and/or humidity that might have penetrated the system is retained, which needs to be removed before the refrigerant reaches the capillary, since the humidity may cause obstructions in the capillary as a consequence of the freezing of the water that might have entered the system. The next element through which the refrigerant flows is the capillary tube. The capillary, which is a tube of a very small inner diameter, causes the liquid refrigerant coming from the dehydrating filter to start to evaporate at its outlet (which is the evaporator inlet). The refrigerant that starts to evaporate at the end of the capillary flows into the evaporator. Since the diameter of the evaporator tubes is much greater than that of the capillary, the pressure drops and the evaporation occurs. The evaporation of the refrigerant gas causes it to absorb heat from the environment surrounding it. For this reason, the evaporator is the cold focus of the heat pump system, since it is at very low temperatures and is therefore able to absorb heat.
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Finally, the refrigerant flows back in a gaseous state to the compressor through the return pipe and it would start here to flow through the entire circuit again.
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In addition, there exists a process fluid flowing through at least one of the heat exchangers (evaporator and condenser) to cool down or heat a space that can be open or closed. Examples for a process fluid are, e.g., air and water.
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The tray wall is preferably a perimetral wall extending from the tray base. This configuration has the advantage of maximising the water amount that can be stored in the tray. However, this option is not limiting and the wall can be non-perimetral but interior or have both a perimetral wall and one or several interior walls.
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The water is generated mainly by condensation of the air humidity that comes into contact with the evaporator or as a consequence of the defrosting of the ice adhered to the evaporator as a consequence of the low temperatures at which said evaporator is. The tray or evaporation tray that collects the condensation water is generally located on the lower vertical of the evaporator. This makes it easier for condensation water to be collected. The tray is usually placed on the top of the compressor, so that the heat generated by the same helps said water to evaporate.
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The separating element is an element that takes up a space to prevent the at least one electrical wire from approaching the tray base at a shorter distance than a safety distance. The tray can contain a maximum water level that is under said safety distance. In this manner, it is avoided that the at least one electrical wire can come into contact with the water collected in the tray.
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The tray base can have any type of geometry to be adaptable to the available space. However, the tray base is preferably substantially flat and has the shape of a 3- or more sided polygon.
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The tray wall can have the same height over its entire outline or different heights depending on its location relative to the base of the refrigerating appliance in which it is located. If it is located in parallel to the base of the refrigerating appliance, it is a preferred configuration that the tray wall has the same height over its entire outline relative to the tray base, since the amount of water that can be contained by the same is thereby maximised. If the tray base is inclined relative to the base of the refrigerating appliance in which it is located, the preferred configuration is that the tray wall is higher on the side located in the bottom position to maximise in this manner the amount of water that can be contained by the same.
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Examples of household refrigerating appliances according to the invention are fridges, freezers, fridge-freezer combined appliances, wine fridges, appliances for the climatisation of open spaces, etc.
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A "sole piece" is understood to be a part composed of just one component.
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In a preferred embodiment, the separating system of the household refrigerating appliance comprises at least one first separating element protruding from the tray base and/or tray wall.
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This configuration has the advantage that the production process of the tray with its separating system is facilitated. By means of at least one first separating element that is an integral part of the tray, it can be guaranteed that the at least one electrical wire cannot approach the tray base at a shorter distance than the safety distance.
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The at least one first separating element can project vertically from the tray base, for example, or vertically inclined or horizontally from the tray wall up to at least the safety distance from the tray base.
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Depending on the size and arrangement of the at least one electrical wire, multiple separating elements in different sizes, configurations, separation distances among them and geometric arrangements may be required to prevent the at least one electrical wire from approaching the tray base at a shorter distance than the safety distance.
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In a preferred embodiment, the at least one first separating element extends up to at least a separating element distance from the tray base, wherein the separating element distance is equal to or larger than the safety distance.
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This configuration has the advantage that it is guaranteed that the electrical wire cannot come into contact with the water contained in the tray.
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The tray may also contain some kind of system that guarantees that the maximum water level contained in the tray is below the safety distance.
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This system can be passive, like a kind of overflow that expels from the tray the amount of water exceeding a predetermined level, or it can be active such as a water drain pump when the water reaches a predetermined level.
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Preferably, the separating element distance is at least 10% larger than the safety distance. Even more preferably, it is at least 20% larger, more preferably at least 30% larger, more preferably at least 40% larger and, more preferably, at least 50% larger than the safety distance.
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In a preferred embodiment, the at least one first separating element has a threadlike or laminar geometry.
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This embodiment has the advantage that both geometries are cheap and easy to obtain by means of production in the different materials the tray may be made of.
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A "threadlike geometry" is understood to be a geometry in which one of the three dimensions is larger than the other two dimensions. This dimension is understood to be "larger" when it is at least five times larger than the other two dimensions, preferably at least ten times larger and, even more preferably, at least twenty times larger.
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A "laminar geometry" is understood to be a geometry in which two of the three dimensions are larger than the third dimension. These two dimensions are understood to be "larger" when they are at least five times larger than the third dimension, preferably at least ten times larger and, even more preferably, at least twenty times larger.
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In a preferred embodiment, the at least one first separating element has a laminar geometry, protrudes from the tray base and extends between two spots on the tray wall, so that the tray cavity is divided into at least two tray subcavities.
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This embodiment has the advantage that tray subcavities that are independent of one another are created. This allows the water to be stored preferably in subcavities located spaced away from the possible path of the at least one electrical wire above the tray.
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This embodiment has the advantage that several tray subcavities to contain the water are built. Therefore, even systems inside the tray itself can be set up in such a manner that firstly those tray subcavities located furthest away from the location of the electrical wire are filled with the condensation water. The risk of the electrical wire coming into contact with the water is minimised to an even further extent in this way.
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This can be performed, for example, in such a manner that the condensation water reaches the tray subcavity most spaced away from the location of the electrical wire. Thus, when this is filled, the water that overflows will flow into the next tray subcavity and so on.
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This can be easily put into practice by means of separating elements delimiting the tray subcavities which have different separating element distances relative to the tray base. Thus, the tray subcavity receiving the condensation water will have the shortest separating element distance, the next subcavity will have a separating element with a larger separating element distance and so on.
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In another preferred embodiment, the at least one first separating element comprises at least one opening that allows condensation water to flow between the at least two tray subcavities.
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An "opening" is understood to be any physical interruption of the separating element, which allows the water flow-through. An opening is surrounded by the separating element over its entire perimeter or outline. The easiest example of an opening is some kind of through-hole into the separating element, which allows the water flow-through. The at least one opening can have any shape or geometry.
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The openings can be positioned at different heights relative to the tray base, so that it can be established which tray subcavity is filled in the first place, which one is filled afterwards and so on.
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It is a preferred configuration that the opening is located in the separating element and extends up to the tray base. In this manner, the flowing among subcavities is guaranteed from the moment when the tray starts to be filled with condensation water.
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It is another preferred configuration that the opening is located in the separating element in its part arranged furthest away from the tray base. This configuration has the advantage that it can be controlled easily when the condensation water is allowed to flow from one tray subcavity to the next subcavity. Depending in addition on the arrangement of the subcavities, the openings can be arranged at different heights relative to the tray base in such a manner that it is controlled which adjacent tray subcavity receives condensation water in the first place, which one in the second place and so on.
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In another preferred embodiment, the opening is a recess of the at least one first separating element in its part arranged furthest away from the tray base.
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The difference between a recess and an opening lies in that the opening is surrounded by the separating element and/or tray over its entire perimeter or outline, while the recess is surrounded by the separating element and/or tray just over a part of its perimeter or outline.
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This configuration has the advantage that it is easier to produce.
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In this embodiment, the size of the at least one recess is preferably smaller than the size of the least one electrical wire. In this manner, it is avoided that the at least one electrical wire can penetrate the at least one recess by accident and come into contact with the condensation water.
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In another preferred embodiment, the tray is a second evaporation tray that receives the condensation water exceeding a predetermined amount of condensation water from a first evaporation tray.
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The condensation water usually reaches a first evaporation tray located above the compressor of the heat pump system to utilise said heat to accelerate the evaporation of the water contained in the tray. If, despite of this, the evaporation rate of the water is not high enough or the volume of this first tray is not sufficient, it is usual to cause the water exceeding a predetermined level to flow into a second evaporation tray usually located in the bottom of the household refrigerating appliance and closer to the area in which the electrical wires extend. Therefore, it is particularly advantageous that also the second tray comprises a separating system formed in a sole piece with the tray.
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In another preferred embodiment, the condensation water flows from the first evaporation tray into the second evaporation tray through a pipe comprising a first pipe end and a second pipe end, wherein the first pipe end can be fixed to the first evaporation tray and wherein the second pipe end can be fixed to the second evaporation tray.
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This configuration has the advantage of being a simple arrangement of evaporation trays, these being connected to each other by means of a pipe to lead the water from the first evaporation tray into the second one.
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Preferably, the first evaporation tray rests on the compressor of the heat pump system to utilise the heat of the same to evaporate the water contained in the tray, while the second evaporation tray is located in a bottom position lower than the first evaporation tray. This allows the water to be transferred by gravity from the first into the second evaporation tray.
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Preferably, both the first pipe end and the second pipe end are fixable to the first and the second evaporation tray respectively by a positive-fit connection. This configuration has the advantage of being easier and cheaper to produce. In this case, both the first evaporation tray and the second evaporation tray may comprise through-holes or protuberances having the same geometry as the pipe, so that the pipe can be fixed to this through-hole or to this protuberance.
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However, other types of fixation with the use of additional elements such as clamps, glues, welding, screws or nuts are possible as well and are to be understood as being within the scope of protection of the invention.
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Preferably, the water from the first evaporation tray exceeding a predetermined level is the water that enters the pipe to flow into the second evaporation tray. An easy manner consists in the pipe having an opening at its first end through which the water exceeding a predetermined level flows in, so that it is led to the second tray.
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In another preferred embodiment, the tray wall extends up to at least a tray wall height from the tray base, wherein the tray wall height is greater than the safety distance.
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This configuration has the advantage of achieving that the electrical wire cannot come into contact with the water by physical means that prevent it from reaching the space taken up by the water.
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A "tray wall height" is understood to be the minimum height of the tray wall relative to the tray base, wherein it does not need to be the same along its entire outline.
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In another preferred embodiment, the tray base is substantially rectangular and has four wall trays that are substantially parallel two by two.
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This tray base geometry has the advantage of being easy to manufacture and, in addition, the household refrigerating appliances mostly have this plan geometry, so the space available inside the same can be utilised better.
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In another preferred embodiment, the at least one separating element is substantially parallel to the at least one tray wall.
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This configuration has the advantage of being easy to manufacture. Obviously, there can be several separating elements parallel to each other. In the case of several separating elements, the distance at which the same are located may be different depending on the size and arrangement of the at least one electrical wire. It is recommended that, the smaller the at least one electrical wire, the smaller the separation between separating elements should be.
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In another preferred embodiment, the separating system further has at least one second separating element, wherein the first separating element and the second separating element are perpendicular to each other.
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This configuration has the advantage consisting in generating a matrix geometry of separating elements by means of which it is easier to ensure that the at least one electrical wire cannot approach the tray base at a shorter distance than the safety distance. The distance or separation between separating elements may be different depending on the size and the arrangement of the at least one electrical wire. It is recommended that, the smaller the at least one electrical wire, the smaller the separation between separating elements should be.
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In another preferred embodiment, the tray is made of a plastic or metal material.
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A plastic tray has the advantage that it can be produced in a cheap manner and the available space can be made use of at most.
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Plastic materials can be polystyrene, ABS, polypropylene, polypropylene with talc, polypropylene with fibre glass, polycarbonate, polyamide and/or polybutylene terephthalate.
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A metal tray has the advantage that the evaporation rate of the water contained in said tray is maximised. With a metal material, both pieces can be obtained with a higher precision. This is advantageous when the tray needs to be fitted into a very small space.
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Metal materials can be, for example, steel, aluminium, chromium, iron, copper, etc.
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In a preferred embodiment, the separating system comprises at least one fixing element to fix the at least one electrical wire while keeping the at least one electrical wire at a larger distance to the tray base than the safety distance.
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This configuration has the advantage that the at least one electrical wire can be fixed and guided in non-critical positions that are considered to be safe to prevent the at least one electrical wire from extending randomly over any type of path above the tray and approaching the tray base at a shorter distance than the safety distance.
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Aspects and embodiments of the invention are subsequently described based on schematic drawings, in which
- figure 1 is a schematic view of a household refrigerating appliance comprising a tray according to the invention;
- figure 2 is a schematic view of a heat pump system according to the state of the art;
- figure 3 is a view of a tray according to the state of the art;
- figure 4 is a view of a tray arrangement according to the state of the art;
- figure 5 is a schematic view of a tray according to the invention;
- figure 6 is a view of a tray arrangement according to the invention;
- figure 7 shows a detail of a tray according to the invention; and
- figure 8 is a schematic view of a tray arrangement with a fixing element according to the invention.
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Figure 1 shows schematically a household refrigerating appliance 6 comprising a tray 2 (not shown) according to the invention. In the example from figure 1, a household refrigerating appliance 6 comprising two cavities to be refrigerated is shown. The upper cavity is usually utilised as a fridge with temperatures ranging from 2° to 8° centigrade, while the bottom cavity is utilised as a freezer with temperatures ranging from -18° to -24° centigrade. This is just an exemplary household refrigerating appliance 6 according to the invention. Other examples such as fridges, freezers, fridge-freezer combined appliances, wine fridges, appliances for the climatisation of open spaces, etc., are included too in the concept of a household refrigerating appliance 6 according to the invention.
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Figure 2 shows schematically a heat pump system 1 according to the state of the art. The heat pump system 1 comprises a compressor 4 compressing the refrigerant. This causes the same to be heated. The refrigerant in a gaseous state is led up to the condenser 7. In the condenser 7, the refrigerant gas starts to cool down and to condense turning into a liquid state almost entirely when flowing out of the condenser 7. Subsequently, the refrigerant flows through a filter 13, also known as dehydrating filter, that eliminates the water particles that may have entered the system, so that only refrigerant in a liquid state keeps on circulating until reaching a capillary tube 14. The refrigerant flows out of the capillary tube 14 and into the evaporator 8, where, due to a pressure difference relative to the capillary tube 14, the refrigerant turns into a gaseous state again. The refrigerant needs to absorb heat to turn into a gaseous state and, for this reason, the evaporator 8 is at a very low temperature and is known as the cold focus of the heat pump system 1. The refrigerant in a gaseous state flows through the evaporator 8 and back to the compressor 4, which compresses it and the cycle starts again.
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Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a tray 2 to collect condensation water 11 according to the state of the art. The tray 2 comprises a tray base 12 and a tray wall 22, which define a tray cavity 19 able to store the condensation water 11. Furthermore, a separating system 3 is shown, which comprises a first separating element 31 that is mounted on the top of the tray 2 resting on the outline of the tray wall 22. The first separating element 31 has multiple openings 24 that allow the condensation water 11 to evaporate more quickly. Once the separating system 3 is mounted on the tray 2, it is avoided that the electrical wires 9 (not shown) can approach the tray base 12 at a shorter distance than a safety distance D. The first separating element 31 further comprises a protuberance 15, which has a cylindrical geometry in the shown example, to which a pipe 33 through which the condensation water 11 circulates from the evaporator 8 can be fixed.
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In the example shown in figure 3, the tray base 12 is substantially flat but it can feature indentations or protrusions.
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In the example shown in figure 3, the tray wall 22 has the same tray wall height A relative to the tray base 12, although this does not have to be always the case.
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According to the example shown in figure 3, the maximum level of the condensation water 11 of the tray 12 is delimited by the minimum tray wall height A of the tray wall 12. When the level of the condensation water 11 surpasses the tray wall height A, the water overflows over the tray 2.
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Figure 4 shows a view of a tray 2 arrangement according to the state of the art. In the example shown in figure 4, the tray 2 is a second evaporation tray 40 that receives the condensation water 11 exceeding a maximum level of a first evaporation tray 10 located above the compressor 4 to make use of the heat emitted by the same. The second evaporation tray 40 comprises a tray wall 22 extending from a tray base 12 and on which a separating system 3 rests. The second evaporation tray 40 receives the condensation water 11 exceeding a maximum level of a first evaporation tray 10 through a pipe 33 fixed to the first evaporation tray 10 through its first pipe end 35 and fixed to the protuberance 15 of the first separating element 31 through its second pipe end 36. Since the second evaporation tray 40 is located below the first evaporation tray 10, the condensation water 11 exceeding a certain level falls by gravity into the second evaporation tray 40 through the pipe 33.
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Figure 4 shows in addition how the separating system 3 comprises a first separating element 31 resting on the tray wall 22 of the second evaporation tray 40 and preventing the electrical wire 9 from approaching the tray base 12 at a shorter distance than the safety distance D.
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Furthermore, the first separating element 31 comprises openings 24 that facilitate the evaporation of the condensation water 11.
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Figure 5 is a schematic view of a tray 2 according to the invention. Figure 5 shows a tray 2 comprising a tray base 12 and a tray wall 22 that, in the shown case, is a tray wall 22 revolving perimetrally and extending from the tray base 12, thereby defining a tray cavity 19. The tray wall 22 shown in figure 5 has substantially the same tray wall height A relative to the tray base 12 along its entire perimeter or outline.
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Furthermore, figure 5 shows a separating system 3 comprising multiple first separating elements 31 and multiple second separating elements 32, which are perpendicular to each other and parallel to two of the sides of the tray wall 22 in the shown example, so that they divide the tray cavity 19 into multiple tray subcavities 29. In the example shown in figure 5, most of the separating elements 31, 32 protrude from the tray base 12 and start and end at a tray wall 22, are made in a sole piece both with the tray base 12 and the tray wall 22 and extend up to a separating element distance D1 relative to the tray base 12, which is larger than the safety distance D, which coincides with the tray wall height A in this case. The safety distance D is larger than or equal to the maximum level of the condensation water 11 the tray 2 can contain. In the example shown in figure 5, the safety distance D coincides with the tray wall height A, although this does not need to be always the case.
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The separating elements 31, 32 further comprise recesses 25 in the part furthest away from the tray base 12, so that the condensation water 11 is allowed to flow from a tray subcavity 29 into the contiguous tray subcavity 29 when the level of the condensation water 11 reaches a predetermined level, which is the opening height O1. The recesses 25 can be made in different sizes and geometries but preferably being smaller than the at least one electrical wire 9 (not represented) to prevent the at least one electrical wire 9 from penetrating a recess 25 and being so able to approach the tray base 12 at a shorter distance than the safety distance D. In the case of electrical wires 9 having different sizes or diameters, the size of the recess 25 needs to be preferably smaller than the size or the diameter of the smallest electrical wire 9.
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In the example shown in figure 5, the recesses 25 extend up to an opening height O1, so that, when the level of the condensation water 11 in the tray subcavity 29 exceeds the opening height O1, it flows into the adjacent tray subcavity 29. In the example shown in figure 5 the opening height O1 is the same in all of the tray subcavities 29. However, this does not need to be always the case and there can be different opening heights O1. With different opening heights O1, it can be controlled which tray subcavities 29 are filled first when the opening height O1 is lower and which ones are filled afterwards when the opening height O1 is higher.
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There could also be openings 24 in the separating elements 31, 32 in their closest part to the tray base 12. In this manner, all of the tray subcavities 29 could be filled at the same time and have the same level of the condensation water 11. With this configuration, the risk that the at least one electrical wire 9 might penetrate some of the openings 24 is avoided as well. The separating elements 31, 32 could comprise as many recesses 25 as openings 24 in different positions in said separating elements 31, 32.
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The distance of the separating elements 31, 32 relative to each other and to the tray wall 12 may vary depending on the size of the at least one electrical wire 9 as well as the separating element distance D1 at which they project relative to the tray base 12. The smaller the at least one electrical wire 9 or the shorter the separating element distance D1 relative to the possible level of the condensation water 11 is, the shorter the distance between separating elements 31, 32 and between separating elements 31, 32 and tray walls 22 needs to be. In the example shown in figure 5, the separating element distance D1 of the separating elements 31, 32 is substantially the same relative to the tray base 12, although there could be separating elements 31, 32 projecting up to different separating element distances D1.
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Furthermore, figure 5 shows a protuberance 15, wherein the second pipe end 36 of the pipe 33 is fixable. The protuberance 15 is not an essential element, since the condensation water 11 could reach the tray 2 through a pipe 33 that is not fixed to the tray 2, but it is a preferred configuration to prevent the at least one electrical wire 9 from being spattered with the condensation water 11.
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Figure 6 shows a view of a tray 2 according to the invention, like the one shown in figure 5, and a feasible arrangement of the same in the household refrigerating appliance 6. In the example shown in figure 6, the tray 2 is a second evaporation tray 40 that receives the condensation water 11 exceeding a maximum level of a first evaporation tray 10 placed above the compressor 4 to make use of the heat emitted by the same. The second evaporation tray 40 comprises a tray wall 22 extending from a tray base 12. The second evaporation tray 40 receives the condensation water 11 exceeding a certain level of the first evaporation tray 10 through a pipe 33 fixed to the first evaporation tray 10 through its first pipe end 35 and fixed to the second evaporation tray 40 through its second pipe end 36. Since the second evaporation tray 40 is placed below the first evaporation tray 10, the condensation water 11 exceeding a certain level falls by gravity through the pipe 33.
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In addition, figure 6 shows how the separating system 3 comprises multiple first separating elements 31 and multiple second separating elements 32 protruding from the tray base 12 and starting and ending at a tray wall 22. The separating elements 31, 32 are in the example shown in figure 6 perpendicular to each other and substantially parallel to the tray wall 22. The separating elements 31, 32 project up to a separating element distance D1 relative to the tray base 12, so that they prevent the at least one electrical wire 9 from approaching the tray base 12 at a shorter distance than the safety distance D. In the example shown in figure 6, the safety distance D coincides with the tray wall height A, which in turn is the maximum level of the condensation water 11 the tray 40 shown in figure 6 can contain. The separating elements 31, 32 comprise recesses 25 that facilitate the flowing of the condensation water 11 among the different tray subcavities 29. In the example shown in figure 6, the recesses 25 extend up to an opening height O1, so that, when the level of the condensation water 11 in the tray subcavity 29 exceeds the opening height O1, it flows into the adjacent tray subcavity 29. In the example shown in figure 6, the opening height O1 is the same in all of the tray subcavities 29. However, this does not need to be always the case and there can be different opening heights O1. With different opening heights O1, it can be controlled which tray subcavities 29 are filled first when the opening height O1 is lower and which ones are filled afterwards when the opening height O1 is higher. The opening height O1 needs to be smaller than the safety distance D in this case to facilitate the flowing of the condensation water 11 between tray subcavities 29.
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Figure 7 shows a detail of a tray 2 according to the invention, which is detail B shown in figure 5. The tray 2 comprises a tray base 12 and a tray wall 22 that, in the shown example, surrounds perimetrally the tray base 12 and projects up to a tray wall height A. The tray 12 further comprises a plurality of first separating elements 31, which are parallel to each other, and a plurality of second separating elements 32, which are parallel to each other too and substantially perpendicular to the first separating elements 31. The separating elements 31, 32 project perpendicularly from the tray base 12 up to a separating element distance D1 from the tray base 12 to avoid that the at least one electrical wire 9 can approach the tray base 12 at a shorter distance than the safety distance D. In the example shown in figure 7, the separating elements 31, 32 project up to a separating element distance D1 that is substantially the same, but it could be different. In addition, the separating elements 31, 32 extend from and up to a tray wall 22 and are an integral part of the tray 2 together with the tray base 12 and the tray wall 22.
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The separating elements 31, 32 shown in figure 7 comprise recesses 25 in their part arranged furthest away from the tray base 12 for the flowing of the condensation water 11 among tray subcavities 29 to be facilitated. The recesses 25 extend from the highest part of the separating elements 31, 32 in the direction to the tray base 12 up to an opening height O1. When the condensation water 11 of a tray subcavity 29 reaches the opening height O1, it overflows towards the adjacent tray subcavity 29. And so on until all of the tray subcavities 29 are filled. In the example shown in figure 7, the opening heights O1 of the different recesses 25 are substantially equal. However, the variation of the opening heights O1 is a preferred option to be able to control in which order the different tray subcavities 19 are to be filled with the condensation water 11. The separating elements 31, 32 could comprise recesses 25 and/or openings 24 in different positions.
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Preferably, the recesses 25 shown in figure 7 are smaller than the at least one electrical wire 9 to prevent the at least one electrical wire 9 from coming into contact with the condensation water 11. To ensure with an even higher safety degree that the at least one electrical wire 9 cannot come into contact with the condensation water 11, the distance between separating elements 31 and/or between separating elements 32 can be reduced and/or the separating element distance D1 can be quite larger than the safety distance D. The separating element distance D1 is quite larger than the safety distance D when it is at least 10% larger, preferably 20% larger, even more preferably 30% larger, even more preferably 40% larger and, even more preferably, 50% larger than the safety distance D.
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Figure 7 shows in addition a protuberance 15 to which a second pipe end 36 can be fixed. The protuberance 15 comprises in the example shown in figure 7 four ribs 16 projecting from the tray base 12. In the example shown in figure 7, the ribs 16 define a suitable circular outline to fix pipes having a circular section. To facilitate the fixation between a pipe 33 and the tray 2, the ribs 16 define, in their part arranged furthest away from the tray base 12, a circular outline larger than the circular section of the pipe 33, while, in their closest part to the tray base 12, they define a smaller circular outline than the circular section of the pipe 33. The fixation of the same is thereby facilitated.
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Figure 8 shows schematically an exemplary tray 2 that comprises a separating system 3 comprising a fixing element 17 to which the electrical wire 9 is fixed, thereby guaranteeing that the electrical wire 9 is located at a larger distance to the tray base 12 than the safety distance D. The separating system 3 can comprise more than one fixing element 17, so that it guides and fixes the electrical wire 9 above the tray 2 along a predetermined path. In this manner, it is avoided that the electrical wire 9 follows random paths and can approach the tray base 12 at a shorter distance than the safety distance D.
List of reference signs
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- 1
- heat pump system
- 2
- tray
- 3
- separating system
- 4
- compressor
- 6
- household refrigerating appliance
- 7
- condenser
- 8
- evaporator
- 9
- electrical wire
- 10
- first evaporation tray
- 11
- condensation water
- 12
- tray base
- 13
- dehydrating filter
- 14
- capillary tube
- 15
- protuberance
- 16
- rib
- 17
- fixing element
- 19
- tray cavity
- 22
- tray wall
- 24
- opening
- 25
- recess
- 29
- tray subcavity
- 31
- first separating element
- 32
- second separating element
- 33
- pipe
- 35
- first pipe end
- 36
- second pipe end
- 40
- second evaporation tray
- A
- tray wall height
- D
- safety distance
- D1
- separating element distance
- O1
- opening height