KR20130011277A

KR20130011277A - Refrigerator having thermosiphon

Info

Publication number: KR20130011277A
Application number: KR1020110072311A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 조일현; 윤석준; 이태희; 윤영훈
Original assignee: 엘지전자 주식회사
Priority date: 2011-07-21
Filing date: 2011-07-21
Publication date: 2013-01-30

Abstract

PURPOSE: A refrigerator with thermosiphon is provided to prevent an increase in temperature inside under the circumstance that the power is restrictedly used. CONSTITUTION: A refrigerator with thermosiphon comprises a refrigerator body. The refrigerator body is divided into a freezer compartment and a cold storage room by a partition. A part of the thermosiphon is placed in the cold storage room, and the other part is placed in the freezer compartment. A heat exchange between the cold storage room and the freezer compartment occurs through the refrigerant circulating between the cold storage room and the freezer compartment. The thermosiphon comprises a condensation unit, an evaporation unit, a first connection pipe(24), a second connection pipe(23), and an accumulator. . The first connection pipe connects the outlet of the evaporation unit to the inlet of a condensation pipe, and guides the refrigerant to the condensation unit. The second connection pipe connects the inlet of the evaporation unit to the outlet of the condensation unit, and guides the refrigerant from the condensation unit to the evaporation unit. The accumulator is installed in the second connection pipe or the condensation unit, and stores the refrigerant when the refrigerant stops circulating.

Description

Refrigerator with thermosiphon {Refrigerator having thermosiphon}

The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a thermophony (thermosyphon), and more particularly, a thermosiphon which delivers cold air of a freezer compartment to a cold compartment in order to prevent a temperature rise of the refrigerator compartment in a situation where the compressor is not operated, such as during a power failure. It relates to a refrigerator provided with.

In general, a refrigerator uses a working fluid that changes with temperature to freeze or refrigerate food, and when the working fluid is vaporized, absorbs heat inside the refrigerator as vaporization heat to cool the inside of the refrigerator. It is a device that repeatedly performs a heat dissipation operation.

The typical structure used in the refrigerator cools the inside of the refrigerator as the working fluid circulates through a cooling cycle consisting of a compressor, a condenser, an expander and an evaporator. A compressor is disposed in the lower rear region of the main body, and an evaporator is disposed on the rear wall of the freezer compartment to exchange heat with air in the freezer compartment.

Such operation of the refrigerator is not a problem because the cooling air is continuously supplied to maintain the internal temperature when the power is normally supplied and the compressor operates normally. However, the cooling cycle occurs due to a power failure or a failure of the compressor. If this is stopped, the temperature inside the refrigerator is increased.

In particular, the temperature of the refrigerating compartment, which is easy to deteriorate food, is easily risen, so that there is a problem that the food is deteriorated, and thus a technology for preventing a temperature decrease of the refrigerating compartment in case of power failure is required.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device that can prevent the rise of the temperature inside the refrigerating chamber in an environment in which the power supply can be used for a limited power or the situation that the cooling cycle does not operate due to power failure or failure.

The refrigerator having a thermosiphon of the present invention includes a refrigerator body having a freezer compartment and a refrigerating compartment disposed therein with a partition therebetween; And a thermosiphon part of which is located in the refrigerating compartment and a part of which is located in the freezing compartment and which exchanges heat between the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment through a refrigerant circulating between the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment, wherein the thermosiphon is located in the freezing compartment. And a condenser in which the refrigerant liquefies, located in the refrigerating chamber, connecting an evaporator in which the refrigerant evaporates, an outlet of the evaporator, and an inlet of the condenser, and allowing the refrigerant to move from the evaporator to the condenser. A first connecting pipe for guiding, connecting the outlet of the condenser and an inlet of the evaporating part, and a second connecting pipe, a second connecting pipe, or the condensing part for guiding the refrigerant to move from the condensing part to the evaporating part. And an accumulator in which the liquefied refrigerant is stored when the refrigerant stops circulation.

In this case, the second connection pipe, and further comprises a valve for blocking the flow of the refrigerant, when the valve is locked the liquefied refrigerant is stored in the accumulator.

In addition, the accumulator may be located in the second connecting pipe and may include an internal space having a cross-sectional area larger than that of the second connecting pipe.

At this time, the second connecting pipe, characterized in that extending from the top of the accumulator to the interior of the accumulator.

At this time, the accumulator may have a cylindrical shape.

In addition, the volume of the accumulator internal space is larger than the volume of the refrigerant minus the volume from the upper portion of the valve of the second connecting pipe to the inlet of the condenser.

The apparatus may further include a receiving part protruding upward from the condensing part and formed in a space connected to the condensing part, wherein the receiving part is configured to collect non-condensable gas that is not liquefied in the condensing part.

In addition, the accumulator is interposed between the condensation unit and the second connecting pipe, the upper end is projected to the upper portion of the condensation portion, characterized in that the non-condensing gas is collected in the portion protruding to the upper portion.

Refrigerator equipped with a thermosiphon according to the present invention can prevent the corruption of food by minimizing the temperature rise in the refrigerator, especially in the refrigerator compartment in a situation where the cooling cycle, such as power failure or failure, or limited power supply environment can be used. have.

In addition, by providing a backflow prevention tube in the thermosiphon, or by arranging the positions of the inlet and the outlet of the evaporator and the condenser up and down according to the refrigerant, the reverse flow of the refrigerant can be prevented and the refrigerant can flow in a predetermined direction.

In addition, by providing a cooling aid such as a phase change material in the freezing compartment, it is possible to maximize the effect of suppressing the temperature rise of the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment even during a power failure.

In addition, when the valve is locked through the accumulator, it is possible to prevent the backflow of the refrigerant and the movement of unnecessary refrigerant. In addition, the condensation part is provided with an accommodating part, so that the non-condensable gas generated in the thermosiphon can be separated on the closed flow path, thereby eliminating the phenomenon that the thermosiphon is blocked by the non-condensable gas.

1 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment of a thermosiphon of the present invention.
2 is a view showing an embodiment of the condensation unit of the present invention.
3 shows a comparative example of the embodiment of FIG. 2.
4 is a view illustrating an embodiment of an evaporator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 shows a comparative example of the embodiment of FIG. 4.
Figure 6 is a front view showing another embodiment of the evaporator of the present invention.
Figure 7 is a front view showing another embodiment of the evaporator of the present invention.
8 is a view showing an embodiment of the propeller provided in the first connecting pipe of the present invention.
Figure 9 is a side cross-sectional view showing a first embodiment according to the arrangement inside the refrigerator of the condenser and the cooling aid of the present invention.
Figure 10 is a side cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment according to the arrangement inside the refrigerator of the condenser and the cooling aid of the present invention.
Figure 11 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the condenser and the cooling aid of the present invention.
Figure 12 is a side cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment of the condenser and the cooling aid of the present invention.
Figure 13 is a side cross-sectional view showing a third embodiment of the condenser and the cooling aid of the present invention.
Figure 14 is a side cross-sectional view showing a fourth embodiment of the condenser and the cooling aid of the present invention.
15 is a perspective view showing a fourth embodiment of the condenser and the cooling aid of the present invention.
Figure 16 is a side sectional view showing a fifth embodiment of the condenser and the cooling aid of the present invention.
Figure 17 is a side cross-sectional view showing a sixth embodiment of the condenser and the cooling aid of the present invention.
18 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the accumulator of the present invention.
19 is a sectional view showing one embodiment of the accumulator of the present invention.
20 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of an accumulator upon shutdown of the thermosiphon of the present invention.
21 is a cross-sectional view showing non-condensing gas inside the condensation unit.
Figure 22 is a sectional view showing one embodiment of the receiving portion of the present invention.
Fig. 23 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the accumulator of the present invention.
24 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the accumulator when the thermosiphon stops operating of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a refrigerator having a thermosiphon of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals refer to the same configuration, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an embodiment of a thermosiphon 20 according to the present invention. 1 shows a refrigerator body 10 and a cooling cycle 15 and a thermosiphon 20 for cooling the refrigerator.

The refrigerator body 10 is divided into a freezer compartment 11 and a refrigerating compartment 12 with a partition 13 therebetween, and includes a cooling cycle 15 for cooling the inside of the refrigerator body 10.

The cooling cycle 15 artificially compresses the working fluid using the compressor 17 and changes the liquid state in the condenser 18. The working fluid changed into the liquid state is phase-changed into a gaseous state through expansion under reduced pressure in the expander 19 and the evaporator 16, and as a result, the ambient temperature is lowered.

The evaporator 16 of the cooling cycle 15 is installed in the freezing compartment 11 to cool the freezing compartment 11 and maintain the temperature of the refrigerating compartment 12 with the cold.

In order for the cooling cycle 15 to continuously cool the inside of the refrigerator main body 10, power must be applied to operate the compressor 17, and thus, the operation of the compressor 17 is stopped during a power failure, and thus the refrigerator main body is stopped. The temperature of (10) is raised.

As described above, the thermosiphon 20 is used in the present invention to minimize the temperature drop of the refrigerating chamber 12 by using the cold air of the freezing chamber 11 in the situation in which the cooling cycle 15 does not operate.

Thermosiphon (thermosiphon, 20) is a device that transfers heat without applying extra energy by using the principle of flowing from a high place to a low place. When there is a temperature difference between one side and the other side, the cold or heat of one side To the side.

A portion of the thermosiphon 20 is located in the refrigerating chamber 12 and a portion of the thermosiphon 20 exchanges heat through a refrigerant circulating between the freezing chamber 11 and the refrigerating chamber 12.

The thermosiphon 20 is located in the freezing chamber 11, and is located in the condensation unit 21 and the refrigerating chamber 12 where the refrigerant is liquefied. The evaporation unit 22 and the evaporation unit are vaporized. A first connecting pipe 24 and the measuring part connected to an outlet 22b and an inlet 22a of the measuring tube, guiding the refrigerant to move from the evaporator 22 to the condensation part 21. A second connecting pipe 23 connects the outlet 21b and the inlet 22a of the evaporator and guides the refrigerant to move from the condenser 21 to the evaporator 22.

The condenser 21 is located in the freezer compartment 11 and the gaseous refrigerant changes from the condenser 21 into a liquid state. The condenser 21 discharges heat of the refrigerant to the freezer compartment 11 and stores cold air of the freezer compartment 11 in the refrigerant.

The condensation unit 21 may be configured by using a pipe having a serpentine shape to increase the surface area so that heat exchange may be well performed. In addition, in order to increase the heat exchange area, the heat transfer plate 25 may be attached to the condensation unit. In particular, as the material of the heat transfer plate 25, a material having excellent heat conductivity such as metal may be used.

The condenser 21 is characterized in that the refrigerant flows into the second connecting pipe 23 by gravity after changing the liquid from the gas state, the inlet portion 21a of the condensation portion than the outlet 21b of the condensation portion It is preferable to be located at the top.

In addition, as shown in part A of FIG. 3, when the shape is inclined upward with respect to the flow direction of the coolant, that is, when the downstream portion is located above the upper direction with respect to the gravity direction, the liquid refrigerant is connected to the second by gravity. The flow to the pipe 23 is countered. For smoother circulation, as shown in FIG. 2, the downhill slope may be formed in the direction in which the refrigerant flows from the inlet portion 21a to the outlet portion 21b of the condensation portion as a whole.

Meanwhile, a first backflow prevention pipe 26 may be provided at the inlet 21a of the condenser to prevent the liquid refrigerant from flowing back to the first connection pipe 24 at the inlet 21a of the condenser. . The liquid refrigerant formed in the condenser 21 is prevented from flowing back, and as shown in FIG. 1, it may be bent at a position higher than the inlet 21a of the condenser so as to have a concave shape. May be bent at a predetermined angle such as П and Λ.

1 illustrates that the plane formed by the condensation unit 21 is disposed in the vertical direction. When the condensation unit 21 is disposed in the vertical direction, there is an advantage in terms of promoting smooth flow of the refrigerant.

However, when the cooling aid (30 in FIG. 8) such as a phase change material (PCM) to be described later is installed around the condensation unit 21, the freezing chamber 11 by the cooling aid (30) When considering the cooling effect, it is preferable to arrange in the horizontal direction above the freezing chamber 11 (see Figs. 9 and 10. More details will be described later.)

When the condenser 21 is disposed in the horizontal direction, the first inflow prevention pipe 26 is bent at an upper portion of the inlet portion 21a of the condensation portion than the inlet portion 21a of the condensation portion. The refrigerant can be prevented from flowing back.

In addition, when the inlet portion 21a of the condenser is disposed above the outlet 21b of the condenser, an inclination is formed from the inlet portion 21a of the condenser to the outlet 21b of the condenser. I can move it.

Since the gaseous refrigerant vaporized by the evaporator 22 is moved while moving to the condenser 21 through the first connecting tube 24, the inlet 21a of the condenser is condensed. The coolant may circulate in the thermosiphon 20 if it is within a predetermined angle even if the position is lower than the negative outlet 21b. The predetermined angle is different depending on the type or amount of the refrigerant. For example, when the angle formed by the condenser outlet 22b and the condenser inlet 21a is about -5 degrees, the liquid refrigerant is Circulate normally

The evaporator 22 is located in the refrigerating chamber 12, and the liquid refrigerant liquefied in the condenser 21 moves to the evaporator 22 through the second connecting pipe 23. Heat in the refrigerating chamber 12 is absorbed and changed into a gaseous state.

The shape of the evaporation unit 22 may be configured by using a pipe of a serpentine shape to increase the surface area so that heat exchange can be made well. In addition, in order to increase the heat exchange area, the heat transfer plate 25 may be attached to the condensation unit. In particular, as the material of the heat transfer plate 25, a material having excellent heat conductivity such as metal may be used.

Since the refrigerant in the gaseous state has a small specific gravity and rises, the refrigerant passes through the evaporator 22 and moves to the first connection tube 24. As shown in FIG. 1, the inlet 22a of the evaporator tube is It is preferably located below the outlet 22b of the evaporation tube.

In addition, as shown in Figure 4 it is preferably disposed inclined upward in accordance with the flow of the refrigerant in the gas state. If there is a section in which a slope is formed in a reverse direction to counter the rising direction of the gas as shown in FIG. 5, it may interfere with the flow of the entire thermosiphon 20.

In order to prevent vaporized gas from moving toward the second connecting pipe 23, the evaporator inlet 22a may further include a second backflow prevention tube 27 bent at a position lower than the inlet 22a of the evaporator. Can be. The bent shape may be bent at a predetermined angle, such as a U-shape or ∨, └┘.

Since the refrigerant in the liquid state accumulates in the second backflow prevention pipe 27, the refrigerant vaporized in the evaporator 22 does not move to the second connection pipe 23 but moves toward the first connection pipe 24. .

FIG. 6 is a front view showing another embodiment of the evaporator 22 of the present invention, in which a vaporized refrigerant is moved in parallel to the first connecting pipe 24. The branch passage 22c is branched from the inlet 22a of the evaporator to the plurality of branch passages 22c, and the branch passages 22c are gathered together at the outlet 22b of the evaporator and connected to the first connection pipe 24. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the branch flow passage 22c may be a straight pipe disposed parallel to the vertical direction. When the branch flow path 22c is a straight path, the gaseous refrigerant may flow more smoothly.

7 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the evaporator 22 of the present invention, in which a parallel structure and a serpentine pipe are combined, and two branch flow paths are provided at the inlet 22a of the evaporator. Branching to 22c, each branch passage 22c is disposed in a serpentine shape along side walls on both sides of the refrigerator.

The branch flow path 22c disposed on both sidewalls is preferable for maintaining a uniform temperature of the refrigerating chamber 12 because heat exchange is possible at both sides of the refrigerating chamber 12, and a parallel structure is used, so that There is an advantage that the movement of the gaseous refrigerant is easy.

In addition, even when the evaporator 22 is divided into a plurality of branch passages 22c, as shown in FIG. 7, the second backflow prevention pipe 27 and the first backflow prevention are configured to circulate the refrigerant in one direction. The tube 26 may be provided.

The second connecting pipe 23 is a pipe connecting the condenser outlet 21b and the evaporator inlet 22a and the first connecting tube 24 is the outlet 22b of the evaporator and the inlet of the condenser. It is a pipe which connects 21a (refer FIG. 7). The second connection pipe 23 mainly moves the refrigerant in the liquid state liquefied in the condenser 21, the first connection pipe 24 is the refrigerant in the gas state vaporized in the evaporator 22 Move mainly.

The liquid refrigerant in the first connection pipe 24 moves from the condensation unit 21 or the gaseous refrigerant in the second connection pipe 23 moves from the evaporator 22. It is against the total thermosiphon 20 circulation flow direction. In order to prevent this, the first backflow prevention pipe 26 and the second backflow prevention tube 27 may be provided.

The refrigerant is a circulating structure that returns back to the condenser 21 after passing through the condenser 21, the second connector 23, the evaporator 22, and the first connector 24. This circulation occurs when the cooling cycle 15 stops operating. Therefore, the valve 29 is provided to block the circulation passage to prevent the refrigerant from circulating when the cooling cycle 15 operates normally.

The valve 29 is located in the middle of the circulation structure of the thermosiphon 20. In particular, when the operation is stopped, the refrigerant must be stored in the condenser 21 in a liquid state in order to store cold air in the freezing chamber 11 in the refrigerant, and to prevent reverse circulation of the refrigerant in the liquid state. The valve 29 is preferably installed in the second connecting pipe (23).

The valve 29 must be opened when the cooling cycle 15 is not operating normally. However, since the supply of power is stopped in the power failure state, in order to operate the valve 29 even in the power failure state, the valve 29 may be formed of a material whose shape changes according to temperature, or may be provided with a small amount of battery. The valve 29 may be operated by storing power in advance and receiving power from the battery when a power failure occurs.

When the valve 29 is opened and the refrigerant circulates while the phase changes, the first connection pipe 24 generates pressure while the gaseous refrigerant moves upward. In order to generate electricity by utilizing such a pressure, as shown in FIG. 8, a magnetic propeller 50 is provided inside the first connection tube 24 and the coil 55 is disposed in the peripheral first connection tube 24. ) The magnetism may be implemented by forming the propeller 50 itself with a magnetic material or by attaching a magnet to the propeller 50.

When the gaseous refrigerant flowing through the first connecting tube 24 rotates the propeller 50, a magnetic force line is changed by the rotation of the propeller 50, and a current is induced in the coil 55 by an induced electromotive force. Will flow.

Even if the amount of current is not large, a lamp for illuminating the lamp inside the refrigerator main body 10 or confirming whether the thermosiphon 20 is operating normally may be used for lighting. Alternatively, small fans can be used where small amounts of power are required, for example to improve cooling efficiency.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the cooling aid 30 is provided in the freezing compartment 11 may increase the temperature holding time of the refrigerating compartment 12 even when the freezing compartment 11 is cooled and at the same time as a power failure. Do it.

A phase change material may be used as the cooling aid 30. Phase change material (PCM) refers to a substance in which the state of a substance changes from a liquid to a gas, a liquid to a solid, or a gas to a solid at a predetermined temperature. There is no change in temperature at the melting or boiling point, but the phase change material can be used to store energy in a specific temperature range because much energy is consumed or released to change the state of the material.

When the freezer compartment 11 is provided with a phase change material that changes into a solid at a temperature higher than the temperature of the freezer compartment 11 in the normal operation, the phase change material may be formed in the freezer compartment when the freezer compartment 11 operates normally. When the solid state is changed through heat exchange, and the operation of the cooling cycle 15 is stopped and the temperature of the freezer compartment 11 is increased, the phase change material absorbs the surrounding heat while changing the phase from solid to liquid. Since the phase change material may maintain a constant temperature during phase change, the phase change material may be used for suppressing an internal temperature rise of the refrigerator during power failure of the refrigerator.

Since the thermosiphon 20 of the present invention cools the refrigerating compartment 12 by using the temperature of the freezing compartment 11 during a power failure, the refrigerating compartment 12 may be used for a longer time when the cooling aid 30 is used. Cooling is possible. The cooling aid 30 and the thermosiphon 20 may be spaced apart from each other, and the cooling aid 30 is disposed around the condenser 21 so that the condenser 21 is the cooling aid 30. Heat exchange in a conductive manner with and to promote the liquefaction of the refrigerant in the condensation unit (21).

However, when using for the purpose of preventing a temperature drop of the freezing compartment 11 itself, as shown in FIG. 9, the freezing compartment cooling aid 38 must be disposed on the freezing compartment 11 to move the cold air evenly. Can be.

In this case, in addition to the freezing chamber cooling aid 38, there is a problem in that a refrigerating compartment cooling aid 37 for cooling the refrigerating compartment through heat exchange with the thermosiphon 20 has a problem.

Therefore, in order to form an integrated unit capable of cooling both the freezing compartment 11 and the refrigerating compartment 12, the condenser 21 is disposed horizontally on the ceiling of the freezing compartment 11 as shown in FIG. 10. It is preferable to arrange the cooling aid 30 in the periphery thereof.

When placed horizontally, the utilization is high in terms of space, it is also advantageous in terms of maintaining a uniform temperature of the freezer compartment (11). In order to prevent the backflow of the refrigerant when the condenser 21 is disposed horizontally, as described above, a first backflow prevention pipe 26 may be provided at the inlet 21a of the condenser.

In order to pass through the first backflow prevention tube 26, a force against the gravity direction is required, so that the liquid refrigerant liquefied in the condensation unit 21 does not flow back into the first connection tube 24. Since the condensation unit 21 disposed in the horizontal direction has been described above in detail, repeated description thereof will be omitted.

Next, look at the structure of the cooling aid 30 in consideration of the condensation unit 21 and the heat exchange efficiency. 11 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the condenser 21 and the cooling aid 30 of the present invention, the condenser 21 penetrates inside and is hollow around the condenser 21. A cooling aid 30 is shown which consists of a housing 31 in which a hollow is formed and a phase change material 36 filled in an inner hollow thereof.

The first embodiment is simple in configuration, but the phase change material 36 may cause corrosion of the condensation part 21, so that the surface of the condensation part 21 is made of resin or plastic based material to prevent this. Can be covered.

The phase change material 36 filled in the housing 31 changes in volume with phase change. In order to accommodate such a volume change, the housing 31 may use a shape that is deformable so that the internal volume is changeable.

FIG. 12 is a side sectional view showing a second embodiment of the condensation unit 21 and the cooling aid 30 of the present invention, wherein the phase change material 36 is directly inside the housing 31 of the first embodiment. Rather than filling), it is contained in the plastic pack 35 into which the phase change material is injected, and inserted into the housing 31 to prevent corrosion of the condensation unit 21.

In addition, even if the phase change material inside the plastic pack 35 changes to a liquid state, it can be prevented from leaking from the housing 31, and the plastic pack 35 can be commercially available, so this embodiment is relatively easy. Can be implemented. Since the shape of the plastic pack 35 may vary according to the shape of the surroundings, the plastic pack 35 may be in close contact with the surface of the condensation unit 21.

This embodiment is applicable to both the condensation unit 21 arranged in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and FIG. 12 shows the condensation unit 21 arranged in the horizontal direction. The plastic pack 35 may be inserted into upper and lower portions, respectively, to increase heat exchange efficiency with the condensation unit 21.

The housing 31 may include a locking step 34 for supporting the condenser 21 so that the condenser 21 is stably fixed. 13 is a side sectional view showing a third embodiment of the condenser 21 and the cooling aid 30 of the present invention. The housing 31 is arranged in a horizontal direction, but the condensation part 21 located inside the condensation part inclined at an angle to fix the position of the locking jaw 34 toward the inlet 21a of the condensation part. It can arrange | position lower than the negative outlet 21b side.

As a result, the inlet portion 21a of the condensation portion is maintained higher than the outlet 21b of the condensation portion, so that the liquid refrigerant can be smoothly introduced into the second connecting pipe 23. At this time, the plastic pack 35 or the phase change material is directly injected into the housing, and the plastic pack 35 and the directly injected phase change material are deformed to conform to the shape of the inner space and thus the condensation unit ( 21).

14 is a side cross-sectional view showing a fourth embodiment of the condenser 21 and the cooling aid 30 of the present invention, Figure 15 is the condenser 21 and the cooling aid 30 of the present invention. 4 is a perspective view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Cases 32 and 33 into which a phase change material is injected are coupled to both sides of the condenser 21.

An area in contact with the condenser 21 by forming a groove 33c corresponding to the shape of the condenser 21 on the surface facing the condenser 21 so as to be in close contact with the condenser 21. You can widen it. 14 and 15 show that the groove 33c is formed only in one case 33, but may be formed in both the cases 32 and 33.

The cases 32 and 33 may allow the volume of the internal space to be deformable to accommodate the volume change caused by the phase change of the phase change material therein. At this time, if the shape (32a, 33a) facing the condensation unit 21 of the case (32, 33) is changed according to the volume change of the phase change material therein, the pressure is applied to the condensation unit (21) As a result, it is necessary to minimize the deformation.

In order to increase the rigidity of the surfaces 32a and 33a facing the condenser 21 compared with other portions, only the surfaces 32a and 33a facing the condenser 21 are the other portions 32b and 33b of the case. When thicker than), the other portions 32b and 33b are deformed according to the volume change of the internal phase change material to accommodate the volume change of the internal phase change material, thereby minimizing the pressure applied to the condensation unit 21. Alternatively, deformation of the cases 32 and 33 may be minimized by adding a reinforcing material to a surface facing the condensation part 21.

In addition, a thermal grease is applied to a surface facing the condensation unit 21 of the cases 32 and 33 to increase the heat exchange efficiency between the condensation unit 21 and the cases 32 and 33. can do.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the refrigerating compartment cooling aid 37 and the freezing compartment cooling aid 38 are separately provided, the refrigerating compartment cooling aid 37 and the freezing compartment cooling aid 38 have different melting points. Changing materials are available. If the refrigerating compartment cooling aid 37 has the same melting point as the freezing compartment cooling aid 38, the refrigerating compartment cooling aid 37 is also used for cooling the freezing compartment 11, thereby cooling the refrigerating compartment 12. Efficiency may be lowered.

Therefore, in order to effectively cool the refrigerating compartment 12, a melting point of the refrigerating compartment cooling aid 37 may be higher than that of the refrigerating compartment cooling aid 38. For example, when the melting point of the phase change material used in the freezing compartment cooling aid 38 is -12 ° C, the melting point of the phase change material in the refrigerating compartment cooling aid 37 may be -8 ° C.

The integrated cooling aids 30 used for cooling the refrigerating chamber 12 and the freezing chamber 11 may include a plurality of plastic packs 35 as in the second to fourth embodiments shown in FIGS. 12 to 14. When divided into a plurality of cases (32, 33) may be different melting point of the phase change material filled therein.

In this case, the phase change material having a low melting point may be referred to as a cooling aid for a freezer compartment used for cooling the freezing compartment 11, and the phase change material having a high melting point is exchanged with the thermosiphon 20 for cooling the refrigerating compartment. Its role can be divided into refrigeration aids for the fridge.

In particular, the cooling aid 30 combined with the condensation unit 21 arranged in the horizontal direction as shown in Figure 12 and 13 maintains the melting point of the upper cooling aid lower than the melting point of the lower cooling aid to cool the upper If the melting point of the brace lower than the cooling aid of the lower helps to maintain the cooling of the freezer (11).

16 and 17 illustrate thermally conductive members 39a and 39b inserted into the phase change material when the phase change material 36 is used as the cooling aid 30. The phase change material 36 has a very low thermal conductivity, such as a heat insulator, so that even if the phase change occurs on the surface of the phase change material, the phase change of the center may not occur.

Therefore, in order to reduce the temperature difference between the inside and the outside of the phase change material 36, a thermally conductive member 39a connecting the center and the surface of the phase change material 36 may be inserted. In addition, the thermosiphon is formed by reducing the temperature difference between the surface and the inside of the phase change material 36 by interposing a porous or mesh-type thermal conductive member 39 b to connect the center and the surface of the phase change material 36 to each other. The efficiency of (20) can be improved. The material may be metal, plastic, graphite, or the like.

As described above, the cooling aid 30 is provided to cool the cold air in the freezer compartment. The cold air is stored in advance when the cooling cycle 15 is operating normally, and the cold air is stored when the cooling cycle 15 does not operate. By using it can improve the performance of the thermosiphon 20.

Next, the thermosiphon 20 further including the accumulators 40 and 47 will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 to 24. When the cooling cycle 15 operates normally, the valve 29 positioned in the second connection pipe 23 is locked, and the refrigerant in the liquid state from the second connection pipe 23 above the valve 29. Is accumulated and filled up to the condensation unit 21.

However, when the amount of the total refrigerant is greater than the amount filled from the upper portion of the valve 29 of the second connecting pipe 23 to the condensing portion inlet 21a, the first backflow prevention of the condensing portion inlet 21a is prevented. Refrigerant also remains in the first connecting pipe 24 beyond the pipe 26. In this case, even when the valve 29 is locked and the operation of the thermosiphon 20 is stopped, the phenomenon in which the refrigerant is unnecessarily circulated in the first connection pipe 24 may occur.

For example, when the total amount of refrigerant is 70 ml and the amount of filling from the upper portion of the valve 29 of the second connecting pipe 23 to the condensing portion inlet 21a is 50 ml, the thermosiphon 20 does not operate. When not, the 20 ml of refrigerant is moved up and down while the phase change in the first connecting pipe.

In order to prevent this, the pipe diameter of the condenser 21 may be larger than the pipe diameter of the evaporator 22. However, when using a pipe of a different size than the evaporator 22 there is a problem that the manufacturing cost increases.

In order to more easily solve the problem, as shown in FIG. 18, in the present embodiment, an accumulator capable of accommodating excess refrigerant in the second connection pipe 23 above the valve 29 or the condenser 21 may be used. Use 40.

The position of the accumulator 40 may be arranged to be connected to the second connecting pipe 23, the valve 29, or the condenser 21, and as illustrated in FIG. 18, the second connecting pipe ( 23 above the valve (29). FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the accumulator 40 of the present invention, in which an accumulator 40 having a predetermined space connected to the second connecting pipe 23 above the valve 29 is shown. It is.

When the valve 29 is opened to operate the thermosiphon 20, the liquid refrigerant flows through the second connecting pipe 23 to be easily moved downward as shown in FIG. 19. The 23 is configured to extend from the upper part of the accumulator 40 to the inside of the accumulator 40. If it does not extend to the inside as shown in FIG. 19, the liquid refrigerant is moved on the inner wall of the accumulator 40, so that the moving distance becomes longer and the refrigerant circulation is not smooth.

20 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the accumulator 40 when the thermosiphon 20 stops operating in the present invention, in which the valve 29 is locked and the liquid refrigerant above the valve 29 is discharged. As it is, the accumulator 40 is filled as shown in FIG.

The volume of the refrigerant that can be accommodated in the accumulator 40 is greater than the total refrigerant volume minus the volume from the upper portion of the valve 29 of the second connecting pipe 23 to the inlet portion 21a of the condensation portion. . This is to prevent the liquefied refrigerant from being moved to the first connection pipe 24 beyond the first backflow prevention pipe 26 of the condensation part inlet 21a.

For example, when the total amount of refrigerant is 70 ml and the volume is 50 ml from above the valve 29 of the second connecting pipe 23 to the condenser inlet 21a, when the thermosiphon 20 does not operate. In order to store 20 ml of refrigerant in the accumulator 40, the accumulator has a capacity of 20 ml or more.

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of the non-condensing gas 41 inside the condensation unit 21. The non-condensing gas 41 refers to a material having a low boiling point and not being liquefied in the freezing chamber 11. The non-condensable gas 41 may be introduced when the refrigerant is injected, or may be generated while the refrigerant circulates through the thermosiphon 20. The non-condensable gas 41 blocks the condensation unit 21 as shown in FIG. 21, which is a factor of inhibiting the flow of the refrigerant.

Although it is preferable to periodically remove the non-condensable gas 41, since the thermosiphon 20 is embedded in the refrigerator and is not easy to open, the accommodating part 21 is accommodated in the condenser 21 as shown in FIG. 45 can be installed.

The accommodating part 45 means a predetermined space connected to the condensing part 21 protruding to the upper portion of the condensing part 21. Since the accommodating part 45 protrudes upward from the condensing part 21, the non-condensable gas 41 which is lighter than the refrigerant in the liquid state may be collected in the accommodating part 45.

The accommodating part 45 may be provided separately from the accumulator 40 as described above, but may be integrated with the accumulator 47 as illustrated in FIG. 23.

The accumulator 47 of the present embodiment is located between the condenser 21 and the second connecting pipe 23, and the upper part of the accumulator 47 protrudes above the condenser 21. The upper portion protrudes from the above-described configuration of the receiving portion 45 of FIG. 24. In this embodiment, the accumulator 40 and the receiving portion 45 are integrally formed with the integrated body 47.

FIG. 24 shows that the integrated accumulator 47 is filled with the liquefied refrigerant 28 when the thermosiphon 20 of the present invention is stopped. The integrated accumulator 47 according to the present exemplary embodiment may include the non-condensable gas ( Considering the storage space of 41), it is made larger than the accumulator 40 of FIG.

As described above, the accumulator 47 is added to the second connection pipe 23 to prevent the liquefied refrigerant from entering the first connection pipe 24 when the thermosiphon 20 is stopped. The system of the entire thermosiphon 20 can be operated stably.

As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described above with reference to drawings, the scope of a present invention is not limited to this.

As such, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and such modifications will fall within the scope of the present invention.

10: refrigerator body 11: freezer
12: refrigerating chamber 13: bulkhead
15: cooling cycle 16: evaporator
17: compressor 18: condenser
19: Inflator
20: thermosiphon 21: condensation unit
21a: inlet of condenser 21b: outlet of condenser
22: evaporator 22a: inlet of the evaporator
22b: outlet 22c of evaporation part
23: 2nd connector 24: 1st connector
25: heat transfer plate 26: first backflow prevention tube
27: second backflow prevention tube 28: refrigerant
29: valve
30: cooling aid 31: housing
32, 33: Case 33c: Groove
34: Hanging jaw 35: Plastic pack
36: phase change material 37: refrigeration aids for the refrigerator
38: cooling aids 39a and 39b for freezer compartment: thermally conductive member
40, 47: accumulator 41: non-condensing gas
45: accommodating part 50: propeller
55: coil 57: light fixture

Claims

A refrigerator body having a freezer compartment and a refrigerating compartment located therein with partition walls therein; And
A portion of which is located in the refrigerating compartment and a portion of which is located in the freezing compartment and comprises a thermosiphon that exchanges heat between the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment through a refrigerant circulating between the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment,
The thermosiphon is,
Located in the freezing compartment, the condensation unit liquefied the refrigerant,
Located in the refrigerating chamber, the evaporator is evaporated by the refrigerant,
A first connecting pipe connecting the outlet of the evaporator and the inlet of the condenser to guide the refrigerant to move from the evaporator to the condenser;
A second connecting pipe connecting the outlet of the condenser and the inlet of the evaporator to guide the refrigerant to move from the condenser to the evaporator;
And a accumulator installed in a second connection pipe or the condenser to store the liquefied refrigerant when the refrigerant stops circulating.

The method of claim 1,
Located in the second connecting pipe, and further comprising a valve for blocking the flow of the refrigerant,
And the liquefied refrigerant is stored in the accumulator when the valve is locked.

The method of claim 1,
The accumulator includes:
Located in the second connector,
And an inner space having a cross-sectional area larger than that of the second connecting pipe.

The method of claim 3,
The second connector,
And a thermosiphon extending from the top of the accumulator to the interior of the accumulator.

The method of claim 3,
The accumulator is
Refrigerator having a thermosiphon, characterized in that the cylindrical shape.

The method of claim 1,
The volume of the accumulator internal space,
And a volume of the refrigerant greater than the volume of the refrigerant from the upper part of the valve to the inlet of the condensation part.

The method of claim 1,
It further includes a receiving portion protruding upward from the condensation portion to form a space connected to the condensation portion,
And the receiving part comprises a non-condensing gas which is not liquefied in the condensing part.

The method of claim 1,
The accumulator is
Interposed between the condenser and the second connection pipe,
An upper end protrudes to an upper portion of the condensation unit,
Refrigerator with a thermosiphon, characterized in that the non-condensing gas is collected in the portion protruding to the upper portion.