KR20110023942A - Cooling system for liquid - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A liquid cooling system capable of the cooling of liquid material to desired temperature is provided to maximize the cooling efficiency by arranging a pipe, in which liquid flows, in a main body. CONSTITUTION: A liquid cooling system comprises a cooling part and a circulation part. The cooling part cools refrigerant. The circulation part comprises a pipe in which, the liquid cooled by a cooling part, is flown. The cooling part comprises a main body, a refrigerant pump(220), a suction tube(230), a heat exchanger(240), and an exhaust line(250).

Description

Liquid cooling device {COOLING SYSTEM FOR LIQUID}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid cooling device, and more particularly, to a liquid cooling device for cooling a liquid such as a beverage or alcohol to a desired temperature desired by a user.

In general, liquid cooling devices are used in homes, offices, or public places to provide a cooling system, such as a cold water cooler that cools drinking water, or a liquor cooling device that cools liquor, such as beer, to a certain temperature. . A system for cooling such liquids is typically equipped with a refrigeration cycle device inside the liquid cooling device to cool drinks or liquor.

1 is a perspective view showing a main part of a conventional liquid cooling device. In the conventional liquid cooling apparatus, an endothermic pipe 30 through which a refrigerant circulates is disposed along an inner wall of the case 10, and a distribution pipe 20 having an inlet and an outlet of the liquid is overlapped and wound in an inner space of the case 10. The remaining space of the case 10 is filled with a cooling medium such as water or alcohol to cool the beverage or the alcoholic beverage.

However, according to the conventional liquid cooling device, the endothermic pipe 30 may be removed in a relatively large number of times to obtain the required cooling effect only by heat absorption through the endothermic pipe 30 installed along the inner wall of the case 10. In order to increase the heat exchange area, the volume of the case 10 had to be increased and the number of turns of the endothermic pipe 30 had to be increased. As the volume of the case 10 increased, the case 10 had to be wound along the inner wall. There was a problem that the amount of the refrigerating medium to be filled therein also takes a lot of power.

In addition, since the endothermic pipe 30 wound around the inner wall of the case 10 absorbs not only the heat of the liquid in the flow pipe 20 but also the heat outside the case 10, there is a problem that the cooling energy is increased more than necessary. .

On the other hand, the conventional liquid cooling device as described above has a problem in that the liquid can be simply cooled to only one constant temperature by providing one cooling device.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, comprising a cooling unit and the circulation unit, the circulation unit includes a pipe through which the liquid cooled by the cooling unit flows, the pipe is extended into the body of the cooling unit An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid cooling device with excellent cooling efficiency.

The technical problem to be achieved by the present invention is not limited to the technical problem mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned above may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. will be.

The liquid cooling device of the present invention includes a circulation section including a cooling section for cooling the refrigerant and a pipe through which the liquid cooled by the cooling section flows.

The cooling unit may further include: a main body accommodating the coolant, a coolant pump circulating the coolant, a suction pipe connected to the coolant pump to suck the coolant from the main body, and the coolant supplied from the coolant pump. And a discharge tube connected to the refrigerant pump and discharging the refrigerant cooled by the heat exchange unit to the main body.

The cooling unit may further include a temperature controller for controlling the temperature of the refrigerant and a temperature sensor provided inside the main body and measuring a temperature of the refrigerant, wherein the temperature of the refrigerant measured by the temperature sensor is When the temperature is greater than or equal to a first set value, the temperature controller turns on the operation of the refrigerant pump and the heat exchanger, and when the temperature of the refrigerant measured by the temperature sensing sensor is less than a second set value, the temperature controller is configured to control the refrigerant. It characterized in that the operation of the pump and the heat exchanger (OFF).

The circulation unit may include a first circulation unit and a second circulation unit, and the first circulation unit may include a first pipe extending into an area filled with air in the main body and having the liquid flow therein, The second circulation part may include a second pipe extending into an area filled with the refrigerant inside the main body and having the liquid flowing therein.

According to the liquid cooling device of the present invention, by arranging a pipe in which liquid flows inside the main body accommodating the refrigerant, the pipe receives the latent heat of the refrigerant directly to cool the liquid and maximizes the contact area between the refrigerant and the pipe, thereby improving cooling efficiency. If the liquid is a beverage or liquor, etc., there is an advantage of hygienic supply of the cooled beverage or liquor. In addition, by removing the foreign matter contained in the refrigerant by the filter unit provided in the suction pipe, it is possible to prevent the support of microorganisms and the like inside the main body.

On the other hand, by using only one cooling device can obtain a liquid having two constant cooling temperature, there is an advantage that can reduce the number of parts, thereby simplifying the structure of the device, and lower the price.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this process, the size or shape of the components shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience of description. In addition, terms that are specifically defined in consideration of the configuration and operation of the present invention may vary depending on the intention or custom of the user or operator. Definitions of these terms should be interpreted as meanings and concepts corresponding to the technical spirit of the present invention based on the contents throughout the present specification.

2 is a perspective view showing a liquid cooling device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing a liquid cooling device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 and 3 will be described in detail with respect to the liquid cooling device 100 of the present invention.

The liquid cooling device 100 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 includes a cooling unit and a circulation unit.

The cooling unit accommodates the refrigerant 218 and cools the liquid flowing inside the pipe provided in the circulation unit by cooling the contained refrigerant 218. The coolant 218 is a material that preserves cold air for a long time in a state in which cold air is absorbed and slowly releases cold air, and may mainly use water, alcohol, or a mixture of water and alcohol.

According to one embodiment, ethylene glycol (Ethylene Glycol) may be selected as the alcohol used as the refrigerant 218. Ethylene glycol is often widely used as an industrial or medical aid because it is easy to obtain, inexpensive, has a low toxicity compared to other chemicals, and has a large heat capacity and low freezing point. The glycol-based low polymers are used for the treatment of patients in hospitals, and do not themselves serve as the refrigerant 218, and have excellent molecular properties by slowly absorbing the surrounding heat or cold and retaining cold air for a long time. .

The cooling unit is connected to the main body 210 accommodating the refrigerant 218, the refrigerant pump 220 circulating the refrigerant 218, the refrigerant pump 220, and a suction pipe for sucking the refrigerant 218 from the main body 210. The main body 230 includes a heat exchanger 240 for cooling the refrigerant 218 supplied from the refrigerant pump 220, and a refrigerant 218 connected to the refrigerant pump 220 and cooled by the heat exchanger 240. And a discharge pipe 250 for discharging to 210.

The main body 210 has an outer container 212 forming an outer appearance, an inner container 214 provided inside the outer container 212 and containing a receiving portion for receiving the refrigerant 218, and an outer container 212 and the inner portion. Insulating material 216 is interposed between the container 214, the outer container 212 is characterized in that the drum shape. In addition, the suction pipe 230, the discharge pipe 250, and the like are provided inside the main body 210.

In order to keep the inside of the main body 210 at a low temperature, it is necessary to prevent intrusion of heat from the outside. Therefore, by providing a heat insulator 216 between the outer container 212 and the inner container 214 to increase the cooling efficiency by the heat insulation, it is possible to maximize the cold air held by the refrigerant 218.

According to one embodiment, glass fiber, polystyrene foam, urethane foam, or the like may be used as the heat insulator 216. Glass fiber is resin-bonded extremely thin glass fiber, and a difference arises in heat insulation effect according to the thickness of a fiber. Polystyrene foam is a polysaturated polystyrene resin, there is an advantage that it is easy to handle and arbitrary shape. Urethane foam is a foam produced by the reaction of isocyanate and polyol, and has excellent thermal insulation properties. When urethane foam is introduced into the liquid phase between the outer container 212 and the inner container 214, the outer container 212 is formed. And foam between the inner container 214 to form a heat insulating wall.

The refrigerant pump 220 circulates the refrigerant 218 accommodated in the body 210. That is, when the coolant pump 220 is operated, the coolant 218 is sucked into the coolant pump 220 through the suction pipe 230 connected to the coolant pump 220, and through the discharge pipe 250 connected to the coolant pump 220. The refrigerant 218 is discharged back into the main body 210.

According to one embodiment, as the refrigerant pump 220, a small, lightweight, simple structure and easy to handle centrifugal pump may be used.

The suction pipe 230 is connected to the refrigerant pump 220 to suck the refrigerant 218 contained in the body 210 to the refrigerant pump 220. That is, the refrigerant 218 is sucked into the refrigerant pump 220 through the suction pipe 230, cooled while passing through the heat exchanger 240, and discharged into the main body 210 again through the discharge pipe 250. The refrigerant 218 accommodated inside the 210 may be maintained at a constant low temperature.

On the other hand, the suction pipe 230 is installed at the end of the suction pipe 230 extending to the bottom surface of the main body 210 and includes a filter unit 232 for filtering foreign matter contained in the refrigerant 218. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the foreign matter from being eroded inside the main body 210 to prevent breakage of the cooling unit.

The heat exchanger 240 cools the coolant 218 supplied from the coolant pump 220. According to an embodiment, the heat exchanger 240 is mounted on the coolant pump 220 to cool the coolant 218 flowing in the coolant pump 220. It includes a thermoelectric element 241 for cooling or heating. As the thermoelectric element 241, a Peltier element, which is an element using the Peltier effect, which is a phenomenon in which heat absorption (or generation) is caused by current, can be used. In other words, the Peltier effect is a phenomenon in which two types of metal ends are connected and a current is flowed therein so that one terminal absorbs heat and the other terminal generates heat in the current direction. The Peltier element can switch between endothermic and exothermic according to the current direction, and the endothermic and exothermic amounts are adjusted according to the amount of current. By using the Peltier element, the liquid can be rapidly cooled after being powered up, and there is no mechanical operation part, so it has low noise and low vibration. On the other hand, small size and light weight can be achieved, and reliability is ensured due to high durability.

According to an embodiment, the heat exchanger 240 includes a compressor 243, a condenser 245, an expansion valve 247, and an evaporator 249 that cool the refrigerant 218 and discharge it to the body 210. That is, by cooling the refrigerant 218 supplied from the refrigerant pump 220 by a refrigerating cycle, by installing an evaporator 249 in the vicinity of the place where the refrigerant 218 flows to absorb heat from the indoor air to cool the effect Can be obtained.

The discharge pipe 250 is connected to the refrigerant pump 220, and discharges the refrigerant 218 cooled by the heat exchanger 240 to the main body 210.

The cooling unit further includes a temperature controller 260 for adjusting the temperature of the refrigerant 218, and a temperature sensor 270 provided inside the main body 210 and measuring the temperature of the refrigerant 218.

When the temperature of the refrigerant 218 measured by the temperature sensor 270 is equal to or greater than the first set value, the temperature controller 260 turns on the operation of the refrigerant pump 220 and the heat exchange part 240.

When the temperature of the refrigerant 218 measured by the temperature sensor 270 is less than the second set value, the temperature controller 260 turns off the operation of the refrigerant pump 220 and the heat exchange part 240. .

Meanwhile, the first set value and the second set value may be variously set to an appropriate temperature according to the type of liquid to be cooled in a lookup table built in the temperature controller 260.

According to one embodiment, when the type of liquid to be cooled is beer, the first set value is set to 8 ° C and the second set value is set to 4 ° C.

According to one embodiment, when the type of liquid to be cooled is wine, the first set value is set to 7 ° C and the second set value is set to 5 ° C.

According to one embodiment, when the type of liquid to be cooled is a soft drink, the first set value is set to 7 ° C and the second set value is set to 4 ° C.

According to one embodiment, when the type of liquid to be cooled is cold coffee, the first set value is set to 6 ℃ and the second set value is set to 4 ℃.

According to one embodiment, when the type of liquid to be cooled is juice, the first set value is set to 7 ℃ and the second set value is set to 3 ℃.

The circulation part includes a first circulation part and a second circulation part, and the first circulation part includes a first pipe 312 extending to an area filled with air in the main body 210 and having a liquid flowing therein. The second circulation part includes a second pipe 322 extending to an area filled with the refrigerant 218 inside the main body 210 and having a liquid flowing therein. Thus, liquid flows in each pipe separately, so that only one cooling device can be used to obtain a liquid having two constant cooling temperatures.

The first pipe 312 and the second pipe 322 are disposed spirally along the inner circumferential surface of the inside of the main body 210. Therefore, the latent heat of the refrigerant 218 is directly received by the pipe to cool the liquid and maximize the cooling efficiency by maximizing the contact area between the refrigerant 218 and the pipe, and the first pipe at the inner circumferential surface inside the body 210. The cooling temperature of the liquid may be variously changed according to the number of windings 312 and the second pipe 322.

Meanwhile, the first valve 314 and the second valve 324 for controlling the flow amount of the liquid to one end of the first pipe 312 and the second pipe 322 into which the liquid flows, and the first pump for introducing the liquid ( 316 and the second pump 326, respectively, the first sensor 318 and the second sensor for sensing the temperature of the liquid on the other end of the first pipe 312 and the second pipe 322 is discharged liquid 328 are each mounted.

The first valve 314 and the second valve 324 at the other end of the first pipe 312 and the second pipe 322 of the liquid sensed by the first sensor 318 and the second sensor 328. It opens and closes according to the temperature range of. Thus, a liquid with a constant cooling temperature can be obtained.

According to one embodiment, when the liquid flowing into the first pipe 312 is red wine (Red Wine) and the temperature range of the first pipe 312 is in the range of 15 ℃ to 20 ℃ the first valve 314 is When the liquid is opened and the liquid flowing into the second pipe 322 is white wine and the temperature range of the second pipe 322 is in the range of 5 ° C to 10 ° C, the second valve 324 is opened.

Although embodiments according to the present invention have been described above, these are merely exemplary, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalent embodiments of the present invention are possible therefrom. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention will be defined by the following claims.

1 is a perspective view showing a main part of a conventional liquid cooling device.

2 is a perspective view showing a liquid cooling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing a liquid cooling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a heat exchanger of the present invention.

5 is a schematic view showing another configuration of the heat exchanger of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10: case 20: distribution pipe

30: endothermic pipe 100: liquid cooling device

210: body 212: outer container

214: inner container 216: insulation

218: refrigerant 220: refrigerant pump

230: suction pipe 232: filter unit

240: heat exchanger 241: thermoelectric element

243: compressor 245: condenser

247 expansion valve 249 evaporator

250: discharge pipe 260: temperature controller

270 temperature sensor 312 first pipe

314: first valve 316: first pump

318: first sensor 322: second pipe

324: second valve 326: second pump

328: second sensor

Claims (11)

Cooling unit for cooling the refrigerant; A circulation unit having a pipe through which the liquid cooled by the cooling unit flows; Liquid cooling device comprising a. The method of claim 1, The cooling unit includes a main body accommodating the coolant, a coolant pump circulating the coolant, a suction pipe connected to the coolant pump to suck the coolant from the main body, and a heat exchanger for cooling the coolant supplied from the coolant pump. And a discharge pipe connected to the refrigerant pump and discharging the refrigerant cooled by the heat exchanger to the main body. The method of claim 2, The main body includes an outer container forming an outer appearance, an inner container provided inside the outer container and having an accommodating part for accommodating the refrigerant, and an insulating material interposed between the outer container and the inner container, And said outer container is in the shape of a drum. The method of claim 2, The suction pipe is a liquid cooling device, characterized in that it comprises a filter that is installed at the end of the suction pipe extending to the bottom surface of the main body to filter out foreign matter contained in the refrigerant. The method of claim 2, The heat exchanger is a liquid cooling device, characterized in that it comprises a thermoelectric element mounted on the refrigerant pump for cooling or heating the refrigerant flowing in the refrigerant pump. The method of claim 2, The heat exchanger comprises a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator for cooling the refrigerant to be discharged to the main body. The method of claim 2, The cooling unit further includes a temperature controller for controlling the temperature of the refrigerant, and a temperature sensor provided inside the main body and measuring a temperature of the refrigerant, When the temperature of the refrigerant measured by the temperature sensor is greater than or equal to a first predetermined value, the temperature controller turns on the operation of the refrigerant pump and the heat exchanger. And the temperature controller turns off the operation of the refrigerant pump and the heat exchange unit when the temperature of the refrigerant measured by the temperature sensor is less than a second set value. The method of claim 2, The circulation portion includes a first circulation portion and a second circulation portion, The first circulation part includes a first pipe extending to an area filled with air inside the body and the liquid flows therein, and the second circulation part extends to an area filled with the refrigerant inside the body and the inside And a second pipe through which the liquid flows. The method of claim 8, And the first pipe and the second pipe are arranged in a spiral form along an inner circumferential surface of the main body. The method of claim 8, One end of the first pipe and the second pipe into which the liquid flows are provided with a first valve and a second valve for controlling the flow amount of the liquid, a first pump and a second pump for introducing the liquid, respectively. First and second sensors for sensing the temperature of the liquid are mounted at the other ends of the first pipe and the second pipe through which the liquid is discharged. Wherein the first valve and the second valve are opened and closed according to a temperature range at the other end of the first pipe and the second pipe of the liquid sensed by the first sensor and the second sensor. Cooling system. The method of claim 8, When the liquid flowing into the first pipe is red wine and the temperature range of the first pipe is in the range of 15 ° C to 20 ° C, the first valve is opened, And the second valve is opened when the liquid introduced into the second pipe is white wine and the temperature range of the second pipe is in the range of 5 ° C to 10 ° C.

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