US20020029578A1 - Device for disposing of condensate from small sized air conditioner - Google Patents
Device for disposing of condensate from small sized air conditioner Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20020029578A1 US20020029578A1 US09/770,448 US77044801A US2002029578A1 US 20020029578 A1 US20020029578 A1 US 20020029578A1 US 77044801 A US77044801 A US 77044801A US 2002029578 A1 US2002029578 A1 US 2002029578A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- condensate
- air conditioner
- small sized
- disposing
- sized air
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
- F24F1/06—Separate outdoor units, e.g. outdoor unit to be linked to a separate room comprising a compressor and a heat exchanger
- F24F1/42—Separate outdoor units, e.g. outdoor unit to be linked to a separate room comprising a compressor and a heat exchanger characterised by the use of the condensate, e.g. for enhanced cooling
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F13/00—Details common to, or for air-conditioning, air-humidification, ventilation or use of air currents for screening
- F24F13/22—Means for preventing condensation or evacuating condensate
- F24F13/222—Means for preventing condensation or evacuating condensate for evacuating condensate
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F13/00—Details common to, or for air-conditioning, air-humidification, ventilation or use of air currents for screening
- F24F13/22—Means for preventing condensation or evacuating condensate
- F24F13/222—Means for preventing condensation or evacuating condensate for evacuating condensate
- F24F2013/225—Means for preventing condensation or evacuating condensate for evacuating condensate by evaporating the condensate in the cooling medium, e.g. in air flow from the condenser
Definitions
- the present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly, to a device for disposing of condensate from a small sized air conditioner, which can remove condensate formed at an evaporator of the air conditioner without draining the condensate to outside of the air conditioner.
- the air conditioner maintains a temperature, a humidity, and the like of a desired space (air conditioned space) at appropriate states by using a refrigerating cycle of compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation of a refrigerant.
- the air conditioner there are package type air conditioners and room air conditioners.
- the air conditioner has a heat discharging part with the condenser and a heat absorbing part with the evaporator arranged in separate places. And, since the heat discharging part is arranged outside of the room, the heat discharging part is called as an outdoor unit, and, since the heat absorbing part is arranged inside the room, the heat absorbing part is called as an indoor unit.
- a related art room air conditioner will be explained with reference to FIG. 1.
- a heat discharging part 5 is arranged outside of the room, and, the heat absorbing part 3 is arranged inside of the room.
- the heat absorbing part 3 is fixed to a wall, and the heat discharging part 5 is placed on a veranda or the like.
- refrigerant pipe lines connected between the heat absorbing part 3 and the heat discharging part 5 for flow of the refrigerant.
- drain hose 9 connected to the heat absorbing part 3 for discharging the condensate formed at the evaporator of the heat absorbing part 3 .
- the heat absorbing part 3 is provided with an evaporator 37 and a fan 38 fitted inside thereof. And, there is a suction grill 33 in front portion of a body 31 of the heat absorbing part, for drawing air from the room, and a discharge grill 35 below the body 31 of the heat absorbing part, for discharging cooled air heat exchanged with the evaporator 37 into the room again.
- the room air flowed into the suction grill 33 is cooled down as the room air is heat exchanged at the evaporator 37 , and discharged into the room again, for maintaining the room temperature at a preset level.
- the evaporated refrigerant is provided to a compressor in the heat discharging part 5 through a low pressure pipe line 7 b, and compressed and provided to the condenser.
- the refrigerant makes heat exchange with external air at the condenser to condense the refrigerant and discharge heated air outside of the room.
- the condensed refrigerant is expanded at an expansion valve and flows to the evaporator 37 through a high pressure pipe line 7 a again.
- water drops are formed on a surface of the evaporator 37 during heat exchange between the room air and the refrigerant at the evaporator 37 in the heat absorbing part 3 , because a surface temperature of the evaporator 37 is very low compared to the room temperature, to cool down the room air in contact with the evaporator 37 below a dew point of the air.
- the water drops formed at the evaporator 37 are collected at a place along a drain channel 39 in the heat absorbing part 3 , and drained to outside of the room through a drain hose 9 .
- the related art air conditioner is in general not convenient to install owing to its heavy weight. And, the air conditioner once installed is difficult to disassemble, since the refrigerant pipe lines are passed through a wall and fastened at desired locations, and moving the air conditioner once installed to other place is difficult. And, in general the drain hose for draining the condensate formed at the evaporator is passed through the wall and exposed to outside of the room, of which outer appearance, not only is poor, but also limits the installation location, and since moving the drain hose once placed at a desired location is difficult, moving the air conditioner actually becomes impossible. Therefore, in order to develop a local space cooling air conditioner, or a small sized air conditioner, which is convenient and simple in installation and movement, enough to permit an instant cooling of, not the entire air conditioning space, but a particular space, solving the problem has been a prerequisite.
- the present invention is directed to a device for disposing of condensate from a small sized air conditioner that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
- An object of the present invention is to provide a device for disposing of condensate from a small sized air conditioner without draining the condensate so that the air conditioner can be moved and installed with easy.
- the small sized air conditioner includes a heat discharging part having a small sized compressor and condenser, a heat absorbing part having a small sized evaporator, a drain hose for transferring condensate from the evaporator to the heat discharging part, and a device for disposing of condensate fitted in the heat discharging part for vaporizing the condensate transferred through the drain hose by using a heat generated at the heat discharging part.
- the device for disposing of condensate includes a cylindrical body around an outer circumference of the compressor, and a plurality of flow paths in the cylindrical body for guiding the condensate.
- the device for disposing of condensate includes a cylindrical body around an outer circumference of the compressor, and a condensate absorbing member fitted in the cylindrical body.
- the device for disposing of condensate includes a condensate distributor fitted over the condenser for distributing the condensate transferred through the drain hose onto the condenser.
- the condenser has slit fin type cooling fins, and more than 19 of the cooling fins are arranged per one inch.
- the present invention permits easy installation and movement of the air conditioner.
- FIG. 1 illustrates installation of a related art air conditioner, schematically
- FIG. 2 illustrates a section of a heat absorbing part(indoor unit) of a related art air conditioner installed in a wall;
- FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a small sized air conditioner in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 4 illustrates a configuration of a device for disposing of condensate from a small sized air conditioner in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, schematically;
- FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the device for disposing of condensate in FIG. 4;
- FIG. 6 illustrates a configuration of a device for disposing of condensate from a small sized air conditioner in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, schematically;
- FIG. 7 illustrates a configuration of a device for disposing of condensate from a small sized air conditioner in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention, schematically;
- FIG. 8 illustrates the device for disposing of condensate in FIG. 7 in detail
- FIG. 9 illustrates the operation of the device for disposing of condensate in FIG. 8, schematically
- FIG. 10 illustrates an enlarged side view of the cooling fin in FIG. 7;
- FIG. 11 illustrates a section across line I-I in FIG. 10
- FIG. 12 illustrates a side view of an example of cooling fins used in the device for disposing of condensate in FIG. 7;
- FIG. 13 illustrates a section across line II-II in FIG. 12.
- the air conditioner of the present invention also includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator and the like, for employing the refrigerating cycle.
- the condenser is in the heat discharging part 100
- the evaporator is in the heat absorbing part 200 .
- the air conditioner of the present invention since a purpose of the air conditioner of the present invention lies on cooling a local space, an air conditioner with a small cooling capacity is acceptable, with consequential small sized heat absorbing part 200 and heat discharging part 100 required, that renders a convenience in moving and installation of the air conditioner.
- the high pressure pipe line 310 and the low pressure pipe line 320 are formed of flexible material for improving the convenience in moving and installation of the air conditioner, and detachably connected between the heat absorbing part 200 and the heat discharging part 100 by means of quick coupling or the like, for easy installation and moving of the heat absorbing part 200 and the heat discharging part 100 .
- one end of the drain hose 330 is connected to the heat absorbing part 200 , and the other end is connected to the heat discharging part 100 .
- the condensate transferred to the heat discharging part 100 is, not drained outside of the room, but removed by the device for removing the condensate from the heat discharging part 100 .
- the drain hose 330 is also formed of a flexible material.
- a condenser 344 on outside of a compressor 340 , and a device for disposing of condensate on an outside surface of the compressor 340 .
- a fan 342 above the compressor 340 for drawing external air.
- the present invention suggests to vaporize the condensate formed at the evaporator and introduced into the device 600 for removing condensate fitted outside of the compressor 340 by using a heat from the compressor 340 . This is made possible because the compressor 340 generate a significantly high temperature when the compressor 340 compresses the refrigerant from a low temperature and low pressure state to a high temperature and high pressure state.
- a surface temperature of the compressor 340 is in a range of 70- 80° C.
- the device for disposing of condensate 600 includes a cylindrical body 610 around an outer circumference of the compressor 340 , and a plurality of flow paths 620 in the cylindrical body 610 for guiding the condensate.
- One end of the drain hose 330 is connected to a top of the cylindrical body 610 of the device 600 . Therefore, the condensate introduced into the device 600 through the drain hose 330 is vaporized as the condensate flows along a flow path 620 in the body 610 of the device 600 by the heat of the compressor 340 .
- the body 610 and the flow path 620 of the device 600 are formed of a metal with a high thermal conductivity, and an inside surface of the flow path 620 is coated with hydrophilic material for flowing of the condensate, with the condensate evenly distributed on the inside surface, but not in drops.
- the fan 342 is mounted above the compressor 340 , for accelerating evaporation of the condensate as a flow direction ‘B’ of the condensate is opposite to a flow direction of external air introduced thereto by the fan.
- the body 610 of the device 600 is detachably fitted to the compressor 340 , for throwing out a small amount of not vaporized water, later.
- a device for disposing of condensate from a small sized air conditioner in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention will be explained, with reference to FIG. 6.
- the second embodiment device is similar to the first embodiment, the second embodiment device forms no flow path, but provides a condensate absorbing member 630 which can absorb water(condensate) well.
- the operation of the second embodiment device will be omitted as the operation of the second embodiment device is the same with the first embodiment device.
- a device for disposing of condensate from a small sized air conditioner in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention will be explained, with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.
- the third embodiment device also evaporates condensate at the heat discharging part.
- the first or the second embodiment device uses the heat from the compressor in evaporation of the condensate
- the third embodiment device uses the heat generated when the refrigerant is condensed at the condenser in evaporation of the condensate.
- the third embodiment device will be explained in detail.
- the condenser 344 has a plurality of refrigerant tubes 348 for refrigerant flow, and a plurality of cooling fins 346 fitted substantially perpendicular to the refrigerant tubes 348 .
- the condensate distributer 650 over the condenser 344 for even distribution of condensate onto the condenser 344 .
- the condensate distributer 650 has a plurality of distribution holes 652 corresponding to the cooling fins 346 .
- the condensate from the evaporator is introduced into the condensate distributer 650 through the drain hose 330 . Then, the condensate is discharged toward the condenser 344 in drop of water through the distribution holes 652 as the condensate flows along the condensate distributer 650 .
- the condensate discharged from the distribution holes 652 flows on the cooling fins 346 .
- the condensate flowing on the cooling fins 346 is vaporized by a heat discharged from the condenser 344 .
- the device for disposing of condensate of the present invention can vaporize all the condensate without draining outside of the air conditioner.
- louvered type fins as the cooling fins 346 may fail to vaporize all the condensate because the louvered type fins have a poor adhesion characteristics for the condensate to allow the condensate to flow down comparatively, quickly. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, it is preferable that slit fin type cooling fins 346 are used, for accelerating vaporization of the condensate as the condensate stays in the slits 346 b for a long time period.
- cooling fins 346 which leads separation of the condensate into small portions, improves dispersion of the condensate, so that all the small portions can be vaporized as the small portions flow down between the cooling fins 346 . More than 19 cooling fins per 1′′ is preferable.
- the device for disposing of condensate of the present invention is applicable to all air conditioners of which condensate is comparatively small.
- the device for disposing of condensate from a small sized air conditioner of the present invention has the following advantages.
- the device for disposing of condensate from a small sized air conditioner of the present invention can vaporize within the air conditioner itself without draining outside of the room. That is, since no exposure of the drain hose outside of the room is required, with no requirement for making a hole in a wall, installation of the air conditioner is simple and has good outer look.
- a performance of the air conditioner can be improved as a surface temperature of the compressor can be lowered.
Abstract
Description
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly, to a device for disposing of condensate from a small sized air conditioner, which can remove condensate formed at an evaporator of the air conditioner without draining the condensate to outside of the air conditioner.
- 2. Background of the Related Art
- The air conditioner maintains a temperature, a humidity, and the like of a desired space (air conditioned space) at appropriate states by using a refrigerating cycle of compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation of a refrigerant. In the air conditioner, there are package type air conditioners and room air conditioners. In general, the air conditioner has a heat discharging part with the condenser and a heat absorbing part with the evaporator arranged in separate places. And, since the heat discharging part is arranged outside of the room, the heat discharging part is called as an outdoor unit, and, since the heat absorbing part is arranged inside the room, the heat absorbing part is called as an indoor unit. A related art room air conditioner will be explained with reference to FIG. 1.
- A
heat discharging part 5 is arranged outside of the room, and, theheat absorbing part 3 is arranged inside of the room. For an example, theheat absorbing part 3 is fixed to a wall, and theheat discharging part 5 is placed on a veranda or the like. There is refrigerant pipe lines connected between theheat absorbing part 3 and theheat discharging part 5 for flow of the refrigerant. And, there is adrain hose 9 connected to theheat absorbing part 3 for discharging the condensate formed at the evaporator of theheat absorbing part 3. - A system of the heat absorbing part will be explained, with reference to FIG. 2. The
heat absorbing part 3 is provided with anevaporator 37 and afan 38 fitted inside thereof. And, there is asuction grill 33 in front portion of abody 31 of the heat absorbing part, for drawing air from the room, and adischarge grill 35 below thebody 31 of the heat absorbing part, for discharging cooled air heat exchanged with theevaporator 37 into the room again. - The operation of the related art air conditioner will be explained, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
- The room air flowed into the
suction grill 33 is cooled down as the room air is heat exchanged at theevaporator 37, and discharged into the room again, for maintaining the room temperature at a preset level. The evaporated refrigerant is provided to a compressor in theheat discharging part 5 through a low pressure pipe line 7 b, and compressed and provided to the condenser. The refrigerant makes heat exchange with external air at the condenser to condense the refrigerant and discharge heated air outside of the room. The condensed refrigerant is expanded at an expansion valve and flows to theevaporator 37 through a highpressure pipe line 7 a again. By repeating the foregoing process, the room, i.e., the air conditionedspace 1 can be maintained at a desired temperature. - In the meantime, water drops are formed on a surface of the
evaporator 37 during heat exchange between the room air and the refrigerant at theevaporator 37 in theheat absorbing part 3, because a surface temperature of theevaporator 37 is very low compared to the room temperature, to cool down the room air in contact with theevaporator 37 below a dew point of the air. The water drops formed at theevaporator 37 are collected at a place along adrain channel 39 in theheat absorbing part 3, and drained to outside of the room through adrain hose 9. - However, the related art air conditioner is in general not convenient to install owing to its heavy weight. And, the air conditioner once installed is difficult to disassemble, since the refrigerant pipe lines are passed through a wall and fastened at desired locations, and moving the air conditioner once installed to other place is difficult. And, in general the drain hose for draining the condensate formed at the evaporator is passed through the wall and exposed to outside of the room, of which outer appearance, not only is poor, but also limits the installation location, and since moving the drain hose once placed at a desired location is difficult, moving the air conditioner actually becomes impossible. Therefore, in order to develop a local space cooling air conditioner, or a small sized air conditioner, which is convenient and simple in installation and movement, enough to permit an instant cooling of, not the entire air conditioning space, but a particular space, solving the problem has been a prerequisite.
- Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a device for disposing of condensate from a small sized air conditioner that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
- An object of the present invention is to provide a device for disposing of condensate from a small sized air conditioner without draining the condensate so that the air conditioner can be moved and installed with easy.
- Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
- To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the small sized air conditioner includes a heat discharging part having a small sized compressor and condenser, a heat absorbing part having a small sized evaporator, a drain hose for transferring condensate from the evaporator to the heat discharging part, and a device for disposing of condensate fitted in the heat discharging part for vaporizing the condensate transferred through the drain hose by using a heat generated at the heat discharging part.
- The device for disposing of condensate includes a cylindrical body around an outer circumference of the compressor, and a plurality of flow paths in the cylindrical body for guiding the condensate.
- The device for disposing of condensate includes a cylindrical body around an outer circumference of the compressor, and a condensate absorbing member fitted in the cylindrical body.
- The device for disposing of condensate includes a condensate distributor fitted over the condenser for distributing the condensate transferred through the drain hose onto the condenser. The condenser has slit fin type cooling fins, and more than 19 of the cooling fins are arranged per one inch.
- Since exposure of the drain hose to outside of the room is not required, the present invention permits easy installation and movement of the air conditioner.
- It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
- The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention:
- In the drawings:
- FIG. 1 illustrates installation of a related art air conditioner, schematically;
- FIG. 2 illustrates a section of a heat absorbing part(indoor unit) of a related art air conditioner installed in a wall;
- FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a small sized air conditioner in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
- FIG. 4 illustrates a configuration of a device for disposing of condensate from a small sized air conditioner in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, schematically;
- FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the device for disposing of condensate in FIG. 4;
- FIG. 6 illustrates a configuration of a device for disposing of condensate from a small sized air conditioner in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, schematically;
- FIG. 7 illustrates a configuration of a device for disposing of condensate from a small sized air conditioner in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention, schematically;
- FIG. 8 illustrates the device for disposing of condensate in FIG. 7 in detail;
- FIG. 9 illustrates the operation of the device for disposing of condensate in FIG. 8, schematically;
- FIG. 10 illustrates an enlarged side view of the cooling fin in FIG. 7;
- FIG. 11 illustrates a section across line I-I in FIG. 10;
- FIG. 12 illustrates a side view of an example of cooling fins used in the device for disposing of condensate in FIG. 7; and,
- FIG. 13 illustrates a section across line II-II in FIG. 12.
- Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. A small sized air conditioner in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. 3. Alike the related art air conditioner, the air conditioner of the present invention also includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator and the like, for employing the refrigerating cycle. Of course, the condenser is in the
heat discharging part 100, and the evaporator is in theheat absorbing part 200. However, since a purpose of the air conditioner of the present invention lies on cooling a local space, an air conditioner with a small cooling capacity is acceptable, with consequential small sizedheat absorbing part 200 andheat discharging part 100 required, that renders a convenience in moving and installation of the air conditioner. Moreover, it is preferable that the highpressure pipe line 310 and the lowpressure pipe line 320 are formed of flexible material for improving the convenience in moving and installation of the air conditioner, and detachably connected between theheat absorbing part 200 and theheat discharging part 100 by means of quick coupling or the like, for easy installation and moving of theheat absorbing part 200 and theheat discharging part 100. For further improvement of the installation and moving of the air conditioner, one end of thedrain hose 330 is connected to theheat absorbing part 200, and the other end is connected to theheat discharging part 100. The condensate transferred to theheat discharging part 100 is, not drained outside of the room, but removed by the device for removing the condensate from theheat discharging part 100. It is of course preferable that thedrain hose 330 is also formed of a flexible material. - The device for disposing of condensate from a small sized air conditioner in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention will be explained, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.
- There is a
condenser 344 on outside of acompressor 340, and a device for disposing of condensate on an outside surface of thecompressor 340. There is afan 342 above thecompressor 340 for drawing external air. The present invention suggests to vaporize the condensate formed at the evaporator and introduced into thedevice 600 for removing condensate fitted outside of thecompressor 340 by using a heat from thecompressor 340. This is made possible because thecompressor 340 generate a significantly high temperature when thecompressor 340 compresses the refrigerant from a low temperature and low pressure state to a high temperature and high pressure state. In the case of the small sized compressor, a surface temperature of thecompressor 340 is in a range of 70- 80° C. - The device for disposing of condensate will be explained in detail. The device for disposing of
condensate 600 includes acylindrical body 610 around an outer circumference of thecompressor 340, and a plurality offlow paths 620 in thecylindrical body 610 for guiding the condensate. One end of thedrain hose 330 is connected to a top of thecylindrical body 610 of thedevice 600. Therefore, the condensate introduced into thedevice 600 through thedrain hose 330 is vaporized as the condensate flows along aflow path 620 in thebody 610 of thedevice 600 by the heat of thecompressor 340. It is preferable that thebody 610 and theflow path 620 of thedevice 600 are formed of a metal with a high thermal conductivity, and an inside surface of theflow path 620 is coated with hydrophilic material for flowing of the condensate, with the condensate evenly distributed on the inside surface, but not in drops. In the meantime, it is preferable that thefan 342 is mounted above thecompressor 340, for accelerating evaporation of the condensate as a flow direction ‘B’ of the condensate is opposite to a flow direction of external air introduced thereto by the fan. And, it is preferable that thebody 610 of thedevice 600 is detachably fitted to thecompressor 340, for throwing out a small amount of not vaporized water, later. Thus, the foregoing device for disposing of condensate can evaporate all the condensate, without draining the condensate. - A device for disposing of condensate from a small sized air conditioner in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention will be explained, with reference to FIG. 6. Though the second embodiment device is similar to the first embodiment, the second embodiment device forms no flow path, but provides a
condensate absorbing member 630 which can absorb water(condensate) well. The operation of the second embodiment device will be omitted as the operation of the second embodiment device is the same with the first embodiment device. - A device for disposing of condensate from a small sized air conditioner in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention will be explained, with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. Alike the first or the second embodiment device, the third embodiment device also evaporates condensate at the heat discharging part. However, the first or the second embodiment device uses the heat from the compressor in evaporation of the condensate, the third embodiment device uses the heat generated when the refrigerant is condensed at the condenser in evaporation of the condensate. The third embodiment device will be explained in detail. There is a
condenser 344 on outside of acompressor 340, and acondensate distributer 650 over thecondenser 344 for spraying the condensate from the evaporator onto thecondenser 344, evenly. Of course, there is adrain hose 330 connected to one end of thecondensate distributer 650. There is afan 342 over thecompressor 340 for introducing external air. This will be explained in detail. Thecondenser 344 has a plurality ofrefrigerant tubes 348 for refrigerant flow, and a plurality of coolingfins 346 fitted substantially perpendicular to therefrigerant tubes 348. And, there is thecondensate distributer 650 over thecondenser 344 for even distribution of condensate onto thecondenser 344. And, it is preferable that thecondensate distributer 650 has a plurality ofdistribution holes 652 corresponding to the coolingfins 346. And, it is preferable that there is a condensate reserving means 350 under thecondenser 344 for receiving a small amount of condensate not yet vaporized as the condensate flows along the coolingfins 346, and throwing out the small amount of condensate. - The operation of the device for disposing of condensate of the present invention will be explained. The condensate from the evaporator is introduced into the
condensate distributer 650 through thedrain hose 330. Then, the condensate is discharged toward thecondenser 344 in drop of water through the distribution holes 652 as the condensate flows along thecondensate distributer 650. The condensate discharged from the distribution holes 652 flows on the coolingfins 346. The condensate flowing on the coolingfins 346 is vaporized by a heat discharged from thecondenser 344. Accordingly, all the condensate is vaporized by the time the condensate reaches to a lower portion of the coolingfins 346. By the way, identical to the foregoing embodiments, it is preferable that thefan 342 is mounted over the compressor, because opposite direction flows of the condensate ‘C’ and external air ‘A’ by the fan accelerate vaporization of the condensate. Thus, the device for disposing of condensate of the present invention can vaporize all the condensate without draining outside of the air conditioner. - In the meantime, louvered type fins as the cooling
fins 346, i.e., cooling fins with a plurality oflouvers 346 a, may fail to vaporize all the condensate because the louvered type fins have a poor adhesion characteristics for the condensate to allow the condensate to flow down comparatively, quickly. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, it is preferable that slit fintype cooling fins 346 are used, for accelerating vaporization of the condensate as the condensate stays in theslits 346 b for a long time period. And, smaller gaps between the coolingfins 346, which leads separation of the condensate into small portions, improves dispersion of the condensate, so that all the small portions can be vaporized as the small portions flow down between the coolingfins 346. More than 19 cooling fins per 1″ is preferable. - The device for disposing of condensate of the present invention is applicable to all air conditioners of which condensate is comparatively small.
- As has been explained, the device for disposing of condensate from a small sized air conditioner of the present invention has the following advantages.
- First, the device for disposing of condensate from a small sized air conditioner of the present invention can vaporize within the air conditioner itself without draining outside of the room. That is, since no exposure of the drain hose outside of the room is required, with no requirement for making a hole in a wall, installation of the air conditioner is simple and has good outer look.
- Second, since the air conditioner can be moved or installed without limitation of locations, not an entire space, but a particular space, can be cooled. intensively.
- Third, a performance of the air conditioner can be improved as a surface temperature of the compressor can be lowered.
- It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the device for disposing of condensate from a small sized air conditioner of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims (11)
Applications Claiming Priority (6)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
KRP2000-53449 | 2000-09-08 | ||
KR10-2000-0053450A KR100370084B1 (en) | 2000-09-08 | 2000-09-08 | Device for eliminating condensed water in air conditioner |
KRP2000-53450 | 2000-09-08 | ||
KR00-53450 | 2000-09-08 | ||
KR10-2000-0053449A KR100370083B1 (en) | 2000-09-08 | 2000-09-08 | Device for eliminating condensed water in air conditioner |
KR00-53449 | 2000-09-08 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US6345514B1 US6345514B1 (en) | 2002-02-12 |
US20020029578A1 true US20020029578A1 (en) | 2002-03-14 |
Family
ID=26638379
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/770,448 Expired - Lifetime US6345514B1 (en) | 2000-09-08 | 2001-01-29 | Device for disposing of condensate from small sized air conditioner |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US6345514B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP3497827B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN1144982C (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6640574B2 (en) * | 2000-12-28 | 2003-11-04 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Air conditioner |
US20080216498A1 (en) * | 2007-03-09 | 2008-09-11 | Mohinder Singh Bhatti | Evaporatively cooled heat exchanger |
Families Citing this family (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7150161B2 (en) * | 2004-07-13 | 2006-12-19 | Chin Piao Huang | Air conditioner having water draining device |
US7263852B2 (en) * | 2004-08-30 | 2007-09-04 | Freus, Inc | Heat exchanger apparatus and method for evaporative cooling refrigeration unit |
EP3421903A4 (en) * | 2016-02-22 | 2019-08-28 | Agc Inc. | Heat exchange unit |
KR101924950B1 (en) | 2018-06-19 | 2018-12-04 | 강환수 | Industrial Cooler |
US11231212B2 (en) | 2019-04-05 | 2022-01-25 | Johnson Controls Technology Company | Refrigerant discharge heat exchange system and method |
Family Cites Families (17)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4250717A (en) * | 1979-05-15 | 1981-02-17 | Stone Cyril O | Refrigeration apparatus |
US4497183A (en) * | 1984-03-23 | 1985-02-05 | General Electric Company | Compressor auxiliary condenser arrangement adapted to be mounted in a refrigerator machinery compartment |
GB2214280B (en) * | 1988-01-20 | 1991-12-11 | Toshiba Kk | A refrigerator having defrost-water vaporizer |
KR940001574Y1 (en) * | 1991-08-02 | 1994-03-19 | 삼성전자 주식회사 | Refrigerator |
JPH05196253A (en) * | 1992-01-16 | 1993-08-06 | Hitachi Ltd | Air-conditioner |
JPH073289B2 (en) * | 1992-04-24 | 1995-01-18 | 豊 長谷川 | Air conditioner |
JPH062013U (en) * | 1992-06-10 | 1994-01-14 | 義則 板倉 | Cooling function improvement device for air-cooled air conditioners |
JPH0611210A (en) * | 1992-06-29 | 1994-01-21 | Nippondenso Co Ltd | Heat exchanger and air conditioner using same |
JPH0732421U (en) * | 1993-10-29 | 1995-06-16 | 株式会社トヨトミ | Air conditioner compressor cooling structure |
JPH07127879A (en) * | 1993-11-01 | 1995-05-16 | Hitachi Air Conditioning & Refrig Co Ltd | Apparatus for disposing of drain in air-conditioner |
JPH08159598A (en) * | 1994-12-01 | 1996-06-21 | Zexel Corp | Adsorption type cooler and heater |
JP3025337U (en) | 1995-11-30 | 1996-06-11 | 新晃工業株式会社 | Reinforcement structure of heat exchanger of air conditioner |
NZ286458A (en) * | 1996-04-26 | 1999-01-28 | Fisher & Paykel | Evaporation tray to catch defrost water from refrigerator, bottom consists of flexible membrane |
US5682757A (en) * | 1996-08-01 | 1997-11-04 | Smart Power Systems, Inc. | Condensate liquid management system for air conditioner |
US5832739A (en) * | 1996-11-26 | 1998-11-10 | Rti Inc. | Heat exchanger for evaporative cooling refrigeration system |
US5966958A (en) * | 1998-07-17 | 1999-10-19 | Habco Beverage Systems Inc. | Condensate tray in a refrigeration assembly |
US6065299A (en) * | 1999-03-01 | 2000-05-23 | Yang Fan Development Co., Ltd. | Mechanism freeing an air conditioner from dripping |
-
2001
- 2001-01-29 US US09/770,448 patent/US6345514B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 2001-01-30 JP JP2001022034A patent/JP3497827B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2001-03-29 CN CNB011095180A patent/CN1144982C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6640574B2 (en) * | 2000-12-28 | 2003-11-04 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Air conditioner |
US20080216498A1 (en) * | 2007-03-09 | 2008-09-11 | Mohinder Singh Bhatti | Evaporatively cooled heat exchanger |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US6345514B1 (en) | 2002-02-12 |
JP2002081678A (en) | 2002-03-22 |
JP3497827B2 (en) | 2004-02-16 |
CN1343859A (en) | 2002-04-10 |
CN1144982C (en) | 2004-04-07 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US7234309B2 (en) | Method and apparatus for evaporative cooling of a cooling fluid | |
US5950445A (en) | Compound condensing device | |
WO2019198174A1 (en) | Air conditioning device | |
US6345514B1 (en) | Device for disposing of condensate from small sized air conditioner | |
US6446455B1 (en) | Personal air conditioner | |
US6477854B2 (en) | Small air conditioner and dehumidifying device by using the same | |
JPH10246459A (en) | Air conditioner | |
US20090126387A1 (en) | Duct mounted dehumidifier using parallel air flow | |
KR20000031340A (en) | Indoor heat exchanger | |
JP2008075949A (en) | Air conditioner | |
KR100370084B1 (en) | Device for eliminating condensed water in air conditioner | |
CN219868214U (en) | Air conditioner outdoor unit | |
CN217604411U (en) | Military water making equipment matched heat exchanger | |
JP4399926B2 (en) | Air conditioner | |
KR200197819Y1 (en) | Air conditioner outdoor units | |
JP2658730B2 (en) | Elevator car cooling system | |
KR100370083B1 (en) | Device for eliminating condensed water in air conditioner | |
KR20000074701A (en) | A placing structure of blowing fan for dehumidifier | |
KR100531089B1 (en) | Air conditioner | |
JP2000179886A (en) | Air conditioner | |
US20190360704A1 (en) | Outdoor unit for air-conditioning apparatus | |
KR200247127Y1 (en) | Evaporator Unit of Air Conditioning System | |
KR100517626B1 (en) | Cooling device for outdoor heat exchanger of window air conditioner | |
KR100554267B1 (en) | Refrigerants condenser | |
KR20000031339A (en) | Indoor heat exchanger |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: LG ELECTRONICS INC., KOREA, REPUBLIC OF Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:MOON, DONG SOO;KO, CHEOL SOO;REEL/FRAME:011489/0945 Effective date: 20010109 |
|
STCF | Information on status: patent grant |
Free format text: PATENTED CASE |
|
FPAY | Fee payment |
Year of fee payment: 4 |
|
FPAY | Fee payment |
Year of fee payment: 8 |
|
FEPP | Fee payment procedure |
Free format text: PAYOR NUMBER ASSIGNED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: ASPN); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY |
|
FPAY | Fee payment |
Year of fee payment: 12 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DISCOVERY CO., LTD., KOREA, Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:LG ELECTRONICS INC.;REEL/FRAME:034098/0507 Effective date: 20140205 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: INTELLECTUAL DISCOVERY CO., LTD., KOREA, REPUBLIC Free format text: CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNEE NAME PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 034098 FRAME 0507. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT;ASSIGNOR:LG ELECTRONICS INC.;REEL/FRAME:039375/0829 Effective date: 20140822 |