KR100924420B1 - Cold water bucket of cold/hot water purifiers - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a structure of a purified cold water container having a configuration that allows the water temperature in the cold water container to be kept constant even if the water contained in the cold water container is repeatedly taken out. The water container is very usefully applied to a cold water purifier having a structure in which a cold water container is attached to a lower part of the water reservoir, and its configuration has at least one hole having a predetermined size in a vertical direction, and the water container and the cold water container are combined. An upper separation membrane positioned at a portion to be formed and an intermediate separation membrane disposed in the cold water container spaced downward from the upper separation membrane with at least one or more holes formed in a predetermined size in a horizontal direction are installed.

Separator, middle separator, upper separator, cold water container, water reservoir

Description

Structure of cold water container of cold / hot water purifier {COLD WATER BUCKET OF COLD / HOT WATER PURIFIERS}             

1 is a view showing a coupling structure of a reservoir and a cold water container according to the prior art.

2 is a view for explaining the density of water according to the temperature.

3 is a view for explaining the principle of the present invention, it is for explaining the change of the temperature field and the flow field with time.

4 is a view for explaining the principle of the present invention, which shows the change in heat transfer step by step of the flow.

Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the cold water reservoir of the water purifier according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a view for explaining the structure of the upper separator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an inlet formed in the upper separator illustrated in FIG. 6.

8 is a view for explaining the structure of the intermediate separator according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention relates to a structure of a cold / hot water purifier, and more particularly, to a structure of a cold / hot water purifier of a cold / hot water purifier having a configuration that allows the water temperature in the cold water tank to be kept constant even after repeatedly taking water contained in the cold water tank.

Typically, the cold and hot water purifier is configured to supply cold water and hot water at a predetermined temperature by supplying water in a reservoir to store the purified water of normal temperature water to a cold water tank and a hot water tank. An evaporator pipe is wound around the cold water container to reduce the temperature of the water supplied therein, and a discharge port is formed at the lower side thereof to connect the intake faucet. The cold water tank has a capacity of about 1 liter to about 1.5 liters and can be changed as necessary. By operating the water intake tap connected to the outlet of the lower portion of the cold water tank when the water is intake, the normal temperature of the water filled in the water reservoir is supplemented with the cold water tank to increase the water temperature in the cold water tank.

When the temperature of the water in the cold water tank is increased by the purified water at room temperature replenished from the reservoir, a problem arises in that the cold water maintained at a constant temperature cannot be collected. Therefore, even if the cold water contained in the cold water container is repeatedly taken several times, a technology for maintaining a constant water temperature in the cold water container is required.

1 is a view showing a coupling structure of a reservoir and a cold water container according to the prior art. Referring to Figure 1, the upper portion of the cold water tank 14 is located in the reservoir 12 for storing the purified water at a constant level at all times. The water filled in the reservoir 12 is supplied to the cold reservoir 14 located below. The reservoir 12 and the cold water tank 14 are separated by an upper separation membrane 16 having a hole shaped to prevent mixing of water in each cylinder. An evaporation tube 18 formed of a copper tube is wound around the outside of the cold water tank 14 to cool the cold water tank 14 by the latent heat of evaporation of the refrigerant in the evaporation tube 18 when the cooler is driven. The water is cooled to below a certain temperature.

In addition, in order to minimize the heat loss of the cold water tank 14, a heat insulating layer 20 having a constant thickness is in contact with the evaporator 18 to surround the outer circumference of the cold water tank 14. The lower center or lower sidewall of the cold water tank 14 is provided with a discharge port 22 for discharging cold water. The outlet 22 is discharged into the cold water tank 14 by the operation of the cooling cycle to discharge the cooled water and at the same time the upper separation membrane located at the connection portion of the cold water tank 14 and the reservoir 12 ( A hole having a predetermined size formed in 16 and an amount of water discharged through the outlet 22 are introduced into the cold water container 14.

The upper separation membrane 16 is positioned to have a predetermined area at the connection portion between the reservoir 12 and the cold water reservoir 14, and a plurality of holes are formed. The upper separation membrane 16 configured as described above has a structure in which normal temperature water (about 20 ° C. to 25 ° C.) in the reservoir 12 and cold water (about 0 ° C. to 8 ° C.) in the cold water tank 14 are not easily mixed.

Therefore, when the cold water is discharged to the outlet 22 formed in the lower portion of the cold water tank 14, the room temperature water contained in the water reservoir 12 is introduced into the cold water tank 14 through the hole of the upper separation membrane 16. In this case, the water temperature of the cold water tank 14 is increased by mixing water having different temperatures inside the cold water tank 14. The upper separation membrane 16 should not be easily mixed with the water in the reservoir 12 and the cold water reservoir 14, and should be made of a material having a heat transfer smaller than that of the water to improve the heat shielding effect.

The structure of the cold water container according to the prior art has an evaporator 18 wound around the side of the container to cool the water in the cold water container 14 having a cylindrical or rectangular cross section as shown in FIG. The temperature of the evaporator 18 is drastically lowered by the operation of the cooler. By this cooling action, when the specific portion (temperature sensor attachment position) of the cold water tank 14 is lowered below a certain temperature, the operation of the cooler is stopped. Since the temperature of the evaporator 18 is below zero, when the average water temperature of the cold water tank 14 is cooled below a certain temperature, the water on the side surface is frozen on the side wall of the cold water tank 14.

Due to the nature of the water, the density of 4 ° C. water is higher than that of 0 ° C., so that the flow in the cold water tank 14 becomes unstable. In addition, the water temperature inside the reservoir 12 located at the top is usually maintained above 20 ℃ and even if the water in the cold water tank 14 is sufficiently cooled, water near 4 ℃ is located at the bottom of the cold water tank 14 and 0 ~ 2 ℃ Phosphorus is moved to the vicinity of the upper separation membrane 16 and heat exchange with the room temperature of the reservoir 12 occurs.

Due to this heat loss, the internal water temperature of the cold water tank 14 cannot be lowered below a predetermined temperature, and ice is generated at a position where the evaporator 18 is wound, thereby increasing the non-uniformity of the temperature distribution inside the cold water tank 14. Natural convection (unstable flow, flow can be easily amplified by external vibrations) of the water inside the cold water tank 14 easily occurs. The natural convection inside the cold water tank 14 has the effect of uniformizing the temperature by mixing the water near the inside of the cold water tank 14, but the heat loss is increased by amplifying the heat transfer in the upper separator (16). As a result, it becomes the cause of raising the average water temperature of the cold water tank 14.

Therefore, the water temperature in the cold water tank 14 is near the freezing point, while the water filled in the water reservoir 12 is close to room temperature. This temperature difference generates heat loss due to the conduction of the upper and lower temperature differences of the upper separator 16. The water in the cold water tank 14 generates a continuous flow due to heat loss at the top and cooling through the sidewalls, and the intensity of this flow is related to the internal shape of the cold water tank 14. Since water, which is a unique physical property of water, has a maximum density point in the vicinity of 4 degrees Celsius, it is difficult to suppress the complicated flow in the vicinity of 4 degrees Celsius by a single upper separator 16 as in the related art.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a structure of a cold water container of cold water that can suppress the natural convection phenomenon in the cold water container.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a structure of a cold water container of a cold / hot water purifier that suppresses flow near the separation membrane located above the cold water container to minimize heat transfer (heat loss) generated by convection.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a structure of a cold water purifier of a cold / hot water purifier capable of supplying a lot of cooler water by overcoming a problem that the temperature rises easily and the storage temperature is relatively high according to the discharge of the water contained in the cold water tank.

The present invention for achieving the above object in the structure of the cold water tank of the cold water purifier having a structure in which the cold water tank is attached to the bottom of the water reservoir, having at least one hole formed in a constant size in the vertical direction and the water reservoir and the And an upper separator positioned at a portion to which the cold water container is coupled, and an intermediate separator positioned at an inner side of the cold water container, at least one hole having a predetermined size in a horizontal (side) direction and spaced downward from the upper separator. It is done.

The holes formed in the upper separator are formed in the vertical direction in the vicinity of the circumference of the upper separator, and the inflow direction is preferably formed in the circumferential direction.

The holes formed in the intermediate separator are preferably configured such that a flow path is formed in a vertical direction from the side of the convex portion protruding convexly toward the upper portion at the center portion thereof.

When the water is initially introduced into the upper separator and the middle separator, the upper separator is formed to be convex toward the bottom so that air can be discharged to the outlet formed in the lower portion of the cold water container, and the middle separator has a convex shape toward the top. It is good to be.

The area of the inlet hole formed in the upper and middle separators is required to be larger than the outlet cross-sectional area formed in the lower portion of the cold water container.

In addition, in order to suppress the flow of water in the cold water reservoir and the reservoir and to minimize the heat exchange between each cylinder, the upper portion of the cold water tank has a partition wall (separation wall between the water reservoir and the cold water tank), It is formed to supply the fluid to the upper separation membrane side through the inlet hole formed in the side of the separation wall.

The present invention as described above is formed through the inlet hole formed in the upper separation membrane in the vertical direction from the horizontal (side) direction, the inlet hole formed in the intermediate separation membrane located below the high density by forming in the vertical direction from the horizontal direction Temporary storage of water between the upper separator and the lower separator can make the temperature of the water taken out constant.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. It should be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be limited to the described embodiments. It should be noted that the following examples are intended to be illustrative and to sufficiently convey the spirit of the present invention to those skilled in the art. It should also be noted that detailed descriptions of well-known functions and configurations in the art that may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention are omitted.

The present invention is to place the intermediate membrane inside the cold water tank using the properties of the water to place the water of 0 ~ 4 degrees Celsius in the lower part of the cold water tank separator and to keep the water above 4 degrees Celsius separated from each other on top of the cold water tank separator Technology. By minimizing the instability of the flow due to uneven water temperature inside the cold water tank, when the cold water is discharged from the bottom of the cold water tank, a more stable fluidized bed is formed inside the cold water tank, so that the water introduced from the water reservoir can It can be introduced without mixing easily, allowing more cold water to be discharged.

First of all, in order to understand the principle of the technique according to the present invention, an understanding of the flow near the maximum density point of water is required (Reference: HS Kwak, K. Kuwahra, & JM Hyun, Convective cool-down of a contained fluid through its maximum density temperature, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, Vol. 41, No. 2, pp. 323-333, 1998).

2 is the density of water with temperature and has a maximum density point at 3.98 ° C. It is the technical principle of the present invention to utilize such water properties. Taking into consideration that the maximum density point of water is around 4 ℃, the cold water tank separating water below 4 ℃ and water above 4 ℃ minimizes the heat loss of the water reservoir so that the average water temperature of the cold water tank can be lowered so that cooler water can be collected. At the same time, the heat exchange with the ice formed on the inner surface of the cold water tank is more easily performed to further suppress the temperature rise of the water in the cold water tank.

In order to understand the flow inside the cold water tank, the physical meaning of the water flow near 4 ° C is explained through a numerical model that establishes the simplified shape and boundary conditions of the cold water tank.

Figure 3 shows the internal temperature field and the flow field in the process of cooling the water in the cold water tank over time when the initial water temperature is 8 ℃ and the temperature of the side wall of the cylinder suddenly becomes 0 ℃. Initially, the clockwise flow is generated by heat transfer on the side wall of the cylinder, and the counterclockwise flow grows as the water inside is cooled to 4 ° C or lower. At this time, the water near the wall of the cylinder is cooled to less than 4 ℃ and the instability of the flow field occurs due to the change in the specific gravity of the water.

3 d is cooled to 4 ° C. or lower at the side wall and the top of the cylinder, while at 4 ° C. or higher at the center and the bottom. Under the condition that the top of the cylinder is insulated, water at 0 ° C forms the upper layer, and water at 0 ° C or higher forms the bottom layer of the cold water tank. The freezing point of water is formed in the upper side wall by the flow shape of the water, and the ice grows. As such, the flow near the maximum density point of water causes more active heat exchange with the upper reservoir water.

In order to suppress the heat exchange with the water reservoir, the insulation layer of the upper separator may be increased by increasing the thickness, or the insulation may be reinforced, but since the cost of the product may be increased, in the present invention, the intermediate membrane may be installed with a simpler technique to lower the storage temperature of the water. Sufficient heat exchange will occur in the top layer, allowing a greater amount of cold water to be taken in.

Since the shape of the cold water tank is about 2 pieces of equipment (height / radius), if the separator is installed at the top of the cold water container and the intermediate membrane is installed at the top of the ice where the ice grows highest on the side wall of the cold water container, the water in the lower layer of the middle separator is 4 ° C. It can maintain below. Therefore, in the present invention, the intermediate separator installed in the inside of the cold water tank is installed above the place where the ice grows highest on the side wall in the cold water tank.

If the upper and lower layers of the intermediate separator are represented as upper and lower layers, it is advantageous to form water inflow passages in the middle of the intermediate separator separating the upper and lower layers. Through these passages, heat exchange between the upper and lower parts can be minimized. In addition, the upper separator (separation membrane located above the cold water tank, the reservoir and the cold water tank, and the water inflow passage of the upper separator is located near the circumference to prevent the mixing of two layers of water with a large temperature difference and to facilitate heat exchange with the upper layer during intake). In order to lower the temperature of the room temperature water in the reservoir, the water flowing in the vicinity of the circumference flows in the tangential direction of the circumference so that the water in the upper layer can rotate.

Rotation of the water in the upper layer has the effect of centralizing sufficiently cooled water prior to the introduction of the reservoir water. Due to the rotational flow effect, water at room temperature introduced into the upper layer cannot directly enter the lower layer. In addition, the water flowing from the reservoir is close to the wall surface of the upper layer flow occurs more easily to generate heat transfer to the cooler wall of the cold water reservoir structure that can be more easily cooled. As a result, the water introduced into the lower layer becomes a structure in which only water cooled to a certain temperature is allowed to enter, thereby increasing the water temperature of the lower layer as much as possible.

4 is a numerical analysis result of the heat transfer change process in the cylindrical wall surface when the temperature of the side wall is 0 ° C followed by water does not freeze. When the upper and lower parts are insulated, the cooling time of the water in the cylinder when the initial temperature is 8 ° C is shown. The numerical results are different from the boundary condition of the cold water tank of the actual water purifier, but they have many clues for explaining the cooling mechanism of the cold water tank because they are similar in physical sense. Phase I (phase) is the time of formation of the boundary layer and phase II is the time when a single flow field is formed by natural convection, and phase III is the flow field that is opposite to the original flow direction as the internal water is cooled below 4 ° C. It is the period that is formed. In stage IV, the final state, the water inside is cooled to near 0 ° C, where the flow opposite to the initial flow direction occurs.

 At this time, the internal temperature field is reversed and the upper temperature is low (near 0 ℃) and the lower is high. The degree of heat transfer is related to the strength of the natural convection that forms inside and the strength of the flow becomes weaker. The time axis of FIG. 4 is similar to the cooling time of a real water purifier because it is similar to the general cold water geometry.

With reference to the accompanying drawings an embodiment of applying the principle of the present invention to the cold water purifier will be described in detail.

FIG. 5 illustrates a configuration in which the principle of the present invention is applied to a water purifier, and the same reference numerals are given to components having the same functions and functions in the above-described technical configuration.

Referring to FIG. 5, an upper separator 17 is installed at an upper portion of the cold water tank 14, and an intermediate separator 19 is coupled therein. At this time, the intermediate separator 19 is installed above the place where the ice grows the highest in the side wall in the cold water tank 14 as mentioned above. This location may be found by experimentation by operating the cooling system, and it is determined that the above description will be sufficiently understood by the description of FIG. In FIG. 5, the inner wall of the inner water tank 14 corresponding to the portion where the evaporation tube 18 wound on the outer side of the cold water tank 14 is located at the top corresponds to where the ice grows as high as possible.

In addition, a separation wall 24 for separating the cold water container 14 and the water container 12 is formed between the upper portion of the cold water container 14 and the water reservoir 12. The interior of the dividing wall 24 is filled with air or EPS insulation. Such a partition wall 24 is to suppress the flow of water between the cold water tank 14 and the reservoir 12 and to minimize the heat exchange between the cylinders. In this case, an inflow hole is formed at a side surface of the separation wall 24 to supply water from the reservoir 12 to the inflow hole 21 side of the upper separation membrane 17.

When cold water is discharged from the cold water container 14 configured as described above to the outlet 22 provided at the lower portion, the room temperature water from the water reservoir 12 located at the upper portion opens the inlet hole 21 formed in the upper separation membrane 17. It is supplied to the cold water tank 14 through. As the room temperature water flows into the cold water tank 14, the water temperature in the cold water tank 14 is increased. In addition, there is an upper separation membrane 17 having a shape as shown in FIG. 6 at the connection portion of the reservoir 12 located above the cold water reservoir 14 so as not to mix with the water of the reservoir 12.
The inside of the cold water tank 14 has a disk shape formed as shown in (a) and (b) of FIG. An intermediate separator 19 having an inflow hole 23 formed therein is provided. Accordingly, the water introduced into the water reservoir 12 through the upper separator 17 is sufficiently heat exchanged between the upper separator 17 and the intermediate separator 19, and then, By being lowered to the bottom, the phenomenon that normal temperature water is discharged through the outlet 22 of the cold water tank 14 does not occur.

As shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 7, the upper separation membrane 17 has a disc shape, the center portion of which is formed in a convex shape toward the bottom, and has an inlet hole formed in a shape obliquely inclined near the circumference ( 21) The upper separation membrane 17 as described above is installed on the upper portion of the cold water tank 14 to suppress the inflow of water from the vertical direction when water flows in from the top and to allow the water to flow in the circumferential direction to the upper layer of the cold water tank 14. The water inside is rotated. At this time, as the water inside the cold water tank 14 rotates according to the principle of rotational flow, the room temperature water introduced through the upper separation membrane 17 is rotated inflow along the side of the inner cylinder of the cold water tank 14 and the upper separation membrane 17 ) And flows inward through the surface of the intermediate separator 19 and again in the circumferential direction at the middle height of the upper layer.

By the above flow, the cold wall surface between the upper separator 17 and the middle separator 19 is sufficiently exchanged in the cold water tank 14, so that the room temperature water introduced into the inner water tank 14 is faster. Time to cool down. As such, the water cooled primarily in the upper layer passes through a passage of the inflow hole 23 formed as a central portion therein at the side of the surface of which the center of the intermediate separation membrane 19 protrudes convex upward. It flows into the lower layer of the cold water tank (14).
In this way, since the temperature of the lower layer of the cold water tank 14 is suppressed to the maximum, a method of discharging a lot of cooler cold water can be discharged compared to the conventional method by keeping the temperature of the cold water taken out from the cold water tank 14 low. Becomes

Therefore, when the two separators use a material having low heat transfer and increase the thickness, the two separators are more advantageous for maintaining the temperature of the cold water by suppressing heat exchange between the separators. The performance of the membrane is related not only to the shape of the hole, but also to the total area and location of the hole. It is more advantageous to place the hole in the upper separator near the circumference and the hole in the cold water tank near the central axis. For example, the area of the inflow holes 21 and 23 formed in the upper separation membrane 17 and the intermediate separation membrane 19 may be 5 to 10 times or more than the cross-sectional area of the outlet of the cold water tank 14.

6, 7 and 8 illustrate specific examples of the upper separator 17 and the intermediate separator 19. 6 (a), 6 (b) and 7, the shape of the inflow hole 21 formed in the upper separation membrane 17 is a shape for introducing water in the circumferential direction. It has a shape.
However, the cross-sectional shape of the inflow hole 21 may be square, rhombus, triangle, or the like. The upper separation membrane 17 as described above has a lower central portion so that air can be more easily discharged through the inlet hole 21 when water is initially filled, and an inlet hole drilled in an obliquely inclined shape near the circumference ( 21) It is better to keep the surrounding area higher than the center part.
In addition, the inflow hole 23 formed in the intermediate membrane 19 protrudes in a convex shape toward the top, as shown in FIGS. A hole is formed in the lower side of the protruding portion in the convex shape so that water is introduced from the side of the protruding portion and discharged into the lower portion thereof.

 As described above, the present invention minimizes heat loss by using a mixture of room temperature water and cold water at the upper side by using the property of water to separate water according to the temperature of the cold water. In addition, by forming a more stable cold water flow using the water properties of 3.98 degrees Celsius, which has the highest density point, it is more difficult to mix with room temperature water by the disturbance generated during intake, thus maintaining a lower intake temperature even in many intakes. By maintaining the quality of the cold water purifier can be maintained higher.

Claims (7)

In the cold water tank structure of the cold water purifier having a structure in which a cold water tank is attached to the bottom of the reservoir, An upper separator having at least one hole formed in a predetermined size in a vertical direction and positioned at a portion where the reservoir and the cold water container are coupled; The structure of the cold water purifier of the cold water purifier, characterized in that it has at least one hole formed in a constant size in the horizontal direction and spaced downward from the upper separation membrane to have an intermediate separator located inside the cold water reservoir. The structure of the cold water container of the cold water purifier of claim 1, wherein the intermediate separator is installed above the inner wall of the cold water container corresponding to the portion where the evaporation tube wound on the outer wall of the cold water container is located at the top. . The structure of claim 1, wherein the holes formed in the upper separation membrane are formed in a vertical direction near the circumference of the upper separation membrane, and are formed such that the inflow direction of the water is in the circumferential direction. The structure of claim 2, wherein the inlet of the intermediate membrane protrudes upward from the central portion of the intermediate membrane such that a flow path is formed from a side thereof to a lower portion of the center of the intermediate separator. According to claim 1, wherein the central portion of the upper separator is formed in a shape leaned toward the bottom and formed around the inlet hole perforated in a shape obliquely inclined near the circumference higher than the central portion, the center of the intermediate membrane The part of the structure of the cold water purifier of the cold water purifier, characterized in that the convex shape protrudes toward the upper side and the inlet hole is formed in the lower portion of the inside from the side of the protruding portion. The structure of the cold water container of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the total area of the inlet holes formed in the upper and middle separators is larger than the outlet cross-sectional area formed in the lower portion of the cold water container. According to claim 1, In order to suppress the flow of water between the cold water reservoir and the reservoir and to minimize the heat exchange between the barrels, the upper portion of the cold water tank has a partition wall extending up to the water surface of the reservoir, on the side of the separation wall The structure of the cold water container of the cold water purifier, characterized in that for supplying a fluid to the upper separator side through the formed inlet hole.

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