RU2447374C2 - Chilling machine - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: power industry.

SUBSTANCE: chilling machine contains inner chamber for storage of chilled and/or frozen food products with installed ice generator. Ice generator is chilled by refrigerant circuit. Refrigerant circuit contains refrigerator which serves for chilling of refrigerant. Refrigerant circuit includes bypass line through which refrigerant can flow bypassing refrigerator.

EFFECT: this invention allows temperature maintenance of ice generator rods with more accuracy without influence of chilling machine temperature.

10 cl, 5 dwg

Description

Technical field

The invention relates to a refrigerating apparatus according to the preamble of claim 1.

State of the art

The location of the ice maker in the refrigerator compartment of the refrigeration apparatus is known in the art. In this case, first of all, ice makers are used, which are filled with water and cooled outside, and the water begins to freeze outside and ends up freezing inside and creates an ice cube. Further, there are so-called transparent ice ice generators in which a plurality of refrigeration rods are immersed in a reservoir filled with water. An ice layer builds up on the cooling rods immersed in water, which, as soon as it reaches a suitable size, is disconnected from the cooling rods. A similar transparent ice machine is described in DE 10336834 A1. This type of ice machine is available in a large number of implementation options. Such ice makers are built in, in general, into the refrigerator compartment of a combined cooling and freezing apparatus.

The cold generator of a refrigerator typically consists of a cooling circuit for a refrigerant with a compressor, condenser and evaporator, which removes heat from the cooled inner chamber and transfers it to the refrigerant. As a rule, the evaporator is made in the form of a wire-tube evaporator and is located in the freezer compartment. The evaporator thus acts as a heat exchanger between the air in the inner chamber and the refrigerant. In the case of wire-tube evaporators, the evaporator tube conducting the refrigerant bends in the form of parallel loops. The pipe loops are rigidly connected to the wire rods - in most cases by spot welding - and thus stabilize. The wire rods run parallel at a distance from each other, at right angles to the straight pipe sections of the pipe loops on their upper and lower sides. The connection of the pipe loops conducting the refrigerant with the wire rods is intended, on the one hand, to prevent the pipe loops from bending and, on the other hand, to achieve higher cooling capacity by increasing the surface.

If an ice machine is provided in the refrigerator, it can be connected, for example, to the cooling circuit of the refrigerator. Another possibility is to equip the ice maker with its own refrigerant circuit and thermally connect the refrigerant circuit to the evaporator of the refrigeration unit.

In the case of transparent ice ice makers, it was found that transparent ice can only be made when the cooling rods have a temperature that is several degrees below zero. Moreover, it is imperative that the temperature is maintained very uniform. Without additional adjustment, this, however, is impossible, since the refrigerating capacity of the refrigeration unit is oriented to other conditions, for example, to the amount of stored refrigerated and frozen product.

Disclosure of invention

The basis of the invention is the task of creating such a refrigeration apparatus in which the temperature that the refrigerating rods of the transparent ice ice maker should have could be kept constant with great accuracy without the influence of temperature control of the refrigeration apparatus. The necessary components for this should be economical and should not greatly increase the cost of manufacturing a refrigeration unit.

According to the invention, the problem is solved by means of a refrigerating apparatus with the features of claim 1 of the claims. Due to the presence of a bypass line through which the refrigerant can pass bypassing the cold generator, it is possible to mix the refrigerant from the cooling rods of the transparent ice ice maker, and the clear ice ice maker has already absorbed heat, mix with the refrigerant coming from the cold generator, so that in the refrigeration the rods of the transparent ice ice maker are precisely maintained at a predetermined temperature.

In the simplest case, a refrigerant is used, the viscosity of which varies with temperature in the corresponding temperature range. In the return flow line to the cold generator between the bypass line and the cold generator, an appropriately calculated choke is built in, and a bypass valve is built into the bypass line itself. If now the refrigerant flowing back from the refrigeration rods will have a relatively low temperature and, therefore, viscous, then only a small part of the refrigerant will flow through the throttle to the cold generator. Most refrigerant is injected into the bypass line, as the resulting pressure opens the bypass valve. At the end of the bypass line, a large volume bypass tube exiting directly from the cooling rods is mixed with a small volume stream from the cold generator and again fed to the cooling rods. If, on the contrary, the temperature of the refrigerant flowing out of the refrigeration rods is relatively high, then a larger amount of this liquid refrigerant is pumped through the throttle to the cold generator, while only a small volume stream flows along the bypass line. If the temperature rises further for any reason, then so much refrigerant is pumped through the throttle that the resulting pressure is insufficient to open the safety valve. In this case, all the refrigerant is supplied to the cold generator, and thus, the cold temperature is very quickly set again on the cooling rods.

In a preferred embodiment, however, a device is provided that is operable to control the flow of refrigerant through a cold generator and a bypass line. Next, there is a temperature sensor that sets the control mode for the control device.

In one embodiment of the invention, the control device is designed as a three-way valve. Such three-way valves are also known as “mixer” or “mixing valve”. A three-way valve may be provided, for example, where the bypass line is connected to a pipe exiting the cold generator. Both refrigerant flows can be mixed so that the desired temperature is set exactly on the temperature sensor.

In another embodiment, a two-way valve is provided. This simple valve can be provided in the tube leading to the cold generator, or in the tube leading from the cold generator, and also directly in the bypass line. However, this valve is predominantly located in the tube, which goes from the cold generator, in the area that is located to the junction of this tube with the bypass line. Thus, only the volumetric flow of cold refrigerant coming from the cold generator is regulated. The volume flow through the bypass line is adjusted accordingly.

In another embodiment, a second two-way valve is provided in the bypass line. By means of this, it is possible to directly control both volumetric flows, that is, refrigerant, which with a higher temperature flows through the bypass line, and refrigerant, which with a lower temperature, comes from the cold generator.

Two-way valves in their simplest form can be designed so that only one open or closed position is possible. To now be able to precisely control the volume flow as accurately as possible, the valves can operate periodically, for example, with a variable frequency. This means that either the fixed opening periods are matched with different opening periods, or the fixed opening periods are matched with different closing periods.

It is especially preferred if the cold generator is made in the cooling circuit of the transparent ice ice maker in the form of a heat exchanger. This heat exchanger is thermally connected to the evaporator of the refrigeration unit. Therefore, for the transparent ice ice maker, it is not necessary to provide a refrigerant circuit with its own compressor, evaporator and condenser, nor to connect the transparent ice ice maker directly to the refrigerant circuit of the refrigeration unit. In order to drive the refrigerant through the heat exchanger and through the cooling rods of the transparent ice machine, a circulation pump is integrated in the refrigerant circuit.

A mixture of glycol and water has proven to be the preferred refrigerant. This mixture can be adjusted so that it remains liquid in the required temperature range and, despite this, can be economically manufactured.

Advantageously, a heating device is provided in the refrigerant circuit of the transparent ice ice maker. By starting this heating device, the refrigerant can be heated so much that the transparent ice produced is disconnected from the cooling rods and can be collected in the receiving tray. Through this, you can save on separate heating devices on each individual refrigeration rod.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Other details and advantages of the invention arise from the dependent claims along with a description of the embodiments that are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

They show the following.

Figure 1: proposed by the invention, the refrigeration apparatus with a freezer compartment and an ice maker.

Figure 2: detailed view of a wire-tube evaporator with an attached heat exchanger.

Figure 3: the first embodiment of the refrigeration circuit of the transparent ice ice maker.

Figure 4: a second embodiment.

5: another embodiment.

The implementation of the invention

Figure 1 shows a refrigerator 1 with an open door 2 and an inner space 11. The inner space 11 is divided into a refrigerator 2 and a freezer compartment 3. For reasons of clarity, no door is shown on the freezer compartment 3. In the refrigerating chamber 2 is an ice generator 4 of transparent ice. In this transparent ice machine 4, according to a process that is not explained in detail, a plurality of chilled rods is used to make transparent ice, which is folded into the receiving tray 10. The receiving tray 10 is located under the transparent ice ice generator 4. The cold required to make transparent ice is produced by the heat exchanger 5 (see also FIG. 2), which is connected to the cooling rods.

The wire-tube evaporator 6, located in the freezer compartment and located horizontally, consists of a tube 7 of the evaporator, curved with the formation of parallel loops. The tube 7 of the wire-tube evaporator 6 on the upper and lower side is rigidly connected to the wire rods 8, which run parallel to the end face and are located at the same distance from each other. The location of the wire rods 8, on the one hand, contributes to an increase in the surface through which heat from the freezing compartment 3 can be better received, and on the other hand, prevents the deflection of the tube 7 of the wire-tube evaporator 6. For better clarity, only wire rods 8 of the wire-pipe evaporator 6, which are located on the end and on the opposite side.

The heat exchanger 5 consists of a tube 9 of the heat exchanger. The tube 9 of the heat exchanger 5 passes in the area of the wire-tube evaporator parallel to the evaporation tube 7 also in the form of loops in the same plane. In this case, the tube 9 of the heat exchanger 5, as well as the evaporation tube 7 of the wire-tube evaporator 6, is located exactly the same between the wire rods 8.

In order to be able to get enough heat from the heat exchanger 5 to the wire-tube evaporator 6, good thermal contact between these two components is required. For this, the tube 9 of the heat exchanger 5 is connected with the tube 7 of the evaporator and with the lower and upper wire rods 8 of the wire-tube evaporator 6. The tube 9 of the heat exchanger 5 has the same outer diameter and is made of the same material as the tube 7 of the wire-tube evaporator 6 .

As compounds with good thermal conductivity, spot welding, soldering or gluing are possible. Also, varnishing, in particular powder coating, which is applied to the finally mounted structure, consisting of a heat exchanger 5 and a wire-tube evaporator 6, has sufficient thermal conductivity.

Figure 3 shows a first embodiment of a cooling circuit of a transparent ice ice maker 4. The cooling circuit is usually filled with a mixture of water and glycol, and this mixture is economically manufactured and is liquid in the appropriate temperature range. The refrigerant is cooled in the heat exchanger 5 by means of a wire-tube evaporator 6. Using the circulation pump 17, the refrigerant is supplied to the circuit. In the circuit in front of the transparent ice ice maker 4 there is a temperature sensor 13, with which it is monitored whether the refrigerant has the temperature necessary for making transparent ice. A heating device 14 is required in order to disconnect the finished clear ice from the refrigeration rods of the clear ice ice maker, and thus it can be collected in the receiving tray 10. Bypass line 18 is included in the refrigerant circuit so that the refrigerant can pass bypassing the heat exchanger 5. Through the return flow line 19, the refrigerant that has already passed through the clear ice machine 4 is again led to the heat exchanger 5. A “cold” valve 12 is connected to the cooling circuit between the heat exchanger 5 and the bypass line 18. a very simple version of the "cold" valve 12 is made in the form of a shut-off valve, which can be installed only in one closed or one open position.

As soon as the circulation pump 17 enters operation, one partial refrigerant flow passes through the return flow line 19 and the other partial flow passes through the bypass line 18. This causes the cold partial flow from the heat exchanger 5 and the warm partial flow to be mixed before the circulation pump 17 the flow from the bypass line 18. The cross section of the flow through the bypass line 18 is configured so that under normal conditions by mixing the cold and warm partial flows on the temperature sensor 13, a temperature cheers refrigerant, which lies below the temperature ideal for the ice maker 4 transparent ice. A “cold” valve 12 is provided in order to influence the temperature of the refrigerant in the clear ice ice maker 4. If a temperature that is too low to be able to produce transparent ice is now detected at the temperature sensor 13, the partial flow through the return flow line 19 and the heat exchanger 5 should be reduced, and the partial flow through the bypass line 18 should be increased. For this, the “cold” valve 12 operates periodically, that is, it closes and reopens at a certain frequency. The longer the closing periods of the “cold” valve 12, the greater will be the partial flow through the bypass line 18. Therefore, if the measured refrigerant temperature is too low, the closing periods of the “cold” valve 12 should be extended, and if the measured refrigerant temperature is too high, the closing periods The “cold” valve 12 should be reduced.

However, the "cold" valve 12 can also be made in the form of a controlled valve. Such a valve does not have to work periodically, since the cross section of the open valve can be adjusted. Thus, with each position of the valve a certain ratio of the mixture of partial flows from the bypass line 18 and from the heat exchanger 5 can be achieved.

When the corresponding ice thickness is created on the refrigeration rods of the transparent ice ice maker 4, the heating device 14 is turned on. At the same time, the “cold” valve 12 is completely closed. The refrigerant is heated to a temperature slightly above 0 ° C and is completely passed through bypass line 18. As soon as the temperature in the clear ice ice maker 4 is above the 0 ° C limit value, the ice that comes in direct contact with the cooling rods melts and the ice is ready to drop into the receiving ice. tray 10.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the bypass valve 15 is further included in the bypass line 18. Regardless of whether the valves 12 and 15 operate intermittently or are provided with a continuously changing flow cross-section, in this embodiment, the refrigerant temperature can be controlled faster and more directly. Thus, the desired refrigerant temperature in the transparent ice ice maker 4 can be maintained with slight fluctuations.

Even more direct temperature control is possible in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5. In this case, instead of both valves 12 and 15, a mixing valve 16. This mixing valve 16 is located where the partial flow from the heat exchanger 5 is combined with the partial flow from the bypass line 18. With this mixing valve 16, these partial flows can be directly controlled. Thus, the temperature of the refrigerant can be adjusted in the clear ice ice maker 4 very accurately and without hesitation.

Claims (10)

1. A refrigeration apparatus (1) with an inner chamber (11) for storing cooled and / or frozen products and with an ice maker (4) located in the inner chamber (11), which is cooled by a refrigerant circuit, the refrigerant circuit containing a cold generator (5) , used to cool the refrigerant, characterized in that the refrigerant circuit contains a bypass line (18) through which the refrigerant can pass bypassing the cold generator (5). 2. The refrigeration apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that a device (12, 15, 16) is made with the possibility of control, by which the ratio of the flow rate of the refrigerant through the cold generator (5) and the bypass line (18) is regulated, and temperature sensor (13). 3. The refrigeration apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the device configured to control is made in the form of a three-way valve (16). 4. The refrigeration apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the device made with the possibility of control is provided in the form of a two-way valve (12, 15). 5. The refrigeration apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the two-way valve (12) is provided in the direction of flow between the cold generator (5) and the bypass line (18). 6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, characterized in that a second two-way valve (15) is provided in the bypass line (18). 7. The refrigeration apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the two-way valve (12, 15) is made in the form of a shut-off valve. 8. The refrigeration apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the cold generator (5) is made in the form of a heat exchanger, which is thermally connected to the evaporator (6) of the refrigeration apparatus (1), and that a circulation pump (17) is provided in the refrigerant circuit. 9. The refrigerator according to claim 8, characterized in that the refrigerant is a mixture of glycol and water. 10. The refrigeration apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that a heating device (14) is provided in the refrigerant circuit.

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