A refrigerator utilizing heat pipe technology

Abstract

This utility model discloses a refrigerator utilizing heat pipe technology. The refrigerator includes a cabinet, a storage compartment within the cabinet, a cooling tank above the storage compartment containing coolant, a heat pipe assembly fixedly installed in the cooling tank, a refrigeration system, and a fan assembly with an air inlet connected to the storage compartment. The heat pipe assembly consists of multiple gravity heat pipes, each with a condensing section, an adiabatic section, and an evaporating section. The condensing section is located inside the cooling tank and immersed in the coolant, while the evaporating section is located inside the storage compartment. The refrigeration system includes a refrigeration component located below the storage compartment and an evaporator mounted on the cooling tank and immersed in the coolant. This utility model optimizes conventional refrigeration systems by incorporating heat pipe technology, achieving efficient heat transfer and improving the refrigerator's refrigeration performance and energy efficiency. Simultaneously, the compressor's start-up and shutdown have a slow response to the refrigerator's internal temperature, resulting in smaller temperature fluctuations, which is beneficial for the preservation of goods.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of refrigeration technology, and in particular to a freezer utilizing heat pipe technology. Background Technology

[0002] Refrigerators rely on refrigeration systems to provide a low-temperature environment to maintain the freshness and quality of goods, and are widely used in production and daily life. Traditional refrigeration systems have the evaporator inside the freezer, relying on steam in a spiral tube to carry away heat. This results in slow heat transfer, low efficiency, and the compressor's frequent starting and stopping causes rapid temperature response and large temperature fluctuations inside the freezer, making precise temperature control impossible and detrimental to the storage of goods. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a refrigerator that utilizes heat pipe technology to achieve efficient heat transfer, improve the refrigerator's cooling performance and energy efficiency, and minimize temperature fluctuations inside the refrigerator.

[0004] A refrigerator utilizing heat pipe technology includes a cabinet and a storage compartment formed within the cabinet; the refrigerator further includes:

[0005] A cooling tank containing coolant is located above the storage compartment;

[0006] A heat pipe assembly, fixedly installed in the cooling box, is composed of multiple gravity heat pipes; and

[0007] The refrigeration system includes a refrigeration component located below the storage compartment and an evaporator mounted on the cooling tank and immersed in a coolant.

[0008] As a further improvement to the above solution, the cooling box is fixedly installed in the cabinet.

[0009] As a further improvement to the above scheme, gravity heat pipes are fixedly installed through the bottom of the cooling box.

[0010] As a further improvement to the above scheme, the gravity heat pipe has a condensation section, an insulation section and an evaporation section; wherein the condensation section is located in a cooling box and is immersed in a coolant.

[0011] As a further improvement to the above solution, the insulation section is located between the condensation section and the evaporation section, and a polyurethane foam layer is wrapped and fixed in the insulation section.

[0012] As a further improvement to the above solution, the evaporation section is located outside the cooling box and placed in the storage room, and heat pipe fins are fixedly installed on the evaporation section.

[0013] As a further improvement to the above solution, the freezer also includes a fan assembly, the air inlet of which is connected to the storage compartment.

[0014] As a further improvement to the above solution, the fan assembly is located on the corresponding side of the evaporation section.

[0015] As a further improvement to the above solution, the refrigeration system also includes a refrigeration component installed inside the cabinet, located below the storage compartment.

[0016] As a further improvement to the above solution, the refrigeration assembly includes a compressor, a condenser, and a throttling valve.

[0017] As a further improvement to the above scheme, the evaporator, compressor, condenser and throttle valve are connected in sequence by pipes.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are: by combining heat pipe technology to optimize the refrigeration system of the freezer, the heat inside the freezer can be quickly transferred to the coolant with a large specific heat capacity, and then the refrigeration system can remove the heat, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency of the refrigeration system and allowing the freezer to reach the set temperature in a shorter time. At the same time, since the heat pipe can efficiently transfer heat to the coolant, the useful power of the refrigeration system is greatly improved, thereby reducing energy consumption and electricity costs. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 The image shown is a front view of a refrigerator utilizing heat pipe technology provided by this utility model.

[0020] Figure 2 As shown Figure 1 Side view.

[0021] Figure 3 As shown Figure 2 The cross-sectional view shows the direction of airflow indicated by arrows.

[0022] Figure 4 As shown Figure 3 Diagram showing the connection structure of the intermediate cooling box and heat pipe assembly.

[0023] Figure 5 As shown Figure 3 Enlarged view of the central heat pipe assembly.

[0024] Figure 6 As shown Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the evaporator.

[0025] Explanation of main component symbols

[0026] 1. Cabinet; 2. Storage compartment; 3. Cooling box; 4. Heat pipe assembly; 41. Condensation section; 42. Insulation section; 43. Evaporation section; 5. Heat pipe fins; 6. Refrigeration assembly; 7. Evaporator; 8. Fan assembly.

[0027] The above description of the main component symbols, together with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, provides a further detailed explanation of this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this utility model clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with embodiments. Additional aspects and advantages of this utility model will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the utility model. It should be understood that the following description is merely illustrative and not intended to limit the utility model.

[0029] The specific embodiments of this utility model are described in detail below.

[0030] Please see Figure 1-6 This embodiment provides a refrigerator using heat pipe technology, including a cabinet 1, a storage compartment 2 opened in the cabinet 1, a cooling tank 3 containing coolant, a heat pipe assembly 4 fixedly installed in the cooling tank 3, a refrigeration system, and a fan assembly 8 connected to the air inlet and the storage compartment 2.

[0031] The cooling box 3 is located above the storage chamber 2 and is fixedly installed in the cabinet 1. This embodiment uses a coolant with a phase change temperature in the range of -40℃ to 15℃ to meet the refrigeration requirements as an example. The heat pipe assembly 4 consists of multiple gravity heat pipes, which are fixedly installed through the bottom of the cooling box 3. The gravity heat pipe has a condensation section 41, an adiabatic section 42, and an evaporation section 43. The condensation section 41 is located inside the cooling box 3 and is immersed in the coolant. The coolant transfers the heat from the gravity heat pipe to the outside, achieving sufficient heat exchange at the condensation section 41.

[0032] The insulation section 42 is located between the condensation section 41 and the evaporation section 43, and a polyurethane foam layer is fixedly wrapped around the insulation section 42. In this embodiment, the polyurethane foam layer is used for insulation to further ensure that the vapor in the gravity heat pipe does not exchange heat with the outside. The evaporation section 43 is located outside the cooling box 3 and placed inside the storage chamber 2, and heat pipe fins 5 are fixedly installed on the evaporation section 43. In this embodiment, the heat pipe fins 5 are set to increase the heat absorption area of ​​the evaporation section 43, thereby achieving the purpose of efficient heat transfer.

[0033] This embodiment of the freezer utilizes the rapid heat transfer characteristics of gravity heat pipes, employing a heat pipe assembly 4 composed of multiple gravity heat pipes to transfer heat outwards. This allows the temperature to be quickly transferred to the coolant with a high specific heat capacity inside the cooling chamber 3. The coolant then fully contacts the condenser section 41 and the evaporator 7 for heat exchange, thereby maximizing the cooling effect, improving cooling efficiency, and saving energy. Simultaneously, due to the high specific heat capacity of the coolant, this embodiment requires the absorption of more heat to achieve the same temperature change compared to a method without coolant. Therefore, the compressor's start-up and shutdown have a slower response to the temperature inside the freezer, resulting in a more uniform and stable temperature within the freezer. This facilitates precise temperature control, better maintaining the freshness and quality of the goods.

[0034] The heat pipe assembly 4 in this embodiment has the following heat transfer process: the evaporation section 43 absorbs external heat, the working fluid in the gravity heat pipe evaporates and vaporizes to form a steam flow, the steam rises along the center of the pipe due to the pressure difference and passes through the insulation section 42, and condenses and releases heat in the condensation section 41. The steam condenses into liquid and returns to the evaporation section 43 along the pipe wall under the action of gravity. This cycle is repeated to achieve efficient heat transfer and enhance the cooling capacity of the freezer.

[0035] In this embodiment, the refrigeration system cools the storage chamber 2 on one hand, and on the other hand, the liquid refrigerant absorbs heat in the evaporator 7. The evaporator 7 is immersed in the coolant, and the heat transfer surface is in full contact with the coolant, so the heat exchange is sufficient. Therefore, the refrigeration system also cools the coolant.

[0036] The refrigeration system includes a refrigeration component 6 located inside the cabinet 1 and below the storage chamber 2, and an evaporator 7 installed on the cooling box 3 and immersed in coolant. The refrigeration component 6 includes a compressor, a condenser, and a throttling valve. The evaporator 7, compressor, condenser, and throttling valve are sequentially connected by pipes to form a refrigeration system. In this embodiment, the refrigerant undergoes compression, condensation, throttling, and evaporation in the refrigeration system to achieve cyclic refrigeration. Specifically, the liquid refrigerant absorbs heat in the evaporator 7 and vaporizes into low-temperature, low-pressure vapor. This low-temperature, low-pressure vapor is drawn into the compressor and compressed into high-pressure, high-temperature vapor, which is then discharged into the condenser. In the condenser, heat is released to the cooling medium (water or air), causing the high-pressure, high-temperature vapor to condense into high-pressure liquid. The high-pressure liquid is throttled by the throttling valve to become low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant, which then re-enters the evaporator to absorb heat and vaporize, achieving cyclic refrigeration. The refrigerant completes one refrigeration cycle through these four basic processes: compression, condensation, throttling, and evaporation. During these processes, the refrigerant undergoes state changes and exchanges heat with the outside environment, achieving the effect of cyclic refrigeration.

[0037] The fan assembly 8 is located on the corresponding side of the evaporator section 43. In this embodiment, the purpose of setting the fan assembly 8 is to establish an internal circulation airflow distribution system, so that the cold air can flow quickly to enhance the cooling effect on the storage chamber 2. Specifically, the hot air in the storage chamber 2 is blown into the heat pipe assembly 4 by the fan assembly 8 for heat exchange, and the cold air flows down along the rear wall of the cabinet 1 to exchange heat with the storage chamber 2. After the heat exchange, the temperature of the storage chamber 2 decreases, while the temperature of the cold air increases due to heat absorption, and it continues to be drawn into the fan assembly 8, thereby forming an internal air circulation.

[0038] In summary, the freezer in this embodiment has the following advantages: by combining heat pipe technology to optimize the conventional refrigeration system, it can achieve efficient heat transfer, improve the refrigeration performance and energy efficiency of the freezer, and the compressor's start and stop response to the internal temperature of the freezer is slow with small temperature fluctuations, which is conducive to the refrigeration of items.

[0039] The preferred embodiments of this utility model disclosed above are merely illustrative of the present utility model. These preferred embodiments do not exhaustively describe all details, nor do they limit the utility model to the specific implementations described. Clearly, many modifications and variations can be made based on the content of this specification. This specification selects and specifically describes these embodiments to better explain the principles and practical applications of this utility model, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to better understand and utilize it. This utility model is limited only by the claims and their full scope and equivalents.

Claims

1. A refrigerator utilizing heat pipe technology, comprising a cabinet (1) and a storage compartment (2) opened within the cabinet (1); Its features are, The freezer also includes: A cooling tank (3) containing coolant is located above the storage chamber (2); A heat pipe assembly (4) fixedly installed in the cooling box (3), which consists of multiple gravity heat pipes; and The refrigeration system includes an evaporator (7) mounted on the cooling tank (3) and immersed in the coolant.

2. The refrigerator utilizing heat pipe technology according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cooling box (3) is fixedly installed in the cabinet (1).

3. The refrigerator utilizing heat pipe technology according to claim 1, characterized in that, Gravity heat pipes are fixed and run through the bottom of the cooling box (3).

4. The refrigerator utilizing heat pipe technology according to claim 3, characterized in that, The gravity heat pipe has a condensation section (41), an adiabatic section (42) and an evaporation section (43); The condensation section (41) is located inside the cooling tank (3) and is immersed in the coolant.

5. The refrigerator utilizing heat pipe technology according to claim 4, characterized in that, The insulation section (42) is located between the condensation section (41) and the evaporation section (43), and a polyurethane foam layer is wrapped and fixed in the insulation section (42).

6. The refrigerator utilizing heat pipe technology according to claim 5, characterized in that, The evaporation section (43) is located outside the cooling box (3) and placed inside the storage chamber (2), and heat pipe fins (5) are fixedly installed on the evaporation section (43).

7. The refrigerator utilizing heat pipe technology according to claim 6, characterized in that, The freezer also includes a fan assembly (8), whose air inlet is connected to the storage compartment (2).

8. The refrigerator utilizing heat pipe technology according to claim 7, characterized in that, The fan assembly (8) is located on the corresponding side of the evaporation section (43).

9. The refrigerator utilizing heat pipe technology according to claim 1, characterized in that, The refrigeration system also includes a refrigeration component (6) installed in the cabinet (1), which is located below the storage room (2); The refrigeration assembly (6) includes a compressor, a condenser, and a throttle valve.

10. The refrigerator utilizing heat pipe technology according to claim 9, characterized in that, The evaporator (7), compressor, condenser and expansion valve are connected in sequence by pipes.

Images