JP2018128146A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator capable of securely preventing dew condensation in a limited opening edge space, with loss of energy saving performance minimized.SOLUTION: A refrigerator includes: a heat insulation box including an opening edge at its front side; a door capable of opening/closing the opening edge; a storage chamber formed by the door and the heat insulation box; a compressor; heat radiation means; a dew condensation prevention pipe configured to heat the opening edge; decompression means; and an evaporator. The refrigerator further includes a refrigerant flow passage configured to flow refrigerant discharged from a discharge port of the compressor in order of the heat radiation means, the dew condensation prevention pipe, the decompression means, the evaporator and a suction port of the compressor. In the refrigerator, the refrigerant pipe is branched on an upstream side of the dew condensation prevention pipe, and is confluent on a downstream side of the dew condensation prevention pipe, and one of the branch flow passages and a confluent flow passage are proximate to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

  A refrigerator is provided with a heat insulating box with an opening edge for partitioning a plurality of storage rooms, and a heat insulation door for each storage room, and is stored by a refrigeration cycle consisting of a compressor, heat dissipation means, pressure reduction means, and an evaporator. Cool indoor air.

    In such a refrigerator, heat leaks from between the storage room and the open / close door, and the surface temperature of the opening edge in the vicinity of the refrigerator falls below the outside air temperature. there were. For this reason, high-pressure piping (hereinafter referred to as “condensation prevention pipe”) is attached to the opening edge of the refrigerator and heated to prevent the occurrence of condensation.

  As an example of conventional condensation prevention, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-78282 describes that “a refrigerant reciprocating path is formed at the opening edge and the refrigerant flows oppositely”. In the refrigerator disclosed in Patent Document 1, the refrigerant pipes are caused to flow oppositely in a reciprocating path. In the case of a one-way piping route, the refrigerant changes from a two-phase state to a liquid state in the downstream area of the piping over the opening edge, and the temperature of the opening edge falls below the dew point due to a decrease in the refrigerant piping temperature. For this reason, in Patent Document 1, the temperature distribution of the opening edge is made uniform by arranging four flow paths in parallel, and condensation is reliably prevented.

JP 2007-78282 A

    However, in the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to enlarge the opening edge space in order to arrange a plurality of pipes in parallel, and there is a problem that the storage room capacity is reduced. In addition, when trying to arrange multiple pipes without changing the opening edge space, it is necessary to use pipes with a small diameter, which increases pressure loss due to pipe friction, leading to a reduction in energy savings. .

    Then, this invention makes it a subject to provide the refrigerator which prevents a dew condensation reliably by the limited opening edge space, without impairing energy saving as much as possible.

  In order to solve such problems, a refrigerator according to the present invention is formed by a heat insulating box having an opening edge in the front, a door capable of opening and closing the opening edge, and the door and the heat insulating box. In a refrigerator having a storage chamber, a compressor, a heat radiating means, a dew condensation preventing pipe for heating the opening edge, a pressure reducing means, and an evaporator, the refrigerant discharged from the discharge port of the compressor is A refrigerant passage that flows in the order of heat radiation means, the dew condensation prevention pipe, the decompression means, the evaporator, and the suction port of the compressor; the refrigerant pipe is branched upstream of the dew condensation prevention pipe; and the dew condensation prevention It merges on the downstream side of the pipe, and one of the branch flow paths and the merge flow path flow close to each other.

    According to the present invention, it is possible to reliably prevent dew condensation in a limited opening edge space without impairing energy saving as much as possible.

1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to Example 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment, taken along the line AA. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a refrigeration cycle of a refrigerator according to Example 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a mounting layout diagram of the radiator of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. It is sectional drawing in the front side of the heat insulation partition wall 11b which concerns on Example 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating a state of a refrigerant in a pipe according to Example 1. FIG. It is the block diagram which looked at the 4th heat radiator 26d which concerns on Example 1 from the refrigerator front. It is a figure which shows the refrigerant | coolant temperature distribution of the 4th heat radiator 26d which concerns on Example 1. FIG. It is BB sectional drawing of FIG. 3 is a Mollier diagram of the refrigerator according to Example 1. FIG. It is the block diagram which looked at the 4th heat radiator 26d which concerns on Example 2 from the refrigerator front. 6 is a configuration diagram of a refrigeration cycle of a refrigerator according to Example 3. FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.

Embodiment 1 of a refrigerator according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a front view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment is configured in the order of a refrigerator compartment 2, an ice making chamber 3 provided on the left and right, an upper freezer compartment 4, a lower freezer compartment 5, and a vegetable compartment 6 from above. . The refrigerator compartment 2 is divided into left and right parts and includes a rotary refrigerator compartment door 2a that opens in a double-split manner. The ice making chamber 3, the upper freezer compartment 4, the lower freezer compartment 5, and the vegetable compartment 6 have a drawer-type ice making door 3a and an upper compartment, respectively. A freezer compartment door 4a, a lower freezer compartment door 5a, and a vegetable compartment door 6a are provided. Hereinafter, the refrigerator compartment door 2a, the ice making compartment door 3a, the upper freezer compartment door 4a, the lower freezer compartment door 5a, and the vegetable compartment door 6a are simply referred to as doors 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a, and 6a. The ice making chamber 3, the upper freezing chamber 4, and the lower freezing chamber 5 are collectively referred to as a freezing chamber 7.

FIG. 2 is an AA cross-sectional view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment (see FIG. 1). The outside of the refrigerator 1 and the inside of the refrigerator are separated by a heat insulating box 9 formed by filling a foam heat insulating material between the outer box 9a and the inner box 9b. In addition to the foam heat insulating material, a plurality of vacuum heat insulating materials 10 are mounted on the heat insulating box 9 between the outer box 9a and the inner box 9b to achieve high heat insulation. Each storage room is separated by a heat insulating partition wall 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d. A partition cover 12 is provided in front of the heat insulating partition walls 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d. A plurality of door pockets 13 are provided on the inner side of the door 2a, and a plurality of shelves 14 are provided in the refrigerator compartment 2 in the vertical direction, and are partitioned into a plurality of storage spaces.
The upper freezer compartment 4, the lower freezer compartment 5, and the vegetable compartment 6 are provided with storage containers 4b, 5b, 6b that move integrally with the front doors 4a, 5a, 6a, respectively. The storage containers 4b, 5b, and 6b can also be pulled out by pulling out 5a and 6a to the near side. The ice making chamber 3 (not shown) is also provided with a storage container that moves integrally with the door 3a, and the storage container 3b can be pulled out by pulling the door 3a forward.

  The cooler 15 is provided at the rear of the lower freezer compartment 5, and the cold air heat-exchanged with the cooler 15 by the internal propeller fan 16 provided above the cooler 15 is stored in the refrigerator compartment cool air duct 17 and the freezer compartment cool air duct 18. , Are sent to the refrigerator compartment 2, the ice making chamber 3, the upper freezer compartment 4, the lower freezer compartment 5, and the vegetable compartment 6 through a vegetable room air duct (not shown).

    The blowing of cool air to each storage room is controlled by opening and closing the damper 20. The damper 20 is provided with a baffle plate 21, and the baffle plate 21 is adjusted in opening / closing angle by a motor to adjust the air flow rate.

The air sent to each storage chamber can be continuously cooled by returning to the lower side (inlet) of the cooler 15.
A radiant heater 22 is provided below the cooler 15. When frost grows on the surface of the cooler 15 and the air path is narrowed, defrosting is performed by operating the radiant heater 22.

A control board 23 is disposed behind the upper wall of the refrigerator 1, and the compressor 25 and the internal propeller fan 16 are turned on / off and the number of revolutions is controlled and the damper 20 is opened and closed according to the control means stored in the control board 23. Control is implemented.
In addition to the compressor 25, a first radiator 26a (not shown in FIG. 2) and an outside propeller fan 27 (not shown in FIG. 2) are arranged in the machine room 24 provided below the refrigerator 1. Has been.

    FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. A refrigerator 15 and an internal propeller fan 16 are provided in the interior. A compressor 25 for compressing the refrigerant and a first radiator 26a, a second radiator 26b, a third radiator 26c, which are provided with a compressor 25 for compressing the refrigerant and an outside propeller fan 27, A fourth radiator 26d and a capillary tube 28 as decompression means for expanding the refrigerant are provided. The compressor 24, the first radiator 26a, the second radiator 26b, the third radiator 26c, the fourth radiator 26d, the capillary tube 28, and the cooler 15 are connected by a pipe 29, and the refrigerant is It can be circulated.

    In the refrigeration cycle shown in FIG. 3, a capillary tube is taken as an example of the pressure reducing means, but an expansion valve or a combination of an expansion valve and a capillary tube may be used. In the present embodiment, the internal propeller fan 16 and the external propeller fan 27 are provided as the air blowing means, but other forms such as a centrifugal fan such as a backward-facing fan and a multi-blade fan may be used, and a plurality of fans may be provided. good.

    The internal air is sucked by the internal propeller fan 16 and passes through the cooler 15 so that it can be cooled by exchanging heat with the refrigerant. The outside air can pass through the first radiator 26a, the second radiator 26b, the third radiator 26c, and the fourth radiator 26d to exchange heat with the refrigerant and dissipate heat. . Since the first radiator 26a sucks outside air by the outside propeller fan 27, the first radiator 26a is configured to radiate heat more easily than the second to fourth radiators.

    FIG. 4 is a mounting layout diagram of the radiator of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. The first radiator 26a (not shown in FIG. 4) is, for example, a fin tube type heat exchanger disposed in the machine room 24. The second radiator 26b, the third radiator 26c, and the fourth radiator. Each of the containers 26 d is a heat radiating pipe disposed along the inside of the outer surface of the refrigerator 1. The second radiator 26b and the third radiator 26c are provided with a heat radiating pipe inside the outer box 9 so as to conduct heat to the outer box 9a of the refrigerator 1. The fourth radiator 26d has a heat radiating pipe inside the partition cover 12 so as to conduct heat to the partition cover 12 in front of the heat insulating partition walls 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d (see FIG. 2) that divide each storage room. Provided. The fourth radiator 26d not only radiates heat, but also plays a role in preventing condensation of the partition cover 12.

    FIG. 5 is a front sectional view of the heat insulating partition wall 11b according to the first embodiment. A partition cover 12 is provided in front of the heat insulating partition wall 11b, and a fourth radiator 26d is provided so as to contact the partition cover 12. In addition, a rubber material or a grease material may be interposed between the heat radiating pipe and the partition cover so that the heat can be reliably transmitted while ensuring the contact state between the heat radiating pipe and the partition cover 12. Further, there is a gap between the doors 4a and 5a, and the outside air enters the partition cover 12. Since the partition cover 12 is cooled by the inside air, the outside air may be cooled on the surface of the partition cover 12 to be below the dew point to cause condensation. Therefore, the surface temperature of the partition cover 12 prevents condensation by making the surface temperature of the partition cover 12 equal to or higher than the dew point.

    On the other hand, when the surface temperature of the partition cover 12 is raised, the heat (heat flow 30) entering the interior increases, and the energy saving performance decreases. For this reason, it is necessary to provide the fourth radiator 26d so as not to impair energy saving as much as possible while maintaining the dew point or higher.

    FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating the state of the refrigerant in the pipe according to the first embodiment. In the figure, the refrigerant state inside the pipe between the compressor 25 and the capillary tube 28 will be described. In general, gas refrigerant compressed to high temperature and high pressure by a compressor releases heat to the outside through a radiator, and the state of the refrigerant changes in the gas phase, gas-liquid two-phase region during phase change, and liquid phase. To do. In the refrigerator of the present embodiment, the fourth radiator 26d located on the most downstream side has a gas-liquid two-phase flow on the upstream side and a liquid region on the downstream side.

    Generally, a refrigerant in a gas-liquid two-phase state has a small temperature change because the heat exchanged with the outside air is used for the state change. On the other hand, the refrigerant temperature in the liquid single-phase state decreases by exchanging heat with the outside air. For this reason, the temperature of the partition cover 12 heated by the fourth radiator 26d is also lowered, and condensation is likely to occur on the surface of the partition cover 12. Therefore, it becomes a problem to keep the temperature of the partition cover 12 around the fourth radiator 26d downstream where the refrigerant is in a liquid single phase state at or above the dew point.

  FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of the fourth radiator 26d according to the first embodiment when viewed from the front of the refrigerator. The fourth radiator 26d is provided on the lower surface of the door 2a and around the doors 3a, 4a, 5a, and 6a. This prevents the outside air entering the gap between the doors from being cooled and condensed on the surface of the partition cover 12.

  A distributor 31 is provided on the inflow side (gas side) of the fourth radiator 26d, branching into two flow paths, the branch flow path 32a to the left, and the other branch flow path 32b (illustrated by dotted lines). Is configured to proceed upward. Furthermore, it merges with the merger 33 in the upper right, and the outflow side (liquid side) of the merge channel 34 is configured to be close to the branch channel 32b. By providing the branch flow path 32b so as to be close to the outflow side of the merge flow path 34, the temperature drop of the partition cover 12 due to the temperature drop due to the liquid single-phase refrigerant in the merge flow path 34 can be reduced. It can be suppressed by a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant having a constant temperature. Here, the proximity means not only that the distance between the flow paths is short, but also that the heating target is the same. In the present embodiment, if the same partition cover 12 is heated, the same effect can be obtained even if there is a partition or the like between the flow paths.

    FIG. 8 is a refrigerant temperature distribution of the fourth radiator 26d according to the first embodiment. The effect provided with the distributor 31 and the merger 33 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

    FIG. 8A is a comparative example showing the refrigerant temperature distribution in the refrigerant flow path configuration without branching and merging. Since the inflow side (gas side) of the fourth radiator 26d is in a gas-liquid two-phase state, the refrigerant temperature is substantially constant. When the state of the refrigerant becomes the liquid single phase state, the temperature of the refrigerant rapidly decreases, and on the outflow side (liquid side) of the fourth radiator 26d, it approaches the dew point temperature of the outside air. Therefore, when the minimum temperature of the fourth radiator 26d is close to the dew point temperature, the minimum temperature of the partition cover 12 is also close to the dew point temperature, and there is a risk of condensation.

  FIG. 8B shows the refrigerant temperature distribution of the first embodiment. Since the branch channel 32a has a small amount of refrigerant due to branching, the branch channel 32a is in a liquid single-phase state at a shorter distance than conventional. On the other hand, the branch flow path 32b has a short distance and a small pressure loss in the pipe, so that it easily flows into the merger 33 while maintaining the gas-liquid two-phase state. If either one of the flow diversion channels 32a or 32b is in a gas-liquid two-phase state, it is in a gas-liquid two-phase state on the upstream side of the confluence channel 34. And the temperature drops.

    Here, the outlet of the merging channel 34 is a liquid single phase, which is close to the dew point temperature of the outside air, but the partition cover 12 that contacts the merging channel 34 has a gas-liquid two-phase branch channel 32b. Therefore, the minimum temperature of the partition cover 12 is the temperature between the inflow side of the branch flow path 32b and the outflow side of the merge flow path 34. Therefore, the temperature difference between the dew point temperature of the outside air and the minimum temperature of the partition cover becomes larger than that of the configuration of the comparative example (FIG. 8 (a)), and condensation can be reliably prevented. In addition, since it is not necessary to increase the temperature of the fourth radiator 26d, the amount of heating to the interior is minimized, and condensation can be reliably prevented without losing energy saving as much as possible.

    Furthermore, the maximum number of pipes in the space (opening edge) of the partition cover 12 does not change and the number of pipes increases only in a part of the right side compared to the configuration without the shunt and merger shown in the comparative example. Because of the configuration, it can be configured in a limited space of the partition cover 12.

  In FIG. 7, the inner diameter of the branch channel 32b is narrower than that of the branch channel 32a. Since the branch flow path 32b is short in length and has a small pressure loss and easily flows into the gas refrigerant, a large amount of gas refrigerant flows into the branch flow path 32b, so that the branch flow path 32a becomes a liquid single-phase refrigerant at an early stage. Before reaching the container, it may cool to below the dew point and cause condensation. On the other hand, when there is little gas refrigerant flowing into the branch flow path 32b, there is a possibility that the liquid single-phase refrigerant becomes a downstream of the branch flow path 32b and the temperature is lowered. The temperature of the partition cover 12 is easily kept above the dew point. Therefore, it is desirable that ΔPa ≦ ΔPb so that the pressure loss ΔPa of the branch flow path 32a does not become too large, in other words, the pressure loss ΔPb of the branch flow path 32b does not become too small. In the present embodiment, when the pipe inner diameter of the branch flow path 32a is Da and the pipe inner diameter of the branch flow path 32b is Db, ΔPa ≦ ΔPb is satisfied by satisfying Da ≧ Db.

  In the present embodiment, the pipe shape is configured as a circular pipe, but the same concept holds for a flat pipe or a square pipe, for example. If Aa is the cross-sectional area of the branch flow path 32a and Ab is the cross-sectional area of the branch flow path 32b, the same effect can be obtained if Aa ≧ Ab.

  Further, in this embodiment, the pressure loss in the pipe is adjusted by the pipe inner diameter and the refrigerant distribution is adjusted. However, adjustment by the distributor shape or adjustment by the pipe inner diameter or cross-sectional area and the distributor You may combine the adjustment by.

    When adjusting according to the configuration of the distributor 31, for example, the channel area connected to the branch channel 32a in the distributor 31 is Ba, and the channel area connected to the branch channel 32b in the distributor 31 is Bb. In this case, it is desirable that Ba ≧ Bb.

  The relationship of ΔPa ≦ ΔPb can be confirmed by comparing the pressure loss when a single-phase liquid is caused to flow through the branch channel 32a and the branch channel 32b.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment, taken along the line BB (see FIG. 7). In the figure, a distribution channel 32b is arranged on the inner side, and a merging channel 34 is arranged on the outer side. Since the partition cover 12 is cooled by the inside of the compartment, the temperature inside the compartment becomes lower than the outside of the compartment, and the air outside the compartment is cooled and is likely to condense. For this reason, a distribution channel 32b in which the refrigerant is in a gas-liquid two-phase state and the temperature is easily maintained above the dew point is arranged inside the cabinet, the refrigerant is in a liquid single-phase state, and the temperature tends to be below the dew point. By disposing the flow path 34 on the outside of the warehouse, the temperature distribution in the partition cover 12 is made uniform, and condensation of outside air due to a local temperature drop can be prevented.

  In this embodiment, the partition cover 12 is used as the heating target. However, the heating target is not limited to the partition cover 12 and can be changed depending on the structure of the refrigerator such as a door opening / closing mechanism component or a metal plate. The effect is obtained.

  In FIG. 9, the branch flow path 32b and the merge flow path 34 are close to each other but are not in direct contact with each other. The effect by not making it contact directly is demonstrated from FIG.

    FIG. 10 shows a Mollier diagram of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 10, the horizontal axis represents specific enthalpy and the vertical axis represents pressure. The state of the refrigerant is compressed by the compressor from (a) to (b), radiated by the radiator to (c), depressurized by the capillary tube (d), and enters the cooler. .

  Here, when the temperature of the radiator outlet is high, in other words, when the branch channel 32b and the merge channel 34 are in direct contact, the specific enthalpy (c) at the radiator outlet becomes high (c ′). . For this reason, the specific enthalpy at the inlet of the cooler is also changed from (d) to (d ′), and the specific enthalpy difference between the inlet and the outlet of the cooler is reduced, so that the enthalpy difference (a) − (d) to (a) − ( By reducing to d ′), there is a risk that the energy saving performance is reduced. By making the branch flow path 32b and the merge flow path 34 non-contact, such a decrease in energy saving can be minimized.

  Next, the refrigerator which concerns on Example 2 of this invention is demonstrated using FIG. Also in the refrigerator according to the second embodiment, as in the refrigerator according to the first embodiment, the fourth radiator 26d includes the flow divider 31 and the merger 33, and the merge channel 34 is close to one of the branch channels 32b. However, the flow path lengths of the branch flow path and the merge flow path are different from those of the first embodiment. Other configurations are the same, and redundant description is omitted.

    FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of the fourth radiator 26d as viewed from the front of the refrigerator. A distributor 31 is provided on the inflow side (gas side) of the fourth radiator 26d so as to branch into two flow paths, with the branch flow path 32a moving to the left and the other branch flow path 32b moving upward. It is configured. Furthermore, it merges with the merger 33 which exists in the upper right, and the merge flow path 34 is comprised so that it may adjoin with the branch flow path 32b.

    In the second embodiment, the length of the branch flow path 32b is extended compared to the first embodiment. Since the branch channel 32b is shorter than the branch channel 32a, the gas refrigerant flows easily. Therefore, by extending the length of the refrigerant flow path 32b, the difference in pressure loss after branching is reduced to prevent the gas refrigerant from flowing too much into the branch flow path 32b. Thus, the distribution of the refrigerant can be optimized by adjusting the length of the branch flow path.

  Next, the refrigerator which concerns on Example 3 of this invention is demonstrated using FIG. Also in the refrigerator according to the third embodiment, the description overlapping with the refrigerator according to the first embodiment is omitted.

    FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of the refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator of the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, a valve 35 is provided between the third radiator 26c and the fourth radiator 26d. By the valve 35, the path (a) that does not pass through the fourth radiator 26d and the path (b) that passes through the fourth radiator 26d can be switched.

    Thereby, when the surface of the partition cover 12 of the refrigerator is sufficiently higher than the dew point temperature of the outside air, the refrigerant does not flow through the fourth radiator 26d, so that the inside of the refrigerator is not heated more than necessary. Energy saving can be achieved.

    Even in the refrigeration cycle having such a valve, by arranging the flow divider and the merger as shown in FIG. 7 of the first embodiment, similarly to the time for preventing the dew condensation by flowing the refrigerant through the fourth radiator 26d. The time to heat the inside of the cabinet is shortened, and condensation can be prevented without impairing energy saving.

  In the first to third embodiments, the distributor 34 is provided on the inflow side of the fourth radiator 26d. However, the third radiator 26c and the second radiator 26b which are further upstream than the fourth radiator 26d. Alternatively, the same effect can be obtained even if the first radiator 26a is provided.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Refrigerator 2 ... Refrigeration room 3 ... Ice making room 4 ... Upper stage freezer room 5 ... Lower stage freezer room 6 ... Vegetable room 7 ... Freezer room 9 ... Heat insulation box 11 ... Heat insulation partition wall 12 ... Partition cover 13 ... Door pocket 14 ... Shelf 15 ... Cooler 16 ... Internal propeller fan 17 ... Cold room cold air duct 18 ... Freezer compartment air duct 20 ... Damper 21 ... Baffle plate 22 ... Radiant heater 23 ... Control board 24 ... Machine room 25 ... Compressor 26 ... Radiator 27 ... Storage Outer propeller fan 28 ··· Capillary tube 29 ··· Pipe 30 · · · Heat flow 31 ··· Divider 32 ··· Divergent channel 33 · · · Merger 34 · · · Merge channel 35 ···・ Valve

Claims (5)

  A heat insulating box having an opening edge in the front, a door capable of opening and closing the opening edge, a storage chamber formed by the door and the heat insulating box, a compressor, a heat radiating means, and heating the opening edge In a refrigerator comprising a dew condensation prevention pipe, a decompression means, and an evaporator, the refrigerant discharged from the discharge port of the compressor is used as the heat radiation means, the condensation prevention pipe, the decompression means, the evaporator, A refrigerant flow path that flows in the order of the suction port of the compressor; the refrigerant pipe is branched upstream of the dew condensation prevention pipe; and the downstream side of the dew condensation prevention pipe is merged; A refrigerator characterized by flowing in close proximity.   2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein a pressure loss of a branch channel that is not close to the merged channel among the branch channels is ΔPa, and a cross-sectional area of the branch channel that flows close to the merged channel is ΔPb. In this case, the refrigerator is characterized in that ΔPa ≦ ΔPb.   3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein, of the branch channels, a cross-sectional area of a branch channel that is not close to the merged channel is Aa, and a cross-sectional area of the branch channel that flows close to the merged channel is defined as Aa. A refrigerator characterized by Aa ≧ Ab when Ab is used.   The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a branch channel on the inner side of the merging channel that flows close to the merging channel.   5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the merging channel and the branch channel that flows close to the merging channel are not in direct contact with each other.

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