Ice bath water cooler

Abstract

The utility model discloses an ice bath cooling-water machine. Comprising a main machine and a bathtub, a compressor, a heat exchanger, a condenser, an expansion valve and a circulating pump are arranged in the main machine, the heat exchanger comprises a spiral pipe, an inner pipe penetrates through the spiral pipe, the other end of the spiral pipe is connected with the circulating pump through a water flow switch, and a water inlet of the circulating pump is connected with water in the bathtub or an external water source; one end of the inner pipe is connected with the condenser through the expansion valve, and the other end of the inner pipe is communicated with the compressor and the condenser through the four-way valve. According to the heat exchanger, the spiral pipe is mainly used for replacing the heat exchanger, the inner pipe used for conducting temperature by means of refrigerants is arranged in the spiral pipe, so that after water passes through the interior of the spiral pipe, the water in the spiral pipe is directly and completely contacted with the periphery of the inner pipe, and compared with original single-face attaching or multi-face attaching, the heat exchanger has the advantages that the heat exchange efficiency is greatly improved; and the transmission speed of the temperature can be effectively increased, and the ice making and heating efficiency is obviously improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of refrigeration equipment, in particular to an ice bath chiller. Background Art

[0002] As we all know, ice bath chillers achieve the following functions by precisely controlling the water temperature in the pool:

[0003] 1. Cold water bath therapy: reduces central nervous system fatigue; reduces cardiovascular pressure and improves the ability to excrete metabolites; increases parasympathetic nervous system activity; reduces exercise-induced muscle damage and delayed onset muscle soreness; in hot environments, pre-cools specific sports or helps lower core temperature after exercise.

[0004] 2. Heat therapy: improves nerve transmission, enhances muscle elasticity, improves joint extensibility, relieves pain, and reduces muscle spasms; alternating hot / cold therapy: increases local blood flow; stimulates waste discharge, relieves pain and stiffness, and increases the range of motion of joints.

[0005] Both cold and hot bath therapy rely on transferring hot and cold temperatures to the pool water, and the heat exchanger is the component that conducts these temperatures. The heat exchanger's primary function is to transfer the high and low temperatures generated by the compressor and condenser to the water pipes. The water flowing into the pool then carries away the corresponding temperatures through the pipes.

[0006] At present, the existing heat exchangers generally use plate heat exchangers, which have corresponding defects when used in ice bath chillers:

[0007] 1. Low conversion efficiency. Although the plate heat exchanger has heat exchange capabilities, its design is usually more suitable for medium and low temperature fluid applications. At extremely low temperatures, it cannot provide sufficient cooling effect, resulting in the temperature of the cooling water being unable to drop below the freezing point;

[0008] 2. Temperature limitation: The material and design of the plate heat exchanger have certain temperature limitations. Many plate heat exchangers may freeze or be damaged when the temperature is below 0°C, so it is difficult to achieve ice formation during the cooling process.

[0009] 3. Flow pattern. In plate heat exchangers, fluid flow is usually laminar, which leads to uneven heat transfer and reduced cooling efficiency. At lower temperatures, laminar flow may lead to insufficient cooling effect and fail to quickly reduce the water temperature to freezing point.

[0010] 4. Cooling medium. Plate heat exchangers usually rely on liquid coolants (such as water or other fluids) for heat exchange. If the temperature of the cooling medium itself is not sufficient to support the freezing process, the plate heat exchanger will not be able to generate ice.

[0011] 5. System design: Plate heat exchangers are usually used in temperature control systems rather than specifically for ice making. Their design focuses more on temperature stability and flow control, and they do not have the specific configuration required for rapid cooling.

[0012] 6. Maintenance and fouling: During long-term operation, dirt may accumulate inside the plate heat exchanger, affecting the heat exchange efficiency. This situation is particularly obvious during low-temperature operation, which may result in failure to achieve the expected cooling effect. Utility Model Content

[0013] In view of the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an ice bath chiller with high cooling and heating efficiency.

[0014] In order to achieve the above purpose, the utility model adopts the following technical solutions:

[0015] An ice bath chiller comprises a main unit and a bathtub, wherein the main unit is equipped with a compressor, a heat exchanger, a condenser, an expansion valve and a circulation pump. The heat exchanger comprises a spiral tube, an inner tube is passed through the spiral tube, one end of the spiral tube is connected to a water outlet pipe, and the water outlet pipe is communicated with the water inlet of the bathtub, the other end of the spiral tube is connected to a circulation pump through a water flow switch, and the water inlet of the circulation pump is connected to the water in the bathtub or an external water source, the two ends of the inner tube are placed outside the spiral tube, and one end of the inner tube is connected to the condenser through the expansion valve, and the other end of the inner tube is communicated with the compressor and the condenser respectively through a four-way valve. A main unit box for controlling the orderly operation of the whole is also provided in the main unit.

[0016] Preferably, the expansion valve is an electromagnetic electronic expansion valve.

[0017] Preferably, the water inlet and the water outlet of the circulation pump are both connected to a water filter.

[0018] Preferably, the external water source is connected through a water inlet pipe, and the water inlet pipe is connected to an ozone generator capable of introducing ozone into the water through a one-way valve, and the ozone generator is connected to a mechanical air release valve.

[0019] Preferably, a water inlet temperature sensor is connected to the water outlet of the circulation pump, and a water outlet sensor is installed on the water outlet pipe.

[0020] Due to the adoption of the above-mentioned scheme, the utility model directly improves the heat exchanger, so that the heat exchanger is mainly replaced by a spiral tube, and the inner tube for relying on the refrigerant to conduct temperature is placed inside the spiral tube. In this way, after the water passes through the spiral tube, the water inside the spiral tube is directly in contact with the entire periphery of the inner tube. Compared with the original single-sided or multi-sided bonding, the temperature transfer speed can be effectively increased, the efficiency of ice making and heating is significantly improved, and it is easier to achieve the effect of ice making. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structural principle of an embodiment of the present utility model.

[0022] Figure 2 It is a structural diagram of a host computer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the host computer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 4 It is an exploded view of the internal structure of the host of an embodiment of the present utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0026] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like, indicating directions or positional relationships, are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the said features. In the description of the present invention, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0027] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood broadly. For example, they may refer to fixed connections, removable connections, or integral connections. They may refer to mechanical connections or electrical connections. They may refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediary, and they may refer to internal communication between two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of these terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0028] like Figures 1 to 4As shown, an ice bath chiller provided in this embodiment includes a host 1 and a bathtub 2. The host 1 has a built-in compressor 3, a heat exchanger 4, a condenser 5, an expansion valve 6 and a circulation pump 7. The heat exchanger 4 includes a spiral tube 41. An inner tube 42 is passed through the spiral tube 41. One end of the spiral tube 41 is connected to a water outlet pipe 8, which is connected to the water inlet of the bathtub 2. The other end of the spiral tube 41 is connected to the circulation pump 7 through a water flow switch 9. The water inlet of the circulation pump 7 is connected to the water in the bathtub 2 or an external water source. Both ends of the inner tube 42 are placed outside the spiral tube 41, and one end of the inner tube 42 is connected to the condenser 5 through the expansion valve 6. The expansion valve 6 is an electromagnetic electronic expansion valve. The other end of the inner tube 42 is connected to the compressor 3 and the condenser 5 respectively through a four-way valve 10. A host box (not shown in the figure) for controlling the orderly operation of the whole is also provided in the host 1.

[0029] This embodiment is mainly based on the refrigeration principle of the compressor 3, which is similar to the refrigeration principle of air conditioning:

[0030] During refrigeration operation, compressor 3 compresses the gaseous refrigerant into a high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant, which is then sent to condenser 5 (with a fan for cooling). After dissipating the heat, it becomes a liquid refrigerant at room temperature and high pressure. The liquid refrigerant passes through expansion valve 6 and enters the inner tube of heat exchanger 4. The sudden increase in volume and decrease in pressure cause the liquid refrigerant to vaporize, becoming a low-temperature gaseous refrigerant. This absorbs a significant amount of heat, cooling inner tube 42 and cooling the water inside spiral tube 41. The gaseous refrigerant then returns to compressor 3 for further compression, continuing the cycle.

[0031] When heating: relying on the establishment of the four-way valve 10, the flow direction of the refrigerant in the condenser 5 and the inner tube 42 is opposite to that in cooling. At this time, the refrigerant introduced into the inner tube 42 of the heat exchanger 4 is high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant, thereby heating the water in the spiral tube 41. After heat dissipation, it becomes a liquid refrigerant at room temperature and high pressure. The liquid refrigerant then passes through the expansion valve 6 and enters the condenser 5. The space suddenly increases and the pressure decreases, and the liquid refrigerant will vaporize. Then the gaseous refrigerant will return to the compressor 3 to continue compression and continue the cycle.

[0032] The water in the spiral tube 41 is continuously transported by the circulating pump 7. The circulating pump 7 draws in external water, cools or heats it, and then discharges it into the bathtub 2. Water is then drawn from another location in the bathtub 2 and discharged into the spiral tube 41 to continue cooling or heating the water until the desired temperature is reached. For ice making, this embodiment replaces the heat exchanger 4 with a single spiral tube 41. An inner tube 42, which relies on the refrigerant to transfer heat, is placed inside the spiral tube 41. This allows the water inside the spiral tube 41 to directly contact the entire perimeter of the inner tube 42 after the water passes through it. This significantly increases the speed of temperature transfer compared to conventional single-sided or multi-sided lamination methods. Furthermore, the internal fluid flow pattern (typically turbulent) promotes rapid heat transfer. Tube-in-tube heat exchangers are typically designed to promote turbulence to improve efficiency. This is primarily reflected in the following: in laminar flow, heat transfer between fluid layers is low, resulting in lower heat exchange efficiency. In turbulent flow, however, fluid mixing is enhanced, significantly increasing heat exchange efficiency. This ensures that the refrigerant can effectively absorb the heat in the cold water, thereby significantly reducing the cold water temperature and significantly improving the efficiency of ice making and heating. That is to say, when the compressor 3 originally needs to reach a certain power to freeze, the freezing operation can be completed with a smaller power, making it easier to achieve the ice making effect and achieve energy saving.

[0033] At the same time, this embodiment can also optimize the cooling process by precisely controlling the flow rate and temperature difference of the fluid. The sleeve-and-tube structure formed by the spiral tube and inner tube allows the refrigerant to circulate at a low temperature, exchanging heat with the cold water. When the temperature of the cold water drops below 0°C, the heat in the water is effectively removed, causing ice to form. Furthermore, the overall design comprises a complete refrigeration cycle. The refrigerant absorbs heat and evaporates within the system, then transfers heat to the cold water in the heat exchanger 4. During this process, the low temperature of the refrigerant allows the cold water in the heat exchanger 4 to rapidly cool down and reach the conditions required for ice formation. In this embodiment, under appropriate cooling conditions, the heat exchanger 4 of this embodiment continuously removes heat from the cold water, bringing it below the freezing point. As the water temperature continues to drop and approaches the freezing point, water molecules begin to form ice crystals, a process that accelerates as cooling continues.

[0034] In terms of energy saving, the design of the heat exchanger 4 in this embodiment can reduce flow resistance and improve the overall system efficiency. Its high heat exchange performance enables the chiller to achieve a higher cooling effect at a lower energy consumption, optimizes the ice production process, and the overall durability and easy cleaning characteristics of the equipment ensure long-term stable operation.

[0035] Furthermore, to improve water quality, this embodiment connects a water filter 11 to both the water inlet and outlet of the circulating pump 7. The water filter 11 performs a secondary filtration on each drawn water, ensuring that the water used for heating or after heating is filtered water, thereby keeping the water in the bathtub 2 clean. Furthermore, the filter element of the water filter 11 is replaceable, allowing for immediate replacement when necessary.

[0036] It's also important to note that the greater the specific heat capacity of a fluid, the smaller its temperature change under the same amount of heat, which affects heat exchange efficiency. Fluid viscosity also affects flow. High-viscosity fluids can create greater flow resistance within pipes, reducing heat exchange efficiency. Adding water filtration can reduce fluid viscosity.

[0037] Furthermore, an external water source is connected through a water inlet pipe 12. In order to disinfect the water, the water inlet pipe 12 of this embodiment is connected to an ozone generator 14 through a one-way valve 13, which can introduce ozone into the water. When necessary, the ozone generator 14 can be turned on to allow the ozone discharged by the ozone generator 14 to enter the water to disinfect the water. At the same time, in order to ensure safety, the ozone generator 14 of this embodiment is connected to a mechanical air release valve 15, which helps to control the air pressure within a reasonable range.

[0038] Furthermore, to prevent the water in the bathtub 2 from overcooling or overheating, this embodiment features an inlet water temperature sensor 16 connected to the outlet of the circulation pump 7, and an outlet water sensor 17 installed on the outlet pipe 8. These two temperature sensors monitor the incoming and outgoing water, respectively, based on set temperature thresholds. Once the set value is exceeded, the system stops operating or generates an alarm.

[0039] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ice bath chiller, characterized in that: The utility model comprises a main unit and a bathtub, wherein the main unit is equipped with a compressor, a heat exchanger, a condenser, an expansion valve and a circulation pump. The heat exchanger comprises a spiral tube, an inner tube is passed through the spiral tube, one end of the spiral tube is connected to the water outlet pipe, and the water outlet pipe is connected to the water inlet of the bathtub, the other end of the spiral tube is connected to the circulation pump through a water flow switch, and the water inlet of the circulation pump is connected to the water in the bathtub or an external water source, the two ends of the inner tube are placed outside the spiral tube, and one end of the inner tube is connected to the condenser through the expansion valve, and the other end of the inner tube is connected to the compressor and the condenser respectively through a four-way valve. The main unit is also provided with a main unit box for controlling the orderly operation of the whole.

2. The ice bath chiller according to claim 1, characterized in that: The expansion valve is an electromagnetic electronic expansion valve.

3. The ice bath chiller according to claim 2, characterized in that: The water inlet and the water outlet of the circulation pump are both connected with a water filter.

4. The ice bath chiller according to claim 3, characterized in that: An external water source is connected through a water inlet pipe, and the water inlet pipe is connected to an ozone generator capable of introducing ozone into water through a one-way valve, and the ozone generator is connected to a mechanical air release valve.

5. The ice bath chiller according to claim 4, characterized in that: A water inlet temperature sensor is connected to the water outlet of the circulation pump, and a water outlet sensor is installed on the water outlet pipe.

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