PTC heater of refrigerator evaporator

Abstract

The utility model discloses a PTC heater of a refrigerator evaporator. The PTC heater comprises a PTC heating assembly, a heat conduction pressing cover, a locking screw and an evaporating pipe. The PTC heating assembly is arranged on one side of the evaporation pipe in an overlapped mode, the heat conduction pressing cover wraps the evaporation pipe so that the evaporation pipe can tightly abut against the PTC heating assembly and the inner wall of the heat conduction pressing cover, and the two ends of the heat conduction pressing cover are detachably connected with the PTC heating assembly through the locking screws. According to the utility model, the conduction mode is direct heat transfer, the electricity consumption is low, the heat transfer speed is high, the defrosting is quick, the temperature of objects stored in the freezing chamber is not increased, the insulating property is excellent, and the service life is long.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of PTC heating element technology, and in particular to a PTC heater for a refrigerator evaporator. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional refrigerators use a defrosting heater for the evaporator, employing a conventional metal wire heating element placed at the bottom of the evaporator. The heat generated by this element radiates into the surrounding space and is then transferred to the evaporator via air convection. With this heating method, only a small percentage of the heat from the heating element reaches the evaporator; a significant portion dissipates into the freezer compartment, raising its temperature and thus the temperature of items stored there. Furthermore, the radiative transfer of heat from the heating element to the evaporator results in a relatively long defrosting time. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the above-mentioned defects in the prior art and provide a PTC heater for a refrigerator evaporator. It has a low heating temperature, does not transfer heat through radiation and convection, but directly transfers heat through conduction. It consumes little electricity, has a fast heat transfer speed, defrosts quickly, does not cause the objects stored in the freezer to heat up, has excellent insulation performance, and has a long service life.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides a PTC heater for a refrigerator evaporator, including a PTC heating assembly, a heat-conducting pressure cover, locking screws, and an evaporation tube; the PTC heating assembly is stacked on one side of the evaporation tube, and the heat-conducting pressure cover wraps around the evaporation tube, so that the evaporation tube is tightly abutted against the inner walls of the PTC heating assembly and the heat-conducting pressure cover respectively, and the two ends of the heat-conducting pressure cover are detachably connected to the PTC heating assembly through the aforementioned locking screws.

[0005] Furthermore, the heat-conducting compression cover includes a wrapping part and first connecting parts respectively provided on both sides of the wrapping part. A wrapping groove for wrapping the evaporator tube is provided in the wrapping part. A first connecting hole is provided on the first connecting part. The locking screw passes through the first connecting hole and locks with the PTC heating assembly.

[0006] Furthermore, the encapsulation slot is square or arc-shaped to match the shape of the evaporator tube. This allows for better contact with the evaporator tube, improving heat transfer efficiency.

[0007] Furthermore, the heat-conducting pressure cover is a metal heat-conducting component. The metal pressure cover is preferably made of extruded aluminum profile, which is low in cost and has good thermal conductivity; it can also be made of copper, copper alloys, stainless steel, or other metals.

[0008] Furthermore, the PTC heating assembly includes a metal shell, metal conductive plates, and a PTC heating ceramic plate. The metal conductive plates are respectively installed at both ends of the PTC heating ceramic plate, and both the metal conductive plates and the PTC heating ceramic plate are installed inside the metal shell. It employs a PTC constant-temperature heating element, with the heating core using barium titanate-type PTC semiconductor ceramic as the heat source. Utilizing the automatic power adjustment and constant-temperature heating function of the PTC, it can operate stably even with long-term power supply without burning out. It has excellent insulation performance, a long heater lifespan, and excellent product safety.

[0009] Furthermore, the outer surfaces of the metal conductive sheet and the PTC heating ceramic sheet are coated with a high-temperature resistant insulating layer. This high-temperature resistant insulating layer serves to insulate the PTC heating ceramic sheet from the aluminum casing.

[0010] Furthermore, the high-temperature resistant insulation layer is a polyimide component or a silicone rubber component. Using polyimide or silicone rubber components allows the material to withstand constant temperatures exceeding those of the PTC heating ceramic element, and provides excellent insulation performance.

[0011] Furthermore, the metal casing can be any metal component made of aluminum, aluminum alloy, copper, or copper alloy. The metal casing uses aluminum profiles with good heat transfer properties, resulting in excellent thermal conductivity and low manufacturing cost.

[0012] Furthermore, multiple sets of heat dissipation fins are connected to the evaporator tube. By arranging the heat dissipation fins, a larger surface area is provided when the refrigerant flows through the evaporator tube, thereby improving heat exchange efficiency.

[0013] Furthermore, the evaporator tube is filled with refrigerant. When the system is running, the low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant enters the evaporator tube, flows within the tube, and exchanges heat with the surrounding air or water. Because the temperature of the refrigerant is lower than that of the surrounding medium, heat from the air or water is transferred to the refrigerant, causing its temperature to rise and evaporation to occur. This process absorbs a large amount of heat, thereby cooling the space or object.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0015] Unlike traditional electric heating tubes that transfer heat through radiation and convection, the heater of this invention transfers heat through conduction. The advantages are: firstly, a lower temperature heater can be used, which is safer and will not have an adverse effect on the surrounding structure; secondly, most of the heat generated by the heater is directly conducted to the evaporator tube, with very little heat dissipation into the space, which greatly improves the heat utilization rate and also reduces the adverse effect of the heat generated by traditional electric heating tubes raising the surrounding temperature. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a PTC heater for a refrigerator evaporator according to this utility model;

[0018] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A side view diagram;

[0019] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A top-down view;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the PT heating component of this utility model.

[0021] The diagram includes:

[0022] 1. PTC heating element; 11. Metal casing; 12. Metal conductive sheet; 13. PTC heating ceramic sheet; 14. High-temperature resistant insulation layer; 2. Thermally conductive pressing cover; 21. Wrapping part; 211. Wrapping groove; 22. First connecting part; 3. Locking screw; 4. Evaporator tube; 5. Heat dissipation fins; 6. Refrigerant. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The technical solution of this embodiment of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiment is one embodiment of the present invention, and not all embodiments thereof. Based on this embodiment of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] It should be noted that all directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in this utility model embodiment are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of each component in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indicator will also change accordingly.

[0025] Furthermore, if the embodiments of this utility model involve descriptions such as "first" or "second", such descriptions are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated.

[0026] Please see Figures 1 to 4 This utility model provides a PTC heater for a refrigerator evaporator, including a PTC heating assembly 1, a heat-conducting pressing cover 2, a locking screw 3, and an evaporating tube 4. The PTC heating assembly 1 is stacked on one side of the evaporating tube 4, and the heat-conducting pressing cover 2 wraps around the evaporating tube 4, so that the evaporating tube 4 is tightly abutted against the inner walls of the PTC heating assembly 1 and the heat-conducting pressing cover 2. The two ends of the heat-conducting pressing cover 2 are detachably connected to the PTC heating assembly 1 by the aforementioned locking screw 3. Specifically, in this embodiment, the heat-conducting pressing cover 2 includes a wrapping part 21 and first connecting parts 22 respectively provided on both sides of the wrapping part 21. A wrapping groove 211 for wrapping the evaporating tube 4 is provided in the wrapping part 21. During assembly, the heat-conducting pressing cover 2 is first placed on the evaporating tube 4 so that the wrapping groove 211 can completely wrap the evaporating tube 4. In this embodiment, the shape of the wrapping groove 211 is square, so that during assembly... Figure 2 As shown, the inner wall of the heat-conducting pressing cover 2 only has three points that abut against the outer wall of the evaporator tube 4. Preferably, the wrapping groove 211 can be set into an arc shape that matches the shape of the evaporator tube 4, so that the wrapping groove 211 can completely wrap the surface of the evaporator tube 4, thereby increasing the contact area between the two and thus improving the heat transfer.

[0027] In order to improve the thermal conductivity of the heat-conducting pressure cover 2 and reduce its cost, the heat-conducting pressure cover 2 in this embodiment is a metal heat-conducting component, preferably made of aluminum extrusion profile, but it can also be made of metals such as copper, copper alloy and stainless steel.

[0028] like Figure 4 As shown, the PTC heating assembly 1 in this embodiment includes a metal shell 11, a metal conductive sheet 12, and a PTC heating ceramic sheet 13. The metal conductive sheet 12 is respectively installed at both ends of the PTC heating ceramic sheet 13. Both the metal conductive sheet 12 and the PTC heating ceramic sheet 13 are installed inside the metal shell 11. To prevent the metal conductive sheet 12 and the PTC heating ceramic sheet 13 from conducting with the metal shell 11, a high-temperature resistant insulating layer 14 is wrapped on the outer surface of the metal conductive sheet 12 and the PTC heating ceramic sheet 13 to insulate the PTC heating ceramic sheet 13 from the metal shell 11. The high-temperature resistant insulating layer 14 is made of polyimide components, silicone rubber components, or other materials with equivalent functions. Using polyimide components or silicone rubber components can withstand a constant temperature exceeding that of the PTC heating ceramic sheet 13 and has good insulation performance.

[0029] The first connecting part 22 is provided with a first connecting hole, and the locking screw 3 passes through the first connecting hole and locks with the metal shell 11. In this embodiment, the metal shell 11 is any metal component made of aluminum, aluminum alloy, copper, or copper alloy. The metal shell 11 is made of aluminum profile with good heat transfer, which has good heat conduction effect and low manufacturing cost.

[0030] The aforementioned PTC heating ceramic sheet 13 uses barium titanate type PTC semiconductor ceramic as the heat source. It utilizes the automatic power adjustment and constant temperature heating function of PTC, and can work stably even when powered on for a long time without being burned out. It has excellent insulation performance, long heater life, and excellent product safety.

[0031] Multiple sets of heat dissipation fins 5 are connected to the evaporator tube 4. The arrangement of these fins provides a larger surface area when the refrigerant 6 flows through the evaporator tube 4, thereby improving heat exchange efficiency. Furthermore, the evaporator tube 4 is filled with refrigerant 6. When the system is running, the low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant 6 enters the evaporator tube 4, flows within the tube, and exchanges heat with the surrounding air or water. Because the temperature of the refrigerant 6 is lower than that of the surrounding medium, heat from the air or water is transferred to the refrigerant 6, causing its temperature to rise and evaporation to occur. This process absorbs a large amount of heat, thus cooling the space or object.

[0032] Preferably, multiple heat-conducting clamping caps 2 can be provided according to the shape of the evaporator tube 4 to lock the evaporator tube 4 onto the PTC heating assembly 1, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the evaporator tube 4 has a multi-bend loop structure. In this embodiment, the PTC heating component 1 can be set as a long strip and placed below the evaporator tube 4. Then, multiple heat-conducting pressure caps 2 are used to lock and fix each section of the evaporator tube 4 that abuts against the PT heating component. This ensures that the heat conduction effect of each section of the evaporator tube 4 is consistent. At the same time, multiple PTC heating components 1 can be added as needed to improve the heat conduction effect of the evaporator tube 4.

[0033] Brief description of the working principle of this utility model: The PTC heating element 1 heats up after being connected to a power source via a power cord. To improve heat transfer, the PTC heating element 1 and the metal clamping cover are tightened together with tightening screws, pressing the evaporator tube 4. The heat emitted by the PTC heating element 1 is directly conducted to the evaporator tube 4, and then to the heat dissipation fins 5. The solid ice on the surface of the evaporator tube 4 and the heat dissipation fins 5 melts and falls off due to the heat, completing the defrosting process. Unlike traditional electric heating tubes that transfer heat through radiation and convection, the heater of this utility model transfers heat through conduction. The advantages are: firstly, a lower temperature heater can be used, which is safer and will not have a high-temperature adverse effect on the surrounding structure; secondly, most of the heat generated by the heater is directly conducted to the evaporator tube 4, with very little heat dissipation into the space, greatly improving the heat utilization rate and also reducing the adverse effect of the heat generated by traditional electric heating tubes raising the surrounding temperature.

[0034] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present utility model and are not intended to limit the present utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present utility model shall be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A PTC heater for a refrigerator evaporator, characterized in that, It includes a PTC heating assembly (1), a thermally conductive pressure cover (2), a locking screw (3), and an evaporator tube (4); the PTC heating assembly (1) is stacked on one side of the evaporator tube (4), and the thermally conductive pressure cover (2) wraps around the evaporator tube (4), so that the evaporator tube (4) is tightly abutted against the inner walls of the PTC heating assembly (1) and the thermally conductive pressure cover (2), respectively. The two ends of the thermally conductive pressure cover (2) are detachably connected to the PTC heating assembly (1) through the locking screw (3) mentioned above.

2. The PTC heater for a refrigerator evaporator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heat-conducting pressure cover (2) includes a wrapping part (21) and a first connecting part (22) respectively provided on both sides of the wrapping part (21). A wrapping groove (211) for wrapping the evaporator tube (4) is provided in the wrapping part (21). A first connecting hole is provided on the first connecting part (22). The locking screw (3) passes through the first connecting hole and locks with the PTC heating assembly (1).

3. The PTC heater for a refrigerator evaporator according to claim 2, characterized in that, The wrapping groove (211) is square or arc-shaped, matching the shape of the evaporator tube (4).

4. The PTC heater for a refrigerator evaporator according to claim 2, characterized in that, The heat-conducting pressure cover (2) is a metal heat-conducting component.

5. A PTC heater for a refrigerator evaporator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The PTC heating assembly (1) includes a metal shell (11), a metal conductive sheet (12), and a PTC heating ceramic sheet (13). The metal conductive sheet (12) is installed at both ends of the PTC heating ceramic sheet (13), and both the metal conductive sheet (12) and the PTC heating ceramic sheet (13) are installed inside the metal shell (11).

6. A PTC heater for a refrigerator evaporator according to claim 5, characterized in that, The outer surfaces of the metal conductive sheet (12) and the PTC heating ceramic sheet (13) are covered with a high-temperature resistant insulating layer (14).

7. A PTC heater for a refrigerator evaporator according to claim 6, characterized in that, The high-temperature resistant insulating layer (14) is a polyimide component or a silicone rubber component.

8. A PTC heater for a refrigerator evaporator according to claim 5, characterized in that, The metal casing (11) is any one of aluminum, aluminum alloy, copper and copper alloy.

9. A PTC heater for a refrigerator evaporator according to claim 2, characterized in that, Multiple sets of heat dissipation fins (5) are connected to the evaporator tube (4).

10. A PTC heater for a refrigerator evaporator according to claim 2, characterized in that, The evaporator tube (4) is filled with refrigerant (6).

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