MX2014000579A - Refrigeration system with indoor condenser and remote fan. - Google Patents

Abstract

A refrigeration system for a refrigerated merchandiser includes a refrigerated merchandiser disposed within an indoor environment, the refrigerated merchandiser including a case defining a product display area. The refrigeration system also includes a condenser coupled to the refrigerated merchandiser and disposed within the indoor environment, an evaporator coupled to the condenser and disposed within the indoor environment, a compressor coupled to the evaporator and disposed within the indoor environment, and a condenser fan assembly coupled to the condenser. The condenser fan assembly is disposed remote from the condenser in an ambient environment.

Description

COOLING SYSTEM WITH INTERNAL CONDENSER AND REMOTE FAN CROSS REFERENCE WITH RELATED REQUESTS This application claims priority of the Provisional Application of E.U.A. No. 61 / 752,310 filed on January 14, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a cooling system for refrigerated displays, and more particularly to a configuration of the parallel cooling system.

Small convenience stores typically use separate refrigerated cabinets to refrigerate products for consumers. These cabinets are refrigerated by one or more refrigeration systems located inside the store. These cooling systems typically include one or more condensers, as well as a plurality of condenser fans. Due to its construction and design, capacitors or condenser fans discard significant amounts of heat directly in the store. This waste heat increases the store's ambient temperature and increases the consumption and energy demand for the store's air conditioning system. Additionally, due to the amount of condenser fans normally used to discard refrigerant heat, these cooling systems often generate significant noise within the store.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In one construction, the invention provides a refrigeration system for a refrigerated display that includes a refrigerated display positioned within an indoor environment, the refrigerated display includes a display case defining a product display area. The cooling system also includes a condenser coupled with the refrigerated display and arranged within the indoor environment, an evaporator coupled with the condenser and disposed within the indoor environment, a compressor coupled with the evaporator and disposed within the indoor environment, and an assembly of condenser fan coupled with the condenser. The condenser fan assembly is placed remotely from the condenser in an ambient environment.

In another construction, the invention provides a method for moving air with a cooling system that includes cooling air with an evaporator within an indoor environment and directing cold air in a product display area of a refrigerated display within the environment inside. The method also includes directing hot air from a condenser in the indoor environment to an environmental environment with a condenser fan assembly placed in the ambient environment, the condenser coupled to both the evaporator and the condenser fan assembly.

In another construction, the invention provides a method for moving air with a cooling system that includes cooling air with an evaporator within an indoor environment and directing cold air in a product display area of a refrigerated display within the environment inside. The method also includes directing outside air from an environmental environment in the indoor environment with a condenser fan assembly placed in the ambient environment, the condenser fan assembly coupled with a condenser placed in the indoor environment. The method also includes heating the outside air with the condenser.

Other aspects of the invention will become apparent upon consideration of the detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the interior of a building, including a cooling system representing the present invention.

Figure 2 is another perspective view of a portion of the interior of a building and the cooling system.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the cooling system illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 is another perspective view of a portion of the cooling system illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

Before explaining in detail any embodiment of the invention, it is understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is susceptible of other modalities and of being practiced or of being carried out in several ways.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Figures 1-4 show a cooling system 10 that is placed substantially within a construction 14 (e.g., a convenience store, grocery store, warehouse, or other indoor environment). The construction 14 includes a roof 18, a floor 22, and a plurality of displays 26 that are positioned along the floor 22. Each display 26 includes a display case 30 defining a display area of the product 32 to support and display the products. food so that they are visible and accessible through an opening or openings in the front of the display case 30. At least some of the displays 26 include one or more evaporators (not shown) that are in communication with the refrigeration system 10 so that the product display areas 32 of these displays 26 can be conditioned by means of the refrigeration system 10. Also, some displays 26 include doors 34 that enclose the product display areas 32 of the showcases 30 to reduce the amount of cold air released in the surrounding environment. The doors 34 usually include one or more glass panels that allow the consumer to view the food products stored inside the display case 30. In some constructions, the displays 26 may be provided without doors.

The illustrated cooling system 10 is a parallel cooling system that conditions several displays 26, although several cooling systems 10 may be provided in the building 1 to condition one or more displays 26. As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the cooling 10 includes one or more compressors 36 (illustrated schematically in Figure 4) and a condenser 38 having a condenser housing 40 and a condenser coil 42. Compressors 36 and condensate 38 are connected in series with the evaporator (s) in each merchandiser 26 and a refrigerant is circulated through the refrigeration circuit defined by these components so that a flow of refrigerated air can be provided by the evaporator (s) to the respective display areas of the product 32.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the refrigeration system 10 is a modular refrigeration system which is placed on the top of the merchandiser 26 and which is preloaded with a predetermined amount of refrigerant and which is fluidly connected. to each cabinet 30 by fast connection settings 44 (eg, tubing and quick connect couplings). In the illustrated construction, the displays 26 are pre-packaged with evaporators and include a refrigerant charge (i.e., a retention charge) to provide a relatively quick installation of the merchandiser 26 and the refrigeration system 10. One or more attenuation accommodations 45 (illustrated schematically in Figure 4) are provided around the compressor 36 to reduce the noise emanating from the compressor 36. Although the cooling system illustrated 10 is a parallel cooling system, the cooling system 10 can be used at least partially to an exhibitor 10.

The evaporators connected in the refrigeration system 10 receive saturated refrigerant which has passed through one or more expansion valves placed between the condenser 38 and the evaporator. Saturated refrigerant evaporates as it passes through the evaporators, as a result of the absorption of heat from the air passing over the evaporators by means of heat exchange. The absorption of heat by the refrigerant allows the temperature of the air to decrease as the air passes over the evaporators. The hot or gaseous refrigerant then leaves the evaporators and is directed to the compressors 36 where the refrigerant is compressed and supplied to the condenser 38 for cooling by means of heat exchange with air passing over the coil 42 before restarting the cycle.

The air exiting the condenser 38 is heated by means of heat exchange with the refrigerant in the coil 42. With reference to FIGS. 1-4, the cooling system 10 includes a conduit 46 that provides air communication between the condenser 38 and an environment, the outside environment 48 positioned outside the interior environment of the building 14. At one end 50, the conduit 46 is coupled to the condenser housing 40 of the cooling system 10 adjacent to the condenser coil 42. On the other end 54, the duct 46 engages with the roof 18 and is in communication with the exterior environment 48. As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the duct 46 has a mainly tubular construction between the refrigerated display 26 and the ceiling 18 and the duct 46 extends generally vertically between the upper part of the refrigerated display 26 and the ceiling 18.

With reference to Figures 1 and 2, the cooling system 10 also includes a condenser fan assembly 58 placed on the roof 18 and having one or more fans 60 to generate an air flow within the duct 46. The fan 60 it is located adjacent the end of the duct 46 in the roof 18, although the fan or fans 60 can also be located within the duct 46. The fan 60 includes a motor (e.g. variable frequency drive motor) although others can be used types of engines.

The condenser fan assembly 58 is located outside the building 14 to reduce the noise inside the building 14. The condenser fan assembly 58 can be located anywhere outside the building and away from the condenser 38 (e.g., coupled with the ceiling 18 on the inside of building 14).

In operation, the condenser fan assembly 58 can be operated continuously or for a predetermined period of time to move air within the conduit 46 and to direct air from the condenser 38 to the ambient, ambient 48 environment or from the ambient 48 to the ambient 48. condenser 38. As air moves on condenser coil 42, air is heated by heat exchange with the refrigerant flowing through condenser coil 42. When the interior space of building 14 is cooled (e.g. , by a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system or "HVAC" system), the flow of air heated by the refrigerant in the condenser coil 42 is directed towards the ceiling 18 through the conduit 46 by means of the fan assembly of condenser 58. The conduit 46 provides a path for the unidirectional airflow generated by the fan assembly 58 which directs the hot air out of the ed ificio 18 in the environmental external environment 48.

When it is desired to heat the interior space of the building 14, the duct 46 and the fan assembly 58 can be used to direct ambient air from outside the building 14 to the condenser coil 42. In particular, the direction of rotation of the assembly of The condenser fan 58 can be reversed so that ambient air from the outdoor environment 48 is introduced into the conduit 46 and directed towards the condenser coil 42. The ambient air flow is directed over the condenser coil 42, where the air flow is heated by heat exchange with the refrigerant flowing through the condenser coil 42. Then the hot air is directed into the interior space of the building 14 to compensate at least some of the heat capacity provided by the HVAC system, especially when the outdoor environment 48 is relatively cold (for example, during the colder temperature seasons). That is, reversing the air flow within conduit 46 can reduce the need to operate the HVAC system to heat the interior space when outside temperatures are low.

Referring again to Figure 1, a controller 66 is in communication with the cooling system 10 to control, among other things, the cooling system 10 and the condenser fan assembly 58. The controller 66 is also in communication with a temperature detector 70, or with several detectors 70, located within the building 14. The controller 66 illustrated is also in communication with an ambient temperature detector 74 located outside of building 14. In some constructions, the controller 66 may be in communication with the HVAC system.

The controller 66 may use information from the detectors 70, 74 to determine whether the cooling system 10 depletes the hot air by means of heat exchange with the refrigerant in the coil 42 to the external environment 48, or if the air is directed from the exterior environment 48 in building 14 to be heated by heat exchange with the refrigerant in coil 42 and exhausted in building 14. For example, controller 66 can monitor the air temperature inside building 14 by receiving a signal from the detector of temperature 70 indicative of the interior temperature of the building. Based on the signal from the temperature sensor 70, the controller 66 determines whether the interior temperature of the building is above a first predetermined temperature (e.g., any temperature between approximately 15.6 ° C and 26.7 ° C). When the indoor temperature of the building is above the predetermined temperature, the controller can control the fan assembly 58 to direct air from the condenser 38 to and into the outdoor environment 48 to prevent unwanted heating of the interior space of the building 14. When the interior temperature of the building is below the predetermined temperature, the controller can control the fan assembly 58 to direct air from the outdoor environment 48 to and through the condenser 38 to assist in cooling the interior space of the building 14.

In some constructions, the controller 66 may use other information (eg, a thermostat temperature, a status of the HVAC system, etc.) to determine the desired direction of air flow within the conduit 46. For example, the controller 66 may controlling the fan assembly 58 to direct air from the condenser 38 to and into the outdoor environment 48 when the HVAC system is in cooling mode to avoid adding heat to the interior space. The controller 66 can control the fan assembly 58 to direct air from the outdoor environment 48 to the condenser 38 when the HVAC system is in a heating mode that supplies heat provided by the HVAC system. In other constructions, the controller 66 may utilize the detected temperature by means of the outdoor temperature sensor 74 to direct air out of the building 14 when the outside temperature is above a threshold temperature or temperature range, and to direct air into the building 14 when the outside temperature is below the threshold temperature or the temperature range.

Several features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.

Claims (20)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. - A refrigeration system for a refrigerated display, the refrigeration system comprises: a refrigerated display positioned in an indoor environment, the refrigerated display includes a showcase that defines a display area of the product; a condenser coupled with the refrigerated display inside the indoor environment; an evaporator coupled with the condenser and positioned within the indoor environment; a compressor coupled with the evaporator and positioned inside the interior; and a condenser fan assembly coupled with the condenser, the condenser fan assembly remotely disposed from the condenser in an ambient environment.

2 - . 2 - The cooling system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the cooling system includes a conduit that provides communication of air flow between the condenser and the ambient environment.

3. - The cooling system according to claim 2, further characterized in that the condenser includes a capacitor housing and a capacitor coil, and wherein the conduit is coupled at one end with the capacitor housing adjacent to the capacitor coil.

4. - The cooling system according to claim 3, further characterized in that the conduit is coupled at an opposite end with the condenser fan assembly.

5 - . 5 - The cooling system according to claim 2, further characterized in that the conduit has a mainly tubular construction.

6. - The cooling system according to claim 2, further characterized in that the conduit extends generally vertically between an upper part of the refrigerated display and a roof of a building.

7 -. 7 - The cooling system according to claim 2, further characterized in that the condenser fan assembly includes a fan that generates an air flow inside the duct.

8. - The cooling system according to claim 2, further characterized in that the condenser fan assembly includes a fan arranged adjacent to the end of the duct.

9. - The cooling system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the condenser fan assembly is disposed on a roof of a building.

10. - The cooling system according to claim 1, further characterized in that it further comprises a controller that is coupled with the condenser fan assembly that directs the condenser fan assembly to move air both inside and outside of the indoor environment.

11. - The cooling system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the condenser is a single condenser, and wherein the cooling system is a parallel cooling system that includes a plurality of displays arranged within the indoor environment, each of the displays is coupled with the single capacitor.

12. - The refrigeration system according to claim 1 1, further characterized in that the parallel cooling system includes a plurality of compressors and evaporators, and wherein the compressors and the single condenser are connected in series with the evaporators in each exhibitor so that a flow of refrigerated air is provided to the display area of the product in each refrigerated display.

13. - A method for operating a cooling system comprising: cooling an air flow with an evaporator in an indoor environment; directing the cooled air flow in a product display area of the refrigerated display positioned within the interior environment; and directing a flow of hot air from a condenser in the indoor environment to an environmental environment with a condenser fan assembly disposed in the ambient environment, the condenser coupled to both the evaporator and the condenser fan assembly.

14. - The method according to claim 12, further characterized in that the step of directing the hot air includes first detecting a temperature inside the indoor environment with a detector arranged in the indoor environment, and based on the detected temperature, directing the hot air to the environmental environment

15. - The method according to claim 12, further characterized in that the step of directing the hot air includes first detecting a temperature in the ambient environment with a detector arranged in the ambient environment, and based on the detected temperature, directing the hot air to the environmental environment

16 -. 16 - The method according to claim 12, further characterized in that the step of directing hot air includes first determining that the refrigerated display is in a cooling mode, and based on the determination that the refrigerated display is in a cooling mode , direct hot air to the surrounding environment.

17. - A method for moving air with a cooling system, the method comprising: cooling air with an evaporator in an indoor environment and directing the cooled air in a product display area of a refrigerated display in the indoor environment; directing outdoor air from an ambient environment in the indoor environment with a condenser fan assembly arranged in the ambient environment, the condenser fan assembly coupled with a condenser disposed in the indoor environment; and heat the outside air with the condenser.

18. - The method according to claim 17, further characterized in that the step of directing the outside air includes first detecting a temperature in the indoor environment with a detector arranged in the indoor environment, and based on the detected temperature, directing the outside air in the interior environment

19. - The method according to claim 17, further characterized in that the step of directing the outside air includes first detecting a temperature in the ambient environment with a detector arranged in the ambient environment, and based on the detected temperature, directing the outside air in the interior environment

20. - The method according to claim 17, further characterized in that the step of directing outdoor air includes first determining that the refrigerated display is in a heating mode, and based on the determination that the refrigerated display is in a heating mode, directing the outside air in the indoor environment.