Refrigeration appliance having evaporator through which air flows vertically

Abstract

The invention relates to a refrigeration appliance, in particular a domestic refrigeration appliance, comprising an evaporator chamber (6), which has an evaporator (7) flowing from bottom to top and at least one first and one second storage chamber (3, 5) cooled by air exchange with the evaporator chamber (6). According to the invention, an elongated inlet volume (8) is open in the evaporator chamber (6) below the lower inflow side (17) of the evaporator (7), and the exhaust air lines (13, 16) of the two storage chambers (3, 5) open into the inlet volume (8) on different sides of the partition wall (25), the partition wall protrudes from the lower inflow side (17) into the inlet volume (8) and extends lengthwise through the inlet volume (8).

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of an invention patent application with an application date of October 12, 2018, application number 201880069389.1 (PCT / EP2018 / 077824), and invention name “Refrigeration appliance having an evaporator through which air flows vertically”. Technical Field

[0002] The invention relates to a refrigeration appliance (especially a household refrigeration appliance), which comprises a housing in which a plurality of storage chambers (especially storage chambers for different operating temperatures, such as a freezing compartment and a conventional refrigeration compartment) are installed. Background Art

[0003] Such domestic refrigeration appliances are usually designed as completely frost-free appliances. In appliances of this type, the individual storage chambers are cooled by a common lamellar evaporator, which is installed in an evaporator chamber that is usually separated from the coldest storage chamber. If heated air circulates through the lamellar evaporator in these storage chambers, the moisture entrained by the air is deposited on the lamellae of the evaporator and forms a frost layer thereon, which, on the one hand, impedes the heat exchange between the lamellae and the circulating air and, on the other hand, narrows the passages between the lamellae of the evaporator and thus also makes air circulation difficult. Therefore, the frost layer must be defrosted regularly. The uneven distribution of frost in the evaporator has the result that thinly frosted areas of the evaporator become free of ice more quickly than thickly frosted areas and are heated to a temperature significantly above the freezing point in the time it takes for the thickly frosted areas to be defrosted. This leads to high energy consumption, firstly due to the long duration of the defrosting process and secondly because the part of the evaporator that was not necessarily heated has to be cooled down again before the evaporator can cool the storage chamber again. This has a disruptive effect in particular in combination refrigeration appliances, since here the evaporator has to be cold enough to also cool the coldest storage chamber, and accordingly there is a large temperature difference between the warmer storage chamber and the evaporator, which leads to excessive frost formation on the evaporator and correspondingly frequent defrosting requirements.

[0004] DE 10 2014 218 411 A1 proposes a refrigeration appliance having an evaporator arranged in an evaporator chamber and at least two storage chambers cooled by air exchange with the evaporator chamber, in which, in the inlet volume of the evaporator chamber which remains open on the inlet side of the evaporator, a guide rib extends from the wall opposite the inlet side toward the inlet side, and the exhaust air lines of the two storage chambers open into the inlet volume on different sides of the guide rib. However, this configuration is only suitable for evaporators through which air flows essentially horizontally. In evaporators through which air flows vertically, if the defrost water is distributed on different sides of the guide rib when dripping from the evaporator, the defrost water cannot be correctly guided away. Summary of the invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is therefore to improve a refrigeration appliance of no-frost design having an evaporator with a vertical flow through it in such a way that the time interval between two defrosting processes can be lengthened and rapid, energy-efficient defrosting can be achieved.

[0006] This object is achieved by a refrigeration device comprising an evaporator arranged in an evaporator chamber and through which air flows from bottom to top, and at least a first and a second storage chamber which are cooled by air exchange with the evaporator chamber, wherein in the evaporator chamber, below the lower inflow side of the evaporator, an elongated inlet volume remains free, and the exhaust air lines of the two storage chambers open into the inlet volume on different sides of a plane extending through the inlet volume in the longitudinal direction, and a partition wall extending in this plane protrudes from the lower inflow side into the inlet volume. The partition wall forces the air flowing in via the exhaust air line to spread over the entire length of the inflow side, and thus also forces the frost deposited by this air in the evaporator to be distributed largely uniformly along the longitudinal direction of the inlet volume. This prevents the region of the evaporator which is subjected to the greatest air inflow from freezing rapidly, and a large amount of frost can accumulate in the evaporator before the flow resistance of the evaporator makes defrosting necessary. The uniform distribution of the frost also has the effect that if the evaporator has iced and ice-free areas near the end of the defrosting process, the heat absorbed by the ice-free areas must only flow over a short distance in the evaporator before it reaches the still iced areas. As a result, the unnecessary heating of the ice-free areas is kept low and the defrosting process can be ended in a short time and without unnecessary energy consumption.

[0007] The lamellae of the evaporator are preferably oriented transversely to the partition wall so that the intermediate space between the two lamellae can receive air from the two exhaust air lines. On the one hand, a large volume is available inside the evaporator for frost to accumulate therein and the time interval between two defrosting processes can be selected to be large. On the other hand, the air flowing through the intermediate space between the two lamellae can avoid frost that has completely condensed in the intermediate space for a long time without having to leave the intermediate space for this purpose, so that the low flow resistance of the evaporator is also maintained for a long time during progressive frost formation.

[0008] The lower edge of the partition wall should extend within the inlet volume at a distance from the bottom of the inlet volume so that the two parts of the inlet volume do not completely block each other and, when the lower inlet side is largely blocked by frost on one side of the partition wall, the air flowing in on this side can be diverted to the remaining part of the lower inlet side on the other side of the partition wall which may not yet be blocked.

[0009] In order to facilitate the installation of the partition wall, it can be anchored to the evaporator in order to be embedded in the refrigeration appliance together with the evaporator as a single component.

[0010] The individual lamellae of the evaporator can protrude downwards below the inflow side. These lamellae can be used as holders for the defrost heater. In addition, partition walls can extend between them.

[0011] The evaporator chamber and the first storage chamber can be arranged at substantially the same height and separated from each other by a vertical intermediate wall. In order to distribute the exhaust air of the first storage chamber over the width of the evaporator, the exhaust air line of the first storage chamber can lead to the inlet volume via a horizontally elongated gap.

[0012] The gap should extend over at least 90% of the width of the evaporator; in particular, the gap can extend over the entire width of an inner container in which the evaporator chamber and the first storage chamber are jointly accommodated and separated from one another by a vertical intermediate wall.

[0013] The gap should extend above the lower edge of the partition wall so that the air flowing in through the gap can reach the side of the partition wall facing away from the gap only after being deflected on the partition wall, and thus the main part of the air enters the evaporator via the lower inlet side part extending between the partition wall and the vertical intermediate wall.

[0014] In order to prevent the lower inlet surface from freezing rapidly, the evaporator can furthermore have a lateral inlet surface, and the exhaust air line of the second storage chamber can open into the inlet volume via an air gap adjoining the lateral inlet surface.

[0015] The inlet volume may provide space for a defrost heater.

[0016] In order to act on the evaporator over the entire inflow side, the defrost heater should extend on both sides of the partition wall.

[0017] In order to conduct the defrost water away, the defrost water collecting groove should extend below the lower inlet side.

[0018] The fan can be configured to simultaneously drive the air exchange with the two storage chambers. The length and the flow cross section of the line connecting the evaporator chamber to the first and second storage chambers can be designed in accordance with the average cooling demand of the two storage chambers, so that when one of the two storage chambers is fully supplied with cold air from the evaporator chamber, the other storage chamber is oversupplied. A flap in the air supply line or the exhaust air line of the other storage chamber is then sufficient to supply both storage chambers as required.

[0019] Since the first storage chamber generally has a lower operating temperature than the second storage chamber and accordingly requires a greater share of the cooling power of the evaporator, the air exchange with the first storage chamber should be more intense than with the second storage chamber. This allows the line cross section between the evaporator chamber and the second storage chamber to be selected to be narrower than the line cross section between the evaporator chamber and the first storage chamber, so that the volume occupied by the line in the body of the refrigeration device can be kept small, especially when the second storage chamber is farther away from the evaporator chamber than the first storage chamber. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Further features and advantages of the present invention emerge from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings show:

[0021] Figure 1 : A schematic cross-sectional view through a domestic refrigeration appliance according to the invention in the depth direction;

[0022] Figure 2 : Figure 1 magnified details; and

[0023] Figure 3 : Figure 1 Perspective views of different configurations of an evaporator and a partition wall of a refrigeration appliance. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Figure 1A schematic cross section of a frost-free combination refrigeration appliance in the depth direction is shown. In the body 1 of the refrigeration appliance, two cavities are bounded by an inner container 2 which is drawn in one piece from plastic in a manner common in the art. One of these cavities is a storage cavity (here a conventional refrigerator compartment 3). The other cavity is divided into a second storage cavity (here a freezer compartment 5) and an evaporator cavity 6 by a vertical intermediate wall 4.

[0025] The evaporator chamber 6 comprises a lamellar evaporator 7 having lamellar layers arranged parallel to the cross-sectional plane. Below the lamellar evaporator 7, the inlet volume 8 of the evaporator chamber 6 extends over the entire width of the lower inner container 2. The lower edge 9 of the intermediate wall 4 and the upper side of the step 10 of the inner container 2 define an inlet gap 11 of the evaporator 6. The step 10 and the wall 12 define an exhaust air duct 13 of the freezing compartment 5, which follows the contour of the step 10 at a constant spacing, via which the air in the freezing compartment 5 near the bottom is sucked in and supplied to the evaporator chamber 6. The inlet gap 11 extends over the entire width of the lower inner container 2, just like the inlet volume 8, so that the exhaust air of the freezing compartment 5 is evenly distributed over its width to the evaporator 7.

[0026] The air gap 14 adjoins the inlet volume 8 below the evaporator 7 and is bounded by a raised portion of the lower inner container 2 embedded in the insulating material layer 15 of the body 1. The air gap 14 extends along the wide side of the evaporator 7 facing away from the freezing compartment 5 over a portion of its height (preferably not more than half). Figure 1 The exhaust air line (indicated by dashed lines in the figure) opens into the air gap 14 via an opening cut into the bulge of the lower inner container 2. The intermediate space between the sheets of the evaporator 7 is open not only along the lower inflow side 17 to the inlet volume 8 but also via the lateral inflow surface 18 to the air gap 14.

[0027] The vertical intermediate wall 4 includes a distributor chamber 19, which is connected to the free space 21 of the evaporator chamber 6 above the evaporator 7 via an opening (the fan 20 is arranged on the opening). The outlet 22 of the distributor chamber 19 opens into the freezing compartment 5 near the top. Another outlet is formed by a pipeline 23 extending in the wall of the body 1 to the conventional refrigerating compartment 3. In this pipeline 23, a valve 24 controlled by a thermostat can be arranged, which allows: when there is a cooling demand only in the freezing compartment 5, the supply of cold air to the conventional refrigerating compartment 3 is prohibited. If there is a cooling demand in the conventional refrigerating compartment 3 and the valve 24 is opened for this reason, the cold air turned by the fan 20 is distributed to the above-mentioned two storage chambers 3, 5.

[0028] The exhaust air line 13 can be introduced into the evaporator 7 opposite to the inflow surface 18 of the evaporator 7 or on the narrow side of the air gap 14 as indicated in the figures; in both cases, the exhaust air of the conventional refrigerating compartment tends to enter the evaporator 7 in the immediate vicinity of the inflow opening, and the moisture carried along is deposited there. If this occurs along the entire exposed edge of the interlayer space, along the inflow surface 18 and the lower inflow side 17, the exhaust air of the conventional refrigerating compartment 3 must take a detour in the evaporator chamber 6, so that the division of the turned air to the conventional refrigerating compartment 3 and the freezing compartment 5 moves in a manner that is unfavorable to the conventional refrigerating compartment 3. The flow resistance of the evaporator 7 also increases, so that either the air flow rate decreases overall, or a higher power of the fan 20 is required to keep the air flow rate constant. However, in both cases, the cooling power of the evaporator 7 decreases. In order to maintain good energy efficiency of the refrigerating appliance, the evaporator 7 must therefore be defrosted.

[0029] In order to extend the time until defrosting becomes necessary, a partition wall 25 is installed in the inlet volume 8. Figure 2 2 shows an enlarged view of the evaporator chamber 6 with the partition wall 25. The section through the evaporator 7 shows one of its lamellae 26 in a top view. The lower edge of this lamellae and the lower edges of a plurality of other lamellae of the same shape define the lower inflow side 17. Two lamellae 27 are provided on the end side of the evaporator 7, which protrude beyond the lower inflow side 17 into the inlet volume 8. One of the two lamellae 27 is located at Figure 2 In the part of the sheet that protrudes below the inflow side 17, a gap 28 is left, into which the defrost heating device 29 bent in the shape of a hairpin is pushed. The partition wall 25 extends between the two sides of the defrost heating device 29.

[0030] The upper side of the step 10 forms a groove 30 directly below the evaporator and rises from the groove 30 toward the freezing compartment 5, so that the inlet gap 11 extends significantly higher than the bottom of the groove 30. The lower edge 31 of the partition wall 25 is located at a lower position than the inlet gap 11, so that the exhaust air of the freezing compartment 5, which is guided horizontally in the exhaust air line 13 before reaching the inlet gap 11, hits the partition wall 25 and is deflected at the partition wall 25. Due to the suction caused by the fan 20, the exhaust air flows essentially upward in front of the partition wall 25 and passes through the lower inlet side 17 in its front part facing the inlet gap 11.

[0031] At the same time, the partition wall 25 prevents the relatively moist exhaust air of the conventional refrigerating compartment 3 from coming out of the air gap 14 and from squeezing forward into the front part of the inflow side 17 and thus delaying the formation of frost there. Instead, the partition wall 25 forces the exhaust air of the conventional refrigerating compartment 3 to bypass and be distributed over the width of the evaporator 7 in the rear part of the inflow side 17 and thus also reach the interlayer spaces that do not adjoin the air gap 14. Thus, the frost capacity of the evaporator 7 is better utilized by also forming frost in these interlayer spaces. And the time until defrosting becomes necessary is extended.

[0032] By deflecting the exhaust air of the conventional cold storage compartment 3 in the width direction of the evaporator 7 through the partition wall 25, the partition wall 25 also promotes a better coordination of the frost distribution with the power distribution of the defrost heating device 29 extending over the entire width of the evaporator 7. As a result, the temperature gradients that are generated inside the evaporator 7 during defrosting are kept small, which improves the energy efficiency of the defrosting process. The temperature gradients are kept small, which improves the energy efficiency of the defrosting process. The temperature gradients are kept small because some parts of the evaporator 7 become free of ice earlier than other parts and can therefore be heated to a temperature above 0°C.

[0033] The water released during defrosting drips from the inlet side 17 into the groove 30 and in a known manner passes to the outside via an outlet (not shown) at the deepest point of the groove 30 .

[0034] Due to its placement between the sides of the defrost heater 29, the partition wall 25 is subjected to a high degree of thermal radiation emitted therefrom and in particular receives a portion of the radiation which, in the absence of the partition wall 25, would reach the inner container 2 or the intermediate wall 4 and heat it without promoting the defrosting process. When the partition wall 25 absorbs this radiation and heats up in the process, the partition wall 25 can either release heat to the air of the inlet volume 8 and thus strengthen the heat supply to the inflow side 17, or the partition wall 25 can introduce heat directly into the evaporator 7 by physical contact with the lamellae 26.

[0035] Figure 3 A perspective view of the evaporator 7 and various configurations of the partition walls (indicated here by 25a, 25b or 25c) associated therewith are shown. The partition wall 25a is a simple planar blank from a flat material (e.g. spring steel, aluminum sheet or the like). On the two narrow sides 32 of the partition wall 25a are formed projections 33 which are provided to engage in the gaps 28 of the sheets 27 between the sides of the defrost heater 29 and thus anchor the partition wall 25a below the evaporator 7. In order to be able to introduce the projections 33 into the gaps 28, it is sufficient to slightly bend the partition wall 25a.

[0036] In order to subsequently ensure a vertical orientation of the partition wall 25 , the slots 28 can be provided on the top and bottom sides (as shown by way of example on the right narrow side 32 ) with notches 34 in which the upper and lower edges of the projections 33 can lock.

[0037] The partition wall 25b is also a blank from a flat material. Figure 3 In the installation orientation shown in FIG. 2 , the spring arms 35 diverge upwards and form an arch 36 at the ends of the spring arms 35, each of which acts on the side of the defrost heater. The introduction ramp 37 above the arch 36 facilitates the insertion of the partition wall 25b between the side of the defrost heater 29 and the locking on the side.

[0038] In order to strengthen the heat-transferring contact with the lower edge of the sheet 26, the notches 39 are distributed in the upper edge 38 of the partition wall 25c in such a way that each notch 39 receives the lower edge of a sheet 26. Conversely, the straight upper edge 38 of the partition wall 25a or 25b can respectively engage in a notch on the lower edge of the sheet 26; such a notch can also help to lock the partition wall 25a or 25b on the evaporator 7 in the upright position.

[0039] Reference numerals list

[0040] 1 body

[0041] 2 inner containers

[0042] 3 conventional refrigerator compartments

[0043] 4 Middle wall

[0044] 5 Freezer compartments

[0045] 6 Evaporator chamber

[0046] 7 (Layer) Evaporator

[0047] 8 Inlet volume

[0048] 9 Lower edge

[0049] 10 steps

[0050] 11 Entering the Gap

[0051] 12 walls

[0052] 13 Exhaust air line

[0053] 14 Air gap

[0054] 15 Isolation material layer

[0055] 16 Exhaust air line

[0056] 17 Inflow side

[0057] 18 Inflow surface

[0058] 19 distributor chamber

[0059] 20 fan

[0060] 21 Free Space

[0061] 22Exit

[0062] 23 pipeline

[0063] 24 valves

[0064] 25 Partition wall

[0065] 26 layers

[0066] 27 layers

[0067] 28 Gap

[0068] 29 Defrost heating device

[0069] 30 Grooves

[0070] 31 Lower edge

[0071] 32 narrow side

[0072] 33 Protrusion

[0073] 34 grooves

[0074] 35 Spring Arm

[0075] 36 Arched Structure

[0076] 37 Import ramp

[0077] 38 upper edge

[0078] 39 grooves

Claims

1. A refrigeration appliance, comprising: an evaporator (7) which is arranged in the evaporator chamber (6) and through which the fluid flows from bottom to top, - at least one first storage chamber (3) and a second storage chamber (5), the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber being cooled by air exchange with the evaporator chamber (6), wherein, in the evaporator chamber (6), below the lower inlet side (17) of the evaporator (7), a longitudinally extending inlet volume (8) remains unobstructed, and The exhaust air lines of the first storage chamber (3) and the second storage chamber (5) open into the inlet volume (8) on different sides of a plane extending through the inlet volume (8) in the longitudinal direction, It is characterized in that a partition wall (25) extending in the plane and projecting from the lower inlet side (17) into the inlet volume (8) such that the partition wall forces the air flowing in via the exhaust air line to diffuse over the entire length of the lower inlet side; The partition wall (25) is anchored on the evaporator (7); The exhaust air line (13) of the first storage chamber (5) opens into the inlet volume (8) via a horizontally elongated gap (11); The gap (11) extends above the lower edge (31) of the partition wall (25); The partition wall (25) extends between the sheets (27) of the evaporator (7) protruding below the lower inflow side (17); A defrost heating device (29) is installed in the inlet volume (8); The sheet layer (27) is used to hold the defrost heating device (29); and The defrosting heating device (29) extends on both sides of the partition wall (25).

2. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The sheets of the evaporator (7) are oriented transversely to the partition wall (25).

3. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 1 or 2, It is characterized in that The lower edge (31) of the partition wall (25) extends at a distance from the bottom of the inlet volume (8).

4. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 1 or 2, It is characterized in that The evaporator chamber (6) and the first storage chamber (5) are separated by a vertical intermediate wall (4).

5. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 4, It is characterized in that The gap (11) extends over at least 90% of the width of the evaporator (7).

6. The refrigeration appliance according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 5, It is characterized in that The evaporator (7) has a lateral inflow surface (18), and An exhaust air line (16) of the second storage chamber (3) opens into the inlet volume (8) via an air gap (14) adjoining the lateral inflow surface (18).

7. The refrigeration appliance according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 5, It is characterized in that A defrost water collecting groove (30) extends below the lower inflow side (17).

8. The refrigeration appliance according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 5, It is characterized in that A fan (20) is arranged to simultaneously drive air exchange with the first storage chamber (3) and the second storage chamber (5).

9. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 8, It is characterized in that Compared with the air exchange with the second storage chamber (3), the air exchange with the first storage chamber (5) is stronger.

10. The refrigeration appliance according to any one of claims 1, 2, 5 and 9, It is characterized in that The refrigeration appliance is a household refrigeration appliance.

Images