TWI816173B - Refrigeration apparatus and cooler comprising the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A refrigeration apparatus is disclosed. The refrigeration apparatus include an apparatus body and a pressure control device. The apparatus body includes an accommodation space for containing refrigerant and a pressure control device for controlling evaporation/sublimation pressure and connected with the apparatus body, making the accommodating space fluid communicate with outside of the apparatus body. The pressure control device includes a shut-off valve for opening or closing the communicating of accommodating space and the outside of the apparatus body. Such that, the temperature around the apparatus can be maintained at an approximately fixed temperature. A cooler is also disclosed. The cooler includes an internal space. The refrigeration apparatus is disposed in the internal space and communicates the accommodating space of the refrigeration apparatus with outside of the apparatus body via the pressure control device.

Description

Refrigeration devices and cold storage boxes containing them

The present invention relates to a refrigeration device and a cold storage box containing the same, and in particular to a refrigeration device that can control evaporation/sublimation pressure to maintain the temperature around the refrigeration device or in the cold storage box and a cold storage box containing the same.

Many raw materials and products need to be placed in an environment with appropriate temperature to be effectively preserved. As global environmental temperature changes intensify, maintaining the temperature of storage spaces becomes particularly important.

Take food as an example. In tropical and subtropical areas, the storage temperature required for food is usually lower than the outdoor temperature. In order to maintain the low temperature, refrigeration/refrigeration units (including compressors and related accessories) have been installed on transportation vehicles to ensure long-term storage. maintain a lower space temperature over time. Accordingly, it takes up a lot of space, uses a lot of power, and produces a lot of operating noise.

In recent years, as people pursue convenience and preventive measures against epidemic diseases, in addition to the transportation of large portions of food, the delivery of small portions of food has become increasingly popular.

Since small portions of food require simpler transportation methods, it is difficult and impossible for transportation vehicles (such as motorcycles) to carry small amounts of food to be equipped with refrigeration/refrigeration units. Instead, the food should be wrapped in insulating materials, or the food should be packed with ice or ice cubes. Dry ice is placed together to absorb heat from the space. However, the cooling effect of this method cannot be maintained for a long time, nor can the temperature of the placement space be kept constant as required, making it difficult to ensure The flavor of the food may also cause other problems, such as the production of a lot of waste insulation materials, the inability to discharge carbon dioxide gas in the space, and/or the inability to temporarily stop refrigeration to maintain refrigeration power for a longer period of time, etc.

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a refrigeration device and a cold storage box containing the same, which can control the evaporation/sublimation pressure to maintain the temperature around the refrigeration device or in the cold storage box, while not using additional power, not occupying a large amount of space, and temporarily stopping refrigeration. and/or no noise, etc.

In order to achieve the above object, the refrigeration device provided by the present invention includes a device body and a pressure control component. The device body includes an accommodating space suitable for accommodating refrigerant. The pressure control component may be configured to control the evaporation/sublimation pressure and be connected to the device body so that the accommodation space is in fluid communication with the outside of the device body. The pressure control component includes a shut-off valve, which can open or close the communication between the accommodation space and the outside of the device body.

To achieve the above object, the present invention also provides a cold storage box, which includes a space inside the box, and a refrigeration device is provided in the inner space. The refrigeration device can connect the accommodation space of the refrigeration device and the outside of the cold storage box through a pressure control assembly.

In one embodiment, the refrigerant contained in the refrigeration device and the cold storage box including the refrigeration device provided by the present invention is liquid carbon dioxide.

In one embodiment, the pressure control component of the refrigeration device and the cold storage box containing the same includes an evaporation pressure adjustment valve and is configured to control the evaporation or sublimation pressure between 0.1 and 72.9 barG.

In one embodiment, the refrigeration device provided by the present invention and the cold storage box including the device body further include an evaporation tube, an upper tube and a lower tube. The upper tube is arranged above the evaporator tube and connected with the evaporator tube. The hair tube is in fluid communication. The lower tube is disposed below the evaporation tube and is in fluid communication with the evaporation tube. The upper tube is connected to the pressure control assembly.

In one embodiment, the evaporation tube of the refrigeration device and the cold storage box including the refrigeration device provided by the present invention includes at least one heat sink.

In one embodiment, the evaporation tube of the refrigeration device and the cold storage box containing the same has a cross-sectional shape, and the cross-sectional shape is a six-star shape, an eight-star shape, or a snowflake shape.

In one embodiment, the upper tube of the refrigeration device and the cold storage box including the refrigeration device provided by the present invention further includes a filling port suitable for filling refrigerant.

In one embodiment, the refrigeration device and the cold storage box including the same provided by the present invention further include a protective shell that surrounds the device body and is made of metal material.

In one embodiment, the protective shell of the refrigeration device and the cold storage box containing the same includes a plurality of holes.

In one embodiment, the refrigeration device provided by the present invention and the cold storage box containing the same have a device body made of aluminum alloy.

In order to make the above objectives, technical features and advantages more obvious and easy to understand, preferred embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1. 1’: Refrigeration device

10:Device body

11: Shell

12: Top tube

12D: length extension direction

13: Accommodation space

14: Evaporation tube

14a:Upper end

14b:lower end

14D: length extension direction

15:Fluid connector

16: down tube

16D: length extension direction

20: Pressure control component

22: Shut-off valve

24: Evaporation pressure adjustment valve

26:Exhaust pipe

30:Protective shell

31:hole

100:Cooler box

110:Open your mouth

121:Filling port

122:Filling valve

123: Pressure gauge

142:Heat sink

142D: length extension direction

b: length

c:length

T:Thickness

Td: difference

Te: evaporation temperature

To: The temperature inside the cold box

L: liquid

G: gas

Figure 1 is a conceptual schematic view of the refrigeration device of the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the refrigeration device of the present invention; Figure 3 is a three-dimensional schematic view of the evaporation tube of the refrigeration device in Figure 2; Figure 4a Figure 4c is a schematic diagram of the evaporation tube of the refrigeration device in Figure 2 with different cross-sections; Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the refrigeration device of the present invention provided with a protective shell; Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view of the cold box of the present invention; Figure 7 is the relationship between the temperature inside the cold box of the present invention and the cooling power of the refrigeration device. Comparison chart; and Figure 8 is a comparison chart between the internal temperature and battery life of the cooling box of the present invention.

Specific embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail below; however, without departing from the spirit of the present invention, the present invention can be practiced in a variety of different forms, and the scope of protection of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the description. Presenter.

Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form "a" used herein also includes the plural form, and the directions (such as up, down, inside, outside, etc.) are relative directions and can be based on the orientation of the refrigeration device or cold storage box. The definition of usage status does not indicate or imply that the refrigeration device or cold box needs to be constructed or operated in a specific direction, nor should it be understood as a limitation of the present invention.

Please refer to Figure 1. Figure 1 shows a refrigeration device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The refrigeration device 1 includes a device body 10 and a pressure control component 20. The device body 10 may have a shell 11 to define an accommodating space 13, and the accommodating space 13 may accommodate a refrigerant. The refrigerant is optionally solid carbon dioxide, liquid carbon dioxide or other environmentally friendly refrigerants. The housing 11 may be made of one or more of aluminum alloy, copper alloy, iron-based alloy, or other thermally conductive materials. The pressure control assembly 20 can control an evaporation or sublimation pressure and is connected to the device body 10 so that the accommodation space 13 can be fluidly connected to the outside of the device body 10 to discharge the phase-changed refrigerant to the outside of the device body 10 . In this way, in addition to achieving the refrigeration effect through the physical properties of the refrigerant in the device body 10 which absorbs heat (latent heat required during phase change) during evaporation/sublimation, the evaporation temperature of the refrigerant can also be further maintained at a fixed value by controlling the evaporation or sublimation pressure. interval.

In detail, please refer to FIG. 2 . In an embodiment of the refrigeration device 1 of the present invention, the casing 11 of the device body 10 can be divided into an upper tube 12 , an evaporation tube 14 and a lower tube 16 . The upper tube 12 , the evaporation tube 14 and the lower tube 16 are a tubular container (it can also be any other container of any shape capable of encapsulating refrigerant). The upper tube 12 is arranged above the evaporation tube 14 , and the lower tube 16 is arranged below the evaporation tube 14 . In this embodiment, the length extension direction 12D of the upper tube 12 and the length extension direction 16D of the lower tube 16 are substantially parallel to each other, and the length extension direction 14D of the evaporation tube 14 is consistent with the length extension directions 12D and 16D of the upper tube 12 and the lower tube 16 . Roughly vertical. The upper tube 12, the evaporation tube 14 and the lower tube 16 can be made in one piece; they can also be made separately and then connected to each other. For example, the upper end 14a and the lower end 14b of each evaporation tube 14 can be provided with a fluid joint respectively. 15, so that the evaporation tube 14 can be fluidly connected with the upper tube 12 and the lower tube 16, and jointly define an accommodation space 13. When the refrigeration device 1 is placed in such a manner that the length extension direction 14D of the evaporation tubes 14 is substantially perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the placement plane, and the refrigerant in each evaporation tube 14 is fluid (for example, in the form of liquid L), the refrigerant can be as follows: The arrangement of the tubes 16 is maintained at the same height within the evaporation tubes 14 so that the heat transfer capacity is evenly distributed among the evaporation tubes 14 . The upper tube 12 may include a filling port 121 for the user to fill refrigerant into the receiving space 13 of the device body 10. When the refrigerant is a fluid, the filling port 121 may be provided with a filling valve 122, such as a liquid-controlled filling valve. or spring-return filling valve to aid filling. In order to increase the heat transfer area, the device body 10 can be provided with several evaporation tubes 14. In Figure 2, five evaporation tubes 14 are shown, but this is not a limitation.

Continuing from the above embodiment, the pressure control component 20 of the refrigeration device 1 may be disposed in fluid communication with the upper pipe 12 . The pressure control component 20 may sequentially include a shut-off valve 22, an evaporation pressure adjustment valve 24, and an exhaust pipe 26 from upstream to downstream in the direction of fluid flow, but the order is not limited to this. The shut-off valve 22 is used to open or close the communication between the accommodation space 13 and the outside of the device body 10. When the shut-off valve 22 is opened, the evaporated gas G can be discharged to the refrigeration device 1 through the pressure control assembly 20 and the exhaust pipe 26. External; when shut-off valve 22 is closed When closed, the evaporated gas G cannot leave the refrigeration device 1, thus avoiding the phase change of the refrigerant and extending the operating time of the refrigeration capacity. The evaporation pressure regulating valve 24 can mechanically control the evaporation or sublimation pressure to maintain the evaporation or sublimation temperature. The evaporation pressure regulating valve 24 can be a pressure reducing pressure regulating valve or a back pressure type pressure regulating valve. For example, the back-pressure pressure regulating valve may be a KPB series pressure regulating valve from Swagelock. The exhaust pipe 26 may be in the shape of a long tube to adjustably discharge the refrigerant away from the refrigeration device 1 .

Because when the evaporation pressure of liquid carbon dioxide is controlled between 4.2~72.9barG, it can correspond to an evaporation temperature of -56.6~31.1℃; when the sublimation pressure of solid carbon dioxide is controlled between 0.1~4.0barG, it can correspond to -78~- The sublimation temperature of 57°C is more in line with the cooling temperature expected in the expected use situation of the present invention, and carbon dioxide has the advantages of being non-toxic, non-flammable, and not damaging to the ozone layer. The following uses carbon dioxide as the refrigerant to explain the function of the evaporation pressure adjustment valve 24 in detail. as follows: If the refrigerant is liquid carbon dioxide, the pressure in the accommodation space 13 of the device body 10 is maintained at 72.9 barG through the evaporation pressure adjustment valve 24, and the evaporation temperature of the refrigerant can in principle be maintained at 31.1°C; if the refrigerant is solid carbon dioxide, By maintaining the pressure in the accommodation space 13 of the device body 10 at 0.1 barG, the sublimation temperature of the refrigerant can in principle be maintained at -78°C. The principle is that when the evaporation pressure is maintained at 72.9barG, the critical point temperature for converting liquid carbon dioxide into gaseous carbon dioxide is 31.1°C (i.e., the evaporation temperature when the evaporation pressure is 72.9barG). If the ambient temperature is greater than 31.1°C, the liquid carbon dioxide will It will continue to evaporate until the ambient temperature drops to 31.1°C. As long as the ambient temperature is not higher than 31.1°C, the liquid carbon dioxide in the device body will remain in a liquid state, will not undergo a phase change, and will no longer absorb heat from the outside. The refrigeration device 1 will have a longer endurance. In the same way, when solid carbon dioxide is used as the refrigerant and the sublimation pressure is maintained at 4barG, the critical point temperature for converting solid carbon dioxide into gaseous carbon dioxide is -57°C (i.e., the sublimation temperature when the sublimation pressure is 4barG). As long as the ambient temperature Not higher than -57℃, The solid carbon dioxide in the device body will remain in a solid state and will not absorb heat, allowing it to have a longer battery life.

Therefore, the refrigeration device 1 of the present invention can have a fixed evaporation or sublimation temperature by presetting a fixed evaporation or sublimation pressure. In order to facilitate the user to adjust according to different needs, a pressure gauge 123 can also be provided on the upper tube 12 to monitor the evaporation or sublimation pressure in the accommodation space 13, and then adjust the temperature around the refrigeration device 1 by controlling the evaporation or sublimation pressure. Optionally, the evaporation pressure regulating valve 24 and the pressure gauge 123 can be connected to a controller (not shown), so that the user can directly set the required temperature through the controller, and the controller can read the pressure value through the pressure gauge 123 and then The evaporation pressure regulating valve 24 automatically adjusts the evaporation or sublimation pressure to be maintained.

In addition, the upper tube 12 can also be connected to other components, such as a spring-type safety valve, a lever-type safety valve or a pulse-type safety valve (not shown), to avoid accidents caused by over-pressure.

Please refer to Figure 3, which is a schematic three-dimensional view of the evaporation tube 14 of the present invention. In order to increase the contact area between the evaporation tube 14 and the air, at least one heat sink 142 may be provided on the outer surface of the evaporation tube 14. The heat sink 142 may have a thickness T, such as about 1 mm, but this is not a limitation. The heat sink 142 may have a length extension direction 142D that is substantially parallel to the length extension direction 14D of the evaporation tube 14 . In other words, the heat sink 142 may extend along the length extension direction 14D, and may have a length c equal to or shorter than the length b of the evaporation tube 14 . Please refer to Figures 4a to 4c, which are schematic cross-sectional views of the evaporation tube 14 of the present invention. When the evaporation tube 14 has a plurality of radiating fins 142, each radiating fin 142 can be spaced apart from each other and arranged in different shapes, so that the cross-sectional shape of the evaporating tube 14 can present a six-star shape (see Figure 4a) or an eight-star shape (see Figure 4a). 4b) or snowflake shape (Picture 4c), etc., but this is not a limitation. If the evaporation tube 14 has sufficient heat dissipation area after being manufactured (for example, it is only in a tube shape), there is no need to provide the heat sink 142 .

Please refer to FIG. 5 . The refrigeration device 1 of the present invention may further include a protective shell 30 . In this embodiment, the protective housing 30 may have a rectangular shape to surround the upper tube 12, the evaporation tube 14 and the lower tube 16 without forming a closed space. The pressure control component 20 may be disposed outside the protective housing 30, but This is not a limitation. The protective shell 30 can prevent the refrigeration device 1 or the device body 10 from being damaged due to collision, and can also prevent the shell 11 of the device body 10 from contacting human skin, causing frostbite accidents. The protective shell 30 may further include a plurality of holes 31 so that the air can circulate smoothly and contact the evaporation tube for heat exchange. The holes 31 can have different sizes and shapes, and can also be arranged into different patterns or text to provide diverse decorative effects. The protective shell 30 can also be made of metal (such as stainless steel) to facilitate cleaning and assist in heat conduction. Since the protective shell 30 can be a spaced-apart covering of the refrigeration device 1 or the device body 10, its temperature will not cause frostbite. , but not as a limitation. The material from which the protective housing 30 is made may also include plastic materials.

Next, please refer to Figure 6, which is a schematic three-dimensional view of the cold box 100. The cold box 100 is equipped with at least one refrigeration device 1'. The technical content of the refrigeration device 1' can be referred to the technical content of the refrigeration device 1 mentioned above. In this embodiment, the cold box 100 can be a rectangular shell, which can be made of plastic, metal or foam material, and can optionally be provided with a vacuum interlayer. The cold box 100 may include at least one openable opening 110 for a user to place food or items that need to be kept cold. The refrigeration device 1' can be placed in the cooling box 100 in a direction with the upper tube 12 located above and the lower tube 16 located below (also called an upright direction), but this is not a limitation. According to different needs, the device body 10 of the refrigeration device 1' can be inside the cold storage box 100, and the pressure control component 20 can be exposed outside the cold storage box 100 to facilitate the user to turn on or off the refrigeration device 1' and avoid unnecessary loss of refrigerant. Or it is convenient for the user to adjust the space temperature of the cold box 100 without opening the cold box 100, and to discharge the evaporated refrigerant directly to the outside of the cold box 100 through the pressure control component 20. If the pressure control assembly 20 is located in the cold box 100 , the discharge end of the exhaust pipe 26 can still be disposed outside the cold box 100 to discharge the evaporated refrigerant to the space outside the cold box 100 .

Please refer to Figure 7, which is a comparison chart for maintaining the temperature inside the cooling box 100 and the cooling power of the refrigeration device 1' (including five evaporation tubes 14 with a snowflake-shaped cross-section). Figure 8 shows a comparison chart between the temperature inside the cooling box 100 and the endurance of the refrigeration device 1'. In this embodiment, the cooling box 100 has internal dimensions of 43 cm in width, 43 cm in height, and 43 cm in height, and a volume of 0.080 cubic meters. The volume of the refrigeration device 1' disposed in the cooling box 100 is 0.64 liters (L), can be filled with 0.384 kilograms (kg) of liquid carbon dioxide, and the evaporation pressure is set by the evaporation pressure adjustment valve 24. The temperature difference in the table (Td) = the temperature inside the cold box (To) - the evaporation temperature (Te). If the user wants the temperature inside the cooling box 100 to be -20°C, the evaporation pressure needs to be set at 16.6barG to maintain the corresponding evaporation temperature at -26°C, with a cooling power of 0.012 kilowatts (kW) and battery life. 1.67 hours (Hrs), of which the consumption of liquid carbon dioxide is 0.147 kilograms/hour (kg/h).

In summary, the refrigeration device of the present invention and the cold storage box containing the same have a longer refrigeration capacity than conventional cold storage methods, can adjust and maintain a desired space temperature, and have a controllable temperature range that is wider than conventional cold storage methods. It has a wide range of methods, takes up less space than traditional refrigeration/refrigeration units, can increase or decrease the number of refrigeration devices placed according to needs (easy to schedule), does not require the use of electricity and power, has no noise or vibration during operation, and uses components that are less prone to failure. In addition to being beneficial to the transportation of small quantities of items, it can also be flexibly used in other aspects of life, industry, medical treatment, etc.

The above-mentioned embodiments are only used to illustrate the implementation aspects of the present invention and to illustrate the technical features of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any changes or equivalence arrangements that can be easily accomplished by those familiar with this technology fall within the scope claimed by the present invention. The scope of protection of the rights of the present invention shall be subject to the scope of the patent application.

1: Refrigeration device

10:Device body

11: Shell

12: Top tube

12D: length extension direction

13: Accommodation space

14: Evaporation tube

14a:Upper end

14b:lower end

14D: length extension direction

15:Fluid connector

16: down tube

16D: length extension direction

20: Pressure control component

22: Shut-off valve

24: Evaporation pressure adjustment valve

26:Exhaust pipe

121:Filling port

122:Filling valve

123: Pressure gauge

142:Heat sink

b:length

L: liquid

G: gas

Claims (10)

A refrigeration device, including: a device body, including a receiving space, the receiving space is suitable for containing a refrigerant; and a pressure control component, suitable for controlling an evaporation or sublimation pressure, and is connected with the device body, so that the The accommodation space is in fluid communication with the outside of the device body; wherein, the pressure control component includes a shut-off valve, suitable for opening or closing the communication between the accommodation space and the outside of the device body; characterized in that the device body further includes: a Evaporation tube; an upper tube, arranged above the evaporation tube and in fluid communication with the evaporation tube; and a lower tube, arranged below the evaporation tube and in fluid communication with the evaporation tube; wherein, the upper tube and the pressure control components are connected. The refrigeration device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the refrigerant is liquid carbon dioxide. The refrigeration device of claim 1, wherein the pressure control component includes an evaporation pressure adjustment valve and is configured to control the evaporation or sublimation pressure between 0.1 and 72.9 barG. The refrigeration device of claim 1, wherein the evaporation tube includes at least one heat sink. The refrigeration device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the evaporation tube includes a cross-sectional shape, and the cross-sectional shape is a six-star shape, an eight-star shape or a snowflake shape. In the refrigeration device of claim 1, the upper tube further includes a filling port suitable for filling the refrigerant. The refrigeration device according to claim 1 further includes a protective shell surrounding the device body and made of a metal material. The refrigeration device of claim 7, wherein the protective shell includes a plurality of holes. The refrigeration device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device body is made of aluminum alloy. A cold storage box, including an inner space. The inner space is provided with a refrigeration device as described in any one of claims 1 to 9. The refrigeration device communicates with the accommodation space of the refrigeration device and the refrigeration device through the pressure control component. The outside of the cooler.

Images