FR3077123A1 - COOLING DEVICE FOR REFRIGERATING DISPLAYS AND COLD CHAMBERS CONTAINED IN A BUILDING FOR STORING FRESH OR FROZEN FOODSTUFFS - Google Patents

Abstract

Cooling device for refrigerated display cases and cold rooms contained in a building for storing fresh or frozen food products characterized by: A water loop (a) maintained at a constant temperature, Aero-refrigerant exchanger (b) placed at the outside the building, receiving the water loop (a) cooling water for the forced passage of ambient air outside (c), A cold storage module (d) placed on the start of the water loop (a) and cooling the latter when the temperature outside the building no longer allows the cooling of the loop, a cold generating module (e) for charging the cold storage module (d), a module of hydraulic switch (f) placed between the water loop (a) and the various exchange modules directing the supply of the water loop (a) to the appropriate module or modules to provide cold, servo (g ) dedicated to the operation of all.

Description

Cooling device for refrigerated display cases and rooms contained in a building intended to store fresh or frozen food products (stores, cold rooms)

DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a device for cooling refrigerated display cases and cold rooms contained in a building intended for storing fresh or frozen food products, according to a fourfold principle:

- recovery of energies outside the building to ensure the cooling of storage devices, as soon as the outside temperature is less than or equal to 20 ° C „

use of a water loop ensuring the energy transfer of the devices to the outside, in place of the known gas or glycol devices,

- recovery of the energy released by the cooled appliances, in order to be used for other energy needs within the building,

- production and storage of cold at so-called low periods (night for example, when the cooling devices are least used) so that these resources can be used during the full period, thus avoiding peaks in terms of energy needs.

State of knowing

Food stores have a built-in device designed to cool the electrical equipment that makes up the store (mainly refrigerators), so that the calories released by this equipment do not affect the temperature inside the building. This technology is composed of two modules that are:

- A cold production device which rejects calories outside and produces cold,

- A cold distribution network which supplies the electrical equipment thus ensuring their cooling.

- Two problems have been noted relating to these devices:

It is necessary to evacuate outside the calories produced by the equipment, while these calories can be useful to supply the energy needs of the building,

- Stores are usually installed under buildings, which reduces the potential outdoor space for the installation of the heat evaporation device. In addition and taking into account the significant energy production to be rejected, it is necessary that the external evacuation equipment is dimensioned accordingly, which causes both inconvenience of space (visual pollution, constraint of having the space required to install them) and on the sound level (consequent noise caused by wind tunnels).

The state of cooling technology is historically characterized by either:

- a refrigerant tank (refrigerant gas) compressed at high pressure and in gaseous state, then condensed (liquefied) and expanded to cool the equipment. This first device, the most widespread, has the main limits of using large quantities of refrigerant gases are polluting and harmful to humans and the environment in general. As soon as fluids are involved in this device, the risks of pollution are significant. The average Coefficient of Performance (so-called COP) of the installations built according to this system is of the order of 1.8 to 2.5.

A second device, more rare, exists based on a centralized water production technology equipped with a very low temperature refrigerant. This device has a major drawback in that the energy efficiency is extremely degraded by both the need for a double exchange and the pressures necessary for the operation of the compressors at low temperature. In the case of this technology, the average COP observed varies between 1 and 1.3.

In the two known devices, the overall amount of refrigerant contained remains very high.

In addition, all of the above-described devices operate on the same cycle every day of the year, whatever the seasonality encountered, making the operation rest on a single thermodynamic cycle, which implies spending more power than necessary because the systems are tuned to provide the energy needed at the weakest point.

Description

The invention relates to a device for cooling refrigerated display cases and cold rooms contained in a building intended for storing fresh or frozen food products, according to a fourfold principle:

- recovery of energies outside the building to ensure the cooling of storage devices, as soon as the outside temperature is less than or equal to 20 ° C „

use of a water loop ensuring the energy transfer of the devices to the outside, in place of the known gas or glycol devices,

- recovery of the energy released by the cooled appliances, in order to be used for other energy needs within the building,

- production and storage of cold at so-called low periods (night, for example, when the cooling devices are least used) so that these resources can be used during the full period, thus avoiding peaks in terms of energy needs.

This cooling device is characterized by:

A water loop (a) maintained at constant temperature, capable of emancipating from coolant, installed between the engine room and each piece of equipment intended to be cooled, said water loop eliminates a refrigeration circuit (composed of refrigerant and equipment: compressor, condenser, expansion valve, evaporator) when the temperatures outside the building are low (<15 ° C),

An air-cooling exchanger (b) placed outside the building, receiving the water loop (a) cooling the water for the forced passage of outside ambient air (c), as soon as the outside temperature is below 20 ° C,

A cold storage module (d) placed on the start of the water loop (a) and cooling the latter as soon as the temperature outside the building no longer allows the loop to cool,

A cold production module (e) intended to charge the cold storage module (d), and which can come to the aid of cooling the water loop (a) if the cold storage module does not have enough energy,

A hydraulic switch module (f) placed between the water loop (a) and the various air-cooling exchange modules (b), storage (d) and cold production (e), orienting the supply of the water loop (a) to the module or modules suitable for supplying cold,

A control (g) dedicated to the operation of the assembly.

The operation of the device is characterized by four operating phases:

the first known as "frecooling" using only the air-cooling exchanger (b) to cool the water loop (a), the second mixing the use of the air-cooling exchanger modules (b) with the cold storage module ( d) as soon as the external temperature (c) is sufficient to cool the water loop, the third using simultaneously the cold production module (e) and the air cooler (b) when the cold storage module (d) no longer provides the power required to cool the water loop, the fourth combining the use of air-cooling modules (b) for production (e) and cold storage (d) in order to act to times in cold storage while maintaining the water loop (a) at temperature.

The “freecooling” mode is characterized in that as soon as the outside temperature (c) is lower than 20 ° C, the water loop (a) is directed towards the air cooler (b) which uses the outside temperature of l air (c) to cool the water loop (a).

The mixed mode of the air cooler exchanger (b) and cold storage (d) modules is characterized in that the water loop (a) is first directed towards the air cooler (b) which punctually cools said loop (a), which is then directed towards the cold storage module (d) thus ensuring a constant temperature of the water loop (a) whatever the external thermal conditions (c).

The simultaneous mode operating with the cold production (e) and air cooler (b) modules is characterized in that the water loop (a) is first oriented towards the production of cold (e), the air cooler (b) is then used to remove the calories produced by the operation of the cold production module (e).

The last operating mode combining the use of air-cooling modules (b), production (e) and cold storage (d) is characterized in that the water loop (a) is oriented towards the air -refrigerant (b) so that it is cooled, in parallel the cold production module (e) feeds the cold storage module (d), while the calories produced by the operation of the cold production module are also evacuated by the air cooler.

Thus, by this device, energy expenditure is very largely reduced in that:

- natural energies or those produced by the device itself are recovered to be used over time or then on this same device, or to meet needs foreign to the device,

- the different operating modes allow an energy expenditure to the fairest of the need, unlike conventional devices which act in a single mode according to the principle of producing according to the peak of energy need (without dissociation of seasonality and diurnal phases of use , nocturnal, public holidays ...).

Figure: 1/1 block diagram showing the installation on the building

Glossary:

a) water loop

b) air cooler module

c) outside ambient air, also called outside temperature

d) cold storage module

e) cold production module

f) hydraulic switch module

g) enslavement

h) building enclosure

i) calories produced by the cold production module

Claims (6)

1. Cooling device for refrigerated display cases and cold rooms contained in a building intended to store fresh or frozen food products, according to a fourfold principle: - recovery of energy from outside the building to cool storage devices when the outside temperature is less than or equal to 20 ° C, use of a water loop ensuring the energy transfer of the devices to the outside, in place of the known gas or glycol devices, - recovery of the energy released by the cooled appliances, in order to be used for other energy needs within the building, - production and storage of cold at so-called off-peak periods so that these resources can be used during a full period, thus avoiding peaks in terms of energy needs, characterized by: A water loop (a) maintained at constant temperature, capable of emancipating from coolant, installed between the engine room and each piece of equipment intended to be cooled, said water loop eliminates a refrigeration circuit (composed of refrigerant and equipment: compressor, condenser, expansion valve, evaporator) when the temperatures outside the building are low <15 ° C, An air-cooling exchanger (b) placed outside the building, receiving the water loop (a) cooling the water for the forced passage of outside ambient air (c), as soon as the outside temperature is below 20 ° C, A cold storage module (d) placed on the start of the water loop (a) and cooling the latter as soon as the temperature outside the building no longer allows the loop to cool, A cold production module (e) intended to charge the cold storage module (d), and which can come to the aid of cooling the water loop (a) if the cold storage module does not have enough energy, A hydraulic switch module (f) placed between the water loop (a) and the various air-cooling exchange modules (b), storage (d) and cold production (e), orienting the supply of the water loop (a) to the module or modules suitable for supplying cold, A control (g) dedicated to the operation of the assembly. 2. Method of operating the device for cooling refrigerated display cases and cold rooms according to claim 1, characterized by four operating phases: the first using only the air-cooling exchanger (b) to cool the water loop (a), the second mixing the use of the air-cooling exchanger modules (b) with the cold storage module (d) from when the external temperature (c) is sufficient to cool the water loop, the third using simultaneously the cold production module (e) and the air cooler (b) when the cold storage module (d) no longer provides the power required to cool the water loop, the fourth combining the use of air-cooling modules (b) for production (e) and storage (d) of cold in order to act both in storage cold while maintaining the water loop (a) at temperature. 3. Method of operating the device for cooling refrigerated display cases and cold rooms according to claim 2, characterized in that during the first phase, as soon as the outside temperature (c) is less than 20 ° C, the loop water (a) is directed to the air cooler (b) which uses the outside air temperature (c) to cool the water loop (a). 4. Method for operating the device for cooling refrigerated display cases and cold rooms during the second phase according to claim 2, characterized in that the water loop (a) is directed first towards the air cooler (b ) which punctually cools said loop (a), which is then directed towards the cold storage module (d) thus ensuring a constant temperature of the water loop (a) whatever the external thermal conditions (c). 5. Method for operating the device for cooling refrigerated display cases and cold rooms during the third phase according to claim 2, characterized in that the water loop (a) is first oriented towards the production of cold (e) , the air cooler (b) is then used to evacuate the calories produced by the operation of the cold production module (e). 6. Method for operating the device for cooling refrigerated display cases and cold rooms according to claim 2, characterized in that during the fourth phase, the water loop (a) is oriented towards the air cooler (b) so that it is cooled, in parallel the cold production module (e) feeds the cold storage module (d), while the calories produced by the operation of the cold production module are also evacuated by the air refrigerant.