Nitrogen generation module and refrigerator
By employing a series structure of multiple molecular sieve towers and a throttling ring to control air pressure in the refrigerator, the problem of insufficient nitrogen concentration in the small PSA nitrogen generation module of the refrigerator was solved, achieving efficient nitrogen production and space optimization.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202520216117.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-02-11
- Publication Date
- 2025-11-21
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-02-11
AI Technical Summary
The existing small PSA nitrogen generator modules for refrigerators have limited room for increasing nitrogen concentration, and increasing the working pressure of the gas pump leads to problems such as noise and vibration. Therefore, it is not possible to directly improve nitrogen generation performance by increasing the working pressure of the gas pump.
By employing a multi-molecular sieve tower series structure, combined with a throttling ring and a pressure check valve, the adsorption path is extended and the air pressure is controlled, thereby increasing the nitrogen concentration and ensuring normal operation within the molecular sieve tower.
It enables the production of high-concentration nitrogen gas, meeting the needs of refrigerator preservation, reducing noise and vibration, and optimizing the space layout.
Smart Images
Figure CN223580358U_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The utility model belongs to refrigerator nitrogen gas fresh -keeping related technical field, especially relate to a nitrogen module and refrigerator. BACKGROUND
[0002] The fresh -keeping of the food material in the existing refrigerator is usually by the following methods: 1, oxygen -enriched membrane oxygen extraction method, that is, the oxygen -enriched membrane is arranged in the fresh -keeping area, and the vacuum pump is arranged outside, the pump body is connected with the oxygen -enriched membrane, when running, the vacuum pump generates negative pressure suction force to the oxygen -enriched membrane, and the oxygen -enriched membrane is preferentially extracted to the outside under the action of the negative pressure suction force (in the oxygen -enriched gas, the oxygen proportion is about 26.5%-30%), the oxygen content in the fresh -keeping area is reduced, and the concentration is reduced;2, vacuum extraction method, the vacuum pump is arranged outside the fresh -keeping area and connected with the same, when storing food material, the vacuum pump runs, and a small amount of air in the fresh -keeping area is extracted to the outside, the oxygen content in the area is reduced, and the nitrogen oxygen ratio is unchanged;3, nitrogen production method, the PSA variable pressure adsorption nitrogen production module is built in the refrigerator, when running, high concentration nitrogen gas can be produced, and the nitrogen gas is filled into the fresh -keeping area, and the oxygen in the fresh -keeping area is replaced to the outside, the oxygen content in the fresh -keeping area is reduced, and the concentration is reduced.
[0003] Due to the limitation of the current technical development level, the above-mentioned methods have defects, and the oxygen reduction effect is not ideal, as follows: oxygen-enriched membrane oxygen production method: due to the current process level, the oxygen content in the oxygen-enriched gas extracted by the oxygen-enriched membrane is 26.5%-30%, and the proportion is not high, so the oxygen reduction capacity of the fresh-keeping area is limited, the total oxygen content in the fresh-keeping area is reduced by about 10%, and the oxygen concentration is about 19%, that is, 2 percentage points lower than normal atmosphere;Vacuum extraction method: limited by the structural strength of the fresh cabin, the vacuum degree that the current refrigerator fresh-keeping area can create is generally-5--10KPa, the oxygen content is reduced by 5%-10%, and the oxygen concentration can be about 19%-20%, that is, 1-2 percentage points lower than normal atmosphere;Nitrogen production method: using PSA variable pressure adsorption principle, the nitrogen concentration produced by small nitrogen production device can be >90%, and the nitrogen gas can be filled into the fresh-keeping area and replace the oxygen, so that the oxygen content in the fresh-keeping area can be reduced by 38%, and the oxygen concentration in the fresh-keeping area can be less than 14%, that is, 7 percentage points lower than normal atmosphere;Obviously, the oxygen reduction range of the nitrogen production method is the largest, and the capacity is the strongest, and the fresh-keeping capacity of fruits and vegetables is measured, and the results show that the fresh-keeping effect of the nitrogen production method is indeed the best.
[0004] At present, the existing industrial PSA nitrogen production technology can produce nitrogen gas with a concentration of 99.9%, compared with the small PSA nitrogen production device in the refrigerator, the nitrogen gas concentration produced by the small PSA nitrogen production device is only more than 90%, and there is still a lot of room for improvement in the future. After analysis, it is found that the small PSA nitrogen production technology on the refrigerator is mainly affected by two factors. One is the working pressure of the air pump, and the other is the nitrogen production efficiency of the molecular sieve tower.
[0005] According to the mechanism of PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) nitrogen generation, the optimal adsorption pressure of the molecular sieve is 0.6MPa-0.8MPa, meaning the working pressure of the gas pump should be between 0.6MPa and 0.8MPa. However, the higher the working pressure of the gas pump, the greater its vibration, noise, size, and power characteristics will be. For example, when the working pressure increases from 0.2MPa to 0.5MPa, its power will increase from 12W to >100W, the rated voltage will change from 12V to 220V, the volume will increase by >8 times, the weight will increase by >6 times, and other characteristics such as vibration and noise will also increase significantly. It is evident that the changes in negative factors such as gas pump power, size, noise, and vibration are drastic due to the increase in working pressure. This means that upgrading the working pressure of the gas pump to improve the performance of the small PSA nitrogen generation module inside the refrigerator is not a viable approach. Therefore, a feasible path to improve the small PSA nitrogen generation module inside the refrigerator is to improve the nitrogen production efficiency of the molecular sieve tower. Meanwhile, due to the characteristics of the refrigerator's internal space layout (large cavity, large volume, functional components are limited by the space layout, on the one hand, they should try to minimize their volume, and on the other hand, they can only find suitable positions and be distributed), it is impossible to directly increase the volume of the sieve tower to improve nitrogen production performance. Therefore, it is necessary to innovate the adsorption structure of the PSA nitrogen production module. Utility Model Content
[0006] In view of this, it is necessary to provide a nitrogen generation module and refrigerator for solving the above-mentioned technical problems.
[0007] A nitrogen generating module for use in a refrigerator, the nitrogen generating module comprising:
[0008] An air pump is used to supply compressed air;
[0009] A nitrogen generation assembly includes multiple molecular sieve towers connected in series with the air pump for separating nitrogen from the compressed air.
[0010] The throttling ring has an inlet and an outlet. The inlet is connected to the nitrogen generating assembly and is used to receive the nitrogen gas separated by the nitrogen generating assembly. The outlet is used to connect to the nitrogen-generating and preservation compartment of the refrigerator.
[0011] It is understandable that by connecting multiple molecular sieve towers in series, the adsorption path of the nitrogen generating unit for compressed air can be extended, so that the nitrogen concentration in the compressed air will be increased when the compressed air flows in the nitrogen generating unit. In this process, a throttling ring can be used to ensure the normal air pressure in the molecular sieve tower, thereby achieving the purpose of improving the nitrogen generating performance of the nitrogen generating module.
[0012] In one embodiment, the molecular sieve tower is box-shaped;
[0013] The length of the molecular sieve tower is set as L, the maximum outer diameter of the cross section of the molecular sieve tower is set as W, and L≥3W.
[0014] It can be understood that the molecular sieve tower is configured as an elongated box-shaped structure, so that the installation of a single molecular sieve tower does not need to occupy a large space, thereby facilitating the arrangement and installation of the nitrogen production assembly in the refrigerator.
[0015] In one of the embodiments, a plurality of the molecular sieve towers are arranged in sequence along the width direction of the molecular sieve tower.
[0016] In one of the embodiments, the number of the molecular sieve towers is configured as three.
[0017] It can be understood that three molecular sieve towers are used to separate nitrogen, so that the concentration of the nitrogen separated by the nitrogen production assembly can be 100%, meeting the use requirement of the high-concentration nitrogen production of the nitrogen production module.
[0018] In one of the embodiments, the throttle ring further has a throttle channel, and the inlet and the outlet are communicated through the throttle channel.
[0019] The aperture of the throttle channel is set as D, and 0.3mm≥D≥0.1mm.
[0020] It can be understood that the throttle channel for the nitrogen passing through the throttle ring is small, so that the air pressure in the molecular sieve tower can be guaranteed, and the use requirement of the operation of the molecular sieve tower can be met.
[0021] In one of the embodiments, the nitrogen production module further comprises a pressure check valve, the pressure check valve is communicated with the outlet, and the nitrogen discharged from the outlet can flow to the nitrogen preservation chamber through the pressure check valve.
[0022] It can be understood that the pressure check valve has the structural characteristics, so that only when the concentration of the nitrogen produced by the nitrogen production assembly exceeds the preset pressure value of the pressure check valve, the pressure check valve is opened, and the nitrogen is supplied to the nitrogen preservation chamber, so that the production and flow-out speed of the high-concentration nitrogen during the operation of the nitrogen production module can be controlled.
[0023] In one of the embodiments, the air pump has an air inlet, and the air inlet is used to communicate with the refrigeration area or the freezing area of the refrigerator.
[0024] In one of the embodiments, the molecular sieve tower has an oxygen outlet, and the oxygen separated by the molecular sieve tower can be discharged through the oxygen outlet.
[0025] The oxygen outlet is arranged at the middle position of the molecular sieve tower.
[0026] It can be understood that the oxygen outlet of the molecular sieve tower is arranged at the middle position of the molecular sieve tower, so that the oxygen can be separated from the molecular sieve tower, and the nitrogen production performance of the molecular sieve tower can be improved.
[0027] In one of the embodiments, the molecular sieve tower has an oxygen outlet, and the separated oxygen can be discharged through the oxygen outlet;
[0028] The nitrogen production assembly further comprises an electromagnetic valve, and the plurality of oxygen outlets are in parallel communication with the electromagnetic valve.
[0029] It can be understood that the electromagnetic valve is used to control the oxygen discharge of the plurality of molecular sieve towers, so that the plurality of molecular sieve towers can independently perform the oxygen discharge operation without affecting each other.
[0030] In addition, the application also claims to protect a refrigerator comprising the above-mentioned nitrogen production module.
[0031] Due to the application of the above technical solution, the present application has the following advantages compared with the prior art:
[0032] The nitrogen production module and the refrigerator claimed in the application utilize the series connection between the plurality of molecular sieve towers, so that the adsorption path of the compressed air in the nitrogen production assembly can be prolonged, so that the nitrogen concentration in the compressed air can be improved when the compressed air flows in the nitrogen production assembly. In this process, the throttle ring and the control valve can be used to ensure the air pressure in the molecular sieve tower for normal operation, and the production and flow-out speed of the high-concentration nitrogen during the operation of the nitrogen production module can be controlled, so that the nitrogen production performance of the nitrogen production module can be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0033] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the application or the prior art, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or the prior art description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor.
[0034] Figure 1 The structure schematic diagram of the nitrogen production module provided by an embodiment of the application.
[0035] Figure 2 The structure schematic diagram of the molecular sieve tower in the application.
[0036] Figure 3 The structure schematic diagram of the nitrogen production module provided by another embodiment of the application.
[0037] Reference numerals: 100, nitrogen production module; 10, air pump; 20, nitrogen production assembly; 21, molecular sieve tower; 211, raw material inlet; 212, nitrogen outlet; 213, oxygen outlet; 22, electromagnetic valve; 30, throttle ring; 40, pressure check valve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0038] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all the other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor fall within the scope of protection of the present application.
[0039] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as "provided on" another element, it can be directly provided on the other element or there can be a middle element. When an element is referred to as "provided on" another element, it can be directly provided on the other element or there can be a middle element. When an element is referred to as "fixed on" another element, it can be directly fixed on the other element or there can be a middle element.
[0040] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present application belongs. The terminology used in the description of the present application is only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments of the present application, and is not intended to limit the present application. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
[0041] The nitrogen production module 100 claimed in the present application is applied to a small PSA nitrogen production system in a refrigerator.
[0042] As Figures 1 to 3As shown, an embodiment of this application provides a nitrogen generating module 100, including an air pump 10, a nitrogen generating assembly 20, and a throttling ring 30. The air pump 10 provides compressed air (not shown). The nitrogen generating assembly 20 includes multiple molecular sieve towers 21 connected in series with the air pump 10 to separate nitrogen from the compressed air (not shown). The throttling ring 30 has an inlet (not shown) and an outlet (not shown). The inlet is connected to the nitrogen generating assembly 20 to receive the nitrogen separated by the assembly, and the outlet is connected to the nitrogen-generating crisper compartment of a refrigerator (not shown). In other words, the nitrogen generated by the nitrogen generating module 100 using the molecular sieve towers 21 can be discharged into the nitrogen-generating crisper compartment of the refrigerator to achieve nitrogen preservation. Here, the molecular sieve tower 21 has a raw material inlet 211 and a nitrogen outlet 212, which are arranged at both ends of the molecular sieve tower 21. Multiple molecular sieve towers 21 are connected in series. Specifically, the nitrogen outlet 212 of the molecular sieve tower 21 is connected to the raw material inlet 211 of the next molecular sieve tower 21, so as to realize the successive nitrogen production when the nitrogen generation component 20 is working.
[0043] As can be seen from the above, the nitrogen generation module 100 of this application utilizes the series connection between multiple molecular sieve towers 21 to extend the adsorption path of the nitrogen generation component 20 for compressed air, so that when the compressed air flows in the nitrogen generation component 20, the nitrogen concentration in the compressed air will be increased. In this process, the throttling ring 30 can be used to ensure the normal air pressure in the molecular sieve tower 21, thereby achieving the purpose of improving the nitrogen generation performance of the nitrogen generation module 100.
[0044] In one embodiment, the air pump 10 has an air inlet (not shown) for communication with the refrigerator's refrigeration compartment or freezer compartment. That is, the nitrogen generator module 100 is used in a refrigerator to draw air from the refrigerator's refrigeration compartment or freezer compartment, compress it through the air pump 10, and form compressed air to supply the nitrogen generator assembly 20. Here, the aforementioned refrigeration compartment can specifically be the refrigerator's refrigerator compartment or refrigeration air duct, and the freezer compartment can specifically be the refrigerator's freezer compartment or freezer air duct.
[0045] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, in one embodiment, the molecular sieve tower 21 is box-shaped; wherein, the length of the molecular sieve tower 21 is set to L, the maximum outer diameter of the cross-section of the molecular sieve tower 21 is set to W, and L≥3W. That is to say, the molecular sieve tower 21 is configured as a slender box-shaped structure, so that the installation of a single molecular sieve tower 21 does not require a lot of space, thereby facilitating the arrangement and installation of the nitrogen generation component 20 in the refrigerator.
[0046] like Figure 1 , Figure 3As shown in the embodiment, a plurality of molecular sieve towers 21 are arranged in sequence along the width direction of the molecular sieve tower 21. Here, the number of molecular sieve towers 21 in the nitrogen production assembly 20 of the embodiment is configured to be three, and three molecular sieve towers 21 are used to sequentially filter nitrogen in compressed air, so that the concentration of nitrogen separated through the nitrogen production assembly 20 can reach 100%, meeting the use requirement of the high-concentration nitrogen production module 100. It can be understood that in other embodiments, the number of molecular sieve towers 21 in the nitrogen production assembly 20 can also be two, which will not be described here.
[0047] As shown in the embodiment, Figure 1 , Figure 2 In an embodiment, the molecular sieve tower 21 has an oxygen outlet 213, and the oxygen separated by the molecular sieve tower 21 can be discharged through the oxygen outlet 213. The oxygen outlet 213 is arranged at the middle position of the molecular sieve tower 21, and specifically can be arranged at the half length position of the molecular sieve tower 21. That is, the molecular sieve tower 21 has only half of the nitrogen analysis and discharge path when working, which is beneficial to the separation of oxygen from the molecular sieve tower 21, thereby improving the nitrogen production performance of the molecular sieve tower 21. It should be noted that the working principle of how to separate nitrogen and oxygen from compressed air when the molecular sieve tower 21 of the embodiment works can adopt the existing conventional way, which will not be described here.
[0048] As shown in the embodiment, Figure 1 In an embodiment, the nitrogen production assembly 20 further comprises an electromagnetic valve 22, and a plurality of oxygen outlets 213 are communicated with the electromagnetic valve 22 in the manner of a refrigerator, and the electromagnetic valve 22 is used as the oxygen discharge port of the nitrogen production module 100. That is, the oxygen discharged through the oxygen outlet 213 of the plurality of molecular sieve towers 21 can be independently collected on the pipeline where the electromagnetic valve 22 is located, and the electromagnetic valve 22 is used to control the oxygen discharge of the plurality of molecular sieve towers 21, so that the plurality of molecular sieve towers 21 can independently perform the oxygen discharge operation without affecting each other. It can be understood that in other embodiments, as shown in the embodiment, Figure 3 The oxygen outlet 213 of each molecular sieve tower 21 can also be arranged on the branch corresponding to the nitrogen outlet 212 of the molecular sieve tower 21, and specifically in the form of a three-way interface, which is branched from the normal adsorption gas path of the molecular sieve tower 21 and connected in parallel to the electromagnetic valve 22.
[0049] As can be seen from the above, when the nitrogen production cycle of the nitrogen production module 100 ends and oxygen needs to be discharged, the gas pump 10 stops working, the electromagnetic valve 22 is opened, the gas path from the oxygen outlet 213 of each molecular sieve tower 21 to the outside through the electromagnetic valve 22 is opened, the air pressure in each molecular sieve tower 21 is reduced, the oxygen-rich gas discharged from the oxygen outlet 213 is released, and is discharged to the outside under the driving of the pressure difference.
[0050] In an embodiment, the throttle ring 30 further has a throttle channel (not shown in the figure) through which the inlet and the outlet communicate; wherein the throttle channel has a diameter D, wherein 0.3mm≥D≥0.1mm. That is, the throttle channel through which the nitrogen gas passes on the throttle ring 30 is small, so as to ensure the normal working air pressure in the molecular sieve tower 21 and meet the use requirements of the working of the molecular sieve tower 21. Here, the throttle ring 30 can be specifically a cylindrical object with a hole only in the center.
[0051] As shown in Figure 1 , Figure 3 In an embodiment, the nitrogen production module 100 further comprises a pressure check valve 40, which communicates with the outlet of the throttle ring 30, and the nitrogen gas discharged from the outlet can flow to the nitrogen production fresh-keeping chamber through the pressure check valve 40. So that the nitrogen gas flowing out of the throttle ring 30 can only open the pressure check valve 40 when the concentration exceeds the preset pressure value of the pressure check valve 40, and then the pressure check valve 40 can supply nitrogen to the nitrogen production fresh-keeping chamber, so as to control the production and flow-out speed of high-concentration nitrogen gas when the nitrogen production module 100 works; in this process, the pressure check valve 40 can also realize the one-way conduction between the nitrogen production module 100 and the nitrogen production fresh-keeping chamber.
[0052] In addition, the present application also claims a refrigerator comprising the above-mentioned nitrogen production module 100.
[0053] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described, however, as long as the combinations of the technical features do not exist contradictions, they should be considered as the scope of the present disclosure.
[0054] Those skilled in the art should recognize that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present application, and not as a limitation on the present application, as long as the above embodiments are within the spirit and scope of the present application, any suitable changes and variations are within the scope of the present application.
Claims
1. A nitrogen generating module, used in a refrigerator, characterized in that, The nitrogen production module (100) comprises: an air pump (10) for providing compressed air; a nitrogen production assembly (20) comprising a plurality of molecular sieve towers (21) in series communication with the air pump (10) for separating nitrogen from the compressed air; a throttle ring (30) having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet being in communication with the nitrogen production assembly (20) for receiving the nitrogen separated by the nitrogen production assembly (20), and the outlet being in communication with a nitrogen production fresh-keeping chamber of the refrigerator.
2. The nitrogen generation module of claim 1, wherein, The molecular sieve tower (21) is in the form of a box. The length of the molecular sieve tower (21) is L, and the maximum outer diameter of the cross section of the molecular sieve tower (21) is W, and L≥3W.
3. The nitrogen generation module of claim 2, wherein, The plurality of molecular sieve towers (21) are arranged in sequence along the width direction of the molecular sieve tower (21).
4. The nitrogen generation module of claim 1, wherein, The number of the molecular sieve towers (21) is three.
5. The nitrogen generation module of claim 1, wherein, The throttle ring (30) further has a throttle channel for communication between the inlet and the outlet. The aperture of the throttle channel is D, and 0.3mm≥D≥0.1mm.
6. The nitrogen generation module of claim 1, wherein, The nitrogen production module (100) further comprises a pressure check valve (40) in communication with the outlet, and the nitrogen discharged from the outlet can flow to the nitrogen production fresh-keeping chamber through the pressure check valve (40).
7. The nitrogen generation module of claim 1, wherein, The air pump (10) has an air inlet in communication with a refrigeration area or a freezing area of the refrigerator.
8. The nitrogen generation module of claim 1, wherein, The molecular sieve tower (21) has an oxygen outlet (213) for discharging oxygen separated by the molecular sieve tower (21). The oxygen outlet (213) is arranged at a middle position of the molecular sieve tower (21).
9. The nitrogen generation module of claim 1, wherein, The molecular sieve tower (21) has an oxygen outlet (213) for discharging oxygen separated by the molecular sieve tower (21). The nitrogen production assembly (20) further comprises a solenoid valve (22), and the plurality of oxygen outlets (213) are in parallel communication with the solenoid valve (22).
10. A refrigerator characterized by comprising: The nitrogen production module (100) of any one of claims 1 to 9.