Multi-stage cooling body and cooling device using same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a multi-stage cooling rod and a cooling device using same, wherein the multi-stage cooling rod is filled with a rapid cooling material between cooling rods after installing a central cooling rod and at least one cooling rod on the outside of the central cooling rod based on concentric circles, and then installing an enclosure on the outermost side. The multi-stage cooling rod comprises: a first cooling rod having a pipe body having a space formed therein, wherein upper and lower portions of the pipe body are sealed, and a cooling means is installed on the outside of a lower surface; at least one cooling rod having the same center as the first cooling rod and installed to be spaced apart from the first cooling rod; and a rapid cooling material (A) filled in a tube body of the first cooling rod, sealed and filled between the first cooling rod and a cooling rod recently adjacent to the first cooling rod among the cooling rods, and sealed and filled in a space between the cooling rods. Accordingly, ice formed when power is turned off is maintained for a long time, so that the temperature inside a water purifier or a refrigerator can be maintained in a cooled state for a long time, thereby increasing a power saving effect.

Description

Multi-stage cooling body and cooling device using the same

[0001] The present invention relates to a multi-stage cooling rod, which comprises a central cooling rod, at least one cooling rod installed concentrically on the outside of the central cooling rod, a body installed at the outermost end, and a cooling device using the same, in which a rapid cooling material is filled between the cooling rods.

[0002] Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0106006 (Title of the invention: Cooling rod filled with cooling auxiliary material to improve cooling efficiency and cooling body including same) (hereinafter referred to as “prior art”) filed by the present applicant discloses a device for cooling a cooling rod filled with a rapid cooling material using a thermoelectric element.

[0003] Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view for explaining the overall configuration of the prior art, and Fig. 2 is an assembled cross-sectional view of Fig. 1.

[0004] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a cooling body (1) of the prior art is composed of a cooling rod (2), a cooling tube (3), and a cooling means (4). The cooling rod (2) is composed of a body (21) and a cover (22). The body (21) is formed in a rod shape with an open upper portion and a space formed inside, and is made of a material with excellent thermal conductivity.

[0005] Additionally, the internal space of the body (21) is filled with a rapid cooling material (A) composed of various substances to assist cooling, such as water, salt, acetic acid, and graphene.

[0006] Additionally, a cooling means installation groove (213) is formed on the bottom surface of the body (21), and a cooling means (4) is inserted and installed in the cooling means installation groove (213).

[0007] When such a cooling body (1) is installed inside a cooling device such as a small refrigerator, ice freezes faster than a typical cooling body and cools the surrounding temperature quickly, but when the power is cut off and power is not supplied to the cooling means (4), the ice condensed on the cooling body (1) is maintained for a shorter time than the desired retention time, so the temperature inside the refrigerator rises quickly.

[0008] The present invention has been devised to solve such problems, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide a multi-stage cooling body and a cooling device using the same, which can drastically improve energy consumption of cooling devices such as water purifiers and refrigerators by making ice more quickly, thereby achieving rapid cooling, and extending the time for which ice remains frozen when power is cut off.

[0009] A solution for solving the above problem is characterized by including a pipe body having a space formed inside, a first cooling rod having the upper and lower parts of the pipe body sealed and a cooling means installed on the outside of the lower surface, at least one cooling rod having the same center as the first cooling rod and installed spaced apart from the first cooling rod, and a rapid cooling material (A) filled inside the pipe body of the first cooling rod, sealedly filled between the first cooling rod and the cooling rod most adjacent to the first cooling rod among the cooling rods, and sealedly filled in the space between the cooling rods.

[0010] According to the present invention having the above-mentioned task and solution, the cooling rods are formed in multiple stages outward in a concentric circle, so that when the power is turned off, the ice formed is maintained for a long time, thereby maintaining the temperature inside the water purifier or refrigerator in a cooled state for a long time, thereby increasing the power saving effect.

[0011] In addition, according to the present invention, the cooling rods are configured to rapidly cool while preventing leakage of the rapid cooling material (A) as much as possible, thereby saving energy and achieving a rapid cooling effect.

[0012] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view to explain the overall configuration of the prior art.

[0013] Figure 2 is an assembly cross-sectional view of Figure 1;

[0014] Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a multi-stage cooling body of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the assembly of the multi-stage cooling body of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another embodiment of the present invention installed inside a refrigerator.

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0019] Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a multi-stage cooling body of the present invention, and Fig. 4 is an assembled cross-sectional view of the multi-stage cooling body of the present invention.

[0020] The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrates the application of the multi-stage cooling body (100) of the present invention to a cold water purifier (3), wherein the multi-stage cooling body (100) is installed at the center of the inner lower part of the water tank (42), and a first cooling rod (110) having a tubular shape with a circular cross-section and having the lower and upper surfaces of the tubular body sealed is positioned at the center of the multi-stage cooling body (100), and a second cooling rod (120), a third cooling rod (130), and an outer case (140) are sequentially installed from the inside to the outside, forming a concentric circle centered on the first cooling rod (110), and a rapid cooling material (A) is filled between the inside of the first cooling rod (110), the first cooling rod (110) and the second cooling rod (120), and between the second cooling rod (120) and the third cooling rod (130).

[0021] At this time, the rapid cooling material (A) can be simply used as water alone, or a mixture of at least one of water, acetic acid, salt water, and graphene is used, and preferably a mixture of 99.0 to 99.5 wt% of acetic acid, 0.3 to 0.6 wt% of salt water with a concentration of 3.5%, and 0.2 to 0.4 wt% of graphene is used.

[0022] Acetic acid (CH3COOH) is one of the carboxylic acids, an organic acid with a functional group called a carboxyl group (-COOH). Due to the carboxyl group, its melting point and boiling point are higher than those of hydrocarbons or oxygen-containing compounds of similar size.

[0023] In addition, acetic acid is a solution with a freezing point of 16.6℃, and has the characteristic of freezing at room temperature when the external temperature is low, and since the temperature of the refrigerator compartment of a typical refrigerator is 4 to 10℃, it is in a solid state inside the refrigerator compartment, so even if the refrigerator's refrigeration function is temporarily interrupted due to a power cut, it absorbs latent heat in the process of changing from a solid state to a liquid state, preventing the internal temperature of the refrigerator compartment from rapidly increasing.

[0024] In addition, brine is a sodium chloride (NaCl) aqueous solution, and in the present invention, for the convenience of explanation, brine with a concentration of 3.5% is used as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and it is preferable to use low-salt water with a sodium chloride concentration of 0.5 to 30%.

[0025] These brine solutions are composed of 0.3 to 0.6 wt% of the cooling aid (A).

[0026] In addition, since salt water has a relatively higher thermal conductivity (about 0.438 W / (m*K) at 20°C) than the thermal conductivity of acetic acid (about 0.138 W / (m*K) at 20°C), when mixed with acetic acid, the cooling efficiency of the rapid cooling substance (A) can be increased by increasing the overall thermal conductivity of the rapid cooling substance (A).

[0027] Graphene is also one of the carbon allotropes and comprises 0.2 to 0.4 wt% of the rapid cooling material (A). Furthermore, graphene has the advantage of higher thermal conductivity than carbon allotropes composed of multiple layers, as carbon atoms are arranged in a two-dimensional planar structure to form a single layer. While the present invention has been described using graphene as an example, graphite with separated layers and increased thermal conductivity may also be used.

[0028] In addition, since graphene has a thermal conductivity of approximately 5000 W / m*K, even if a small amount is added to the rapid cooling material (A), the overall thermal conductivity of the rapid cooling material (A) can be increased.

[0029] Since acetic acid with a strong irritating odor is added to the interior of the rapid cooling material (A) composed in this manner, it is preferable to store it in a state contained inside sealed cooling rods, as shown in Fig. 3.

[0030] In addition, the first cooling rod (110) is sealed at the top and bottom, and a rapid cooling material (A) is accommodated inside a cylindrical tube, and an insertion groove (111) is formed on the lower bottom surface, and a cooling means (40) made of a Peltier element is installed, and an outward protrusion (113) protruding outward is formed on the lower part of the tube, so that the cold air inside is directly transferred to the outside through the outward protrusion (113), thereby increasing the cooling effect of adjacent cooling rods.

[0031] A Peltier element is used as the cooling means (40). When electricity is passed through the Peltier element, the cooling surface absorbs heat, and the other heat-radiating surface releases heat. The cooling surface contacts the bottom surface of the insertion groove (111) of the first cooling rod (110) to cool the first cooling rod (110), and the heat-radiating plate (41) contacts the opposite heat-radiating surface to release heat to the outside.

[0032] The inside of the first cooling rod (110) is filled with a rapid cooling material (A), and a second cooling rod (120) whose upper surface is closed concentrically to the first cooling rod (110) is installed on the outside of the first cooling rod (110). An outwardly protruding portion (123) protruding outward is formed on the lower part of the second cooling rod (120), and the bottom surface of the outwardly protruding portion (123) is in contact with the upper surface of the outwardly protruding portion (113) of the first cooling rod (110), thereby preventing the rapid cooling material (A) between the first cooling rod (110) and the second cooling rod (120) from leaking outward.

[0033] In addition, the third cooling rod (130) is installed concentrically with the first cooling rod (110) and the second cooling rod (120), and has a closed upper surface formed in a cylindrical shape larger than the diameter of the second cooling rod (120), and the lower portion is placed on the upper surface of the outward protrusion (123) of the second cooling rod (120), and the space between the third cooling rod (130) and the second cooling rod (120) is filled with a rapid cooling material (A).

[0034] Additionally, a body (140) is installed on the outside of the third cooling rod (130).

[0035] The body (140) is installed concentrically with the first, second, and third cooling rods, and is formed in a cylindrical shape with a diameter larger than that of the third cooling rod (130). The upper surface is formed in a closed shape, and an outwardly protruding portion (141) is formed at the lower portion, and the bottom surface of the outwardly protruding portion (141) is installed to contact the inner lower surface of the water tank (42). In addition, a plurality of through holes (151), (152), (153) are formed at the lower portion of the cylindrical side of the body (140), thereby allowing water in the water tank (42) to flow between the cooling rod case (140) and the third cooling rod (130).

[0036] In the configuration of the multi-stage cooling body (100) configured in this way, the outward protrusion (113) protruding outwardly of the first cooling rod (110) directly transfers the cold air of (A) inside the first cooling rod (110) to the water introduced into the inside of the housing (140), and similarly, the outward protrusion (123) of the second cooling rod (120) also directly transfers the cold air of A inside the second cooling rod (120) to the water introduced into the inside of the cooling rod case (140), so that the water at the lowest point of the water introduced into the inside of the cooling rod case (140) freezes, and the ice is gradually moved upward as a seed and frozen, thereby maximizing the speed at which the ice is frozen.

[0037] Because water exists in the narrow space between the hull (140) and the third cooling rod (130), it is relatively easy for ice to freeze, and if ice seeds are formed on the lower surface, the water inside the cooling rod case (140) gradually freezes upward from the bottom within a short period of time.

[0038] In addition, the outward protrusion (141) of the body (140) not only stably supports the body (140) on the bottom of the tank (140), but also quickly transfers cold air to the water in the tank.

[0039] In addition, not only is the water in the water tank (42) rapidly cooled by the multi-stage cooling body (100) in this way, but even when the power supply is cut off during cooling and the power to the cooling means (40) is cut off, the water inside the housing (140) of the multi-stage cooling body (100) and the rapid cooling material (A) inside the cooling rods are maintained in a frozen state for a considerable period of time, so that the temperature of the water inside the water tank (42) does not rise for that amount of time. According to the multi-stage cooling body (100) of the present invention, not only is rapid cooling achieved, but also the operation time of the cooling means (40) is minimized due to the effect of maintaining the cooling temperature for a long period of time, thereby minimizing electricity consumption.

[0040] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] The cold water purifier (4) illustrated in FIG. 5 is configured with a first cooling rod (110), a second cooling rod (120), and a third cooling rod (130) in the same manner as the multi-stage cooling rod illustrated in FIG. 3, but has a unique structure in which the internal rapid cooling material (A) does not leak to the outside.

[0042] The first cooling rod (110) illustrated in Fig. 5 has a circular plate-shaped catch (115) with a hollow portion formed on the inner side of the upper part of the pipe body, and a lid (116) with a blocking portion formed to be inserted into the hollow portion of the catch (115) is installed on the catch (115), thereby preventing the rapid cooling material (A) inside from leaking to the outside.

[0043] Additionally, two insertion grooves (1131), (1132) concentrically formed with the first cooling rod (110) are formed on the upper surface of the outward protrusion (113) at the lower portion of the first cooling rod (110).

[0044] In addition, an insertion protrusion (1231) is formed on the bottom surface of the outward protrusion (123) of the second cooling rod (120) to form a concentric circle with the second cooling rod (120) and to be inserted into an insertion groove (1131), and these are sealed with adhesive during assembly, thereby forming a structure in which the rapid cooling material (A) inside the second cooling rod (120) does not leak to the outside.

[0045] In addition, an injection port (1203) for a rapid cooling substance (A) is formed on the upper surface of the second cooling rod (120), so that the rapid cooling substance (A) is injected, and after being injected, it is sealed by welding or the like.

[0046] This is one example of the injection process of the rapid cooling material (A), and can also be manufactured in a lid form like the first cooling rod (110).

[0047] In addition, the lower part of the third cooling rod (130) is inserted into the insertion groove (1132) of the first cooling rod (120) and sealed with an adhesive or the like, thereby forming a structure in which the rapid cooling material (A) inside the third cooling rod (130) does not leak to the outside.

[0048] In this way, the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 forms grooves in the outward protrusion (113) of the first cooling rod (110), and the second cooling rod (120) and the third cooling rod (130) are inserted and fitted into each of the grooves, thereby preventing the rapid cooling material (A) from leaking, thereby preventing the multi-stage cooling body (100) from malfunctioning, maintaining cooling performance for a long time, and preventing odor from being emitted to the outside due to leakage of the internal rapid cooling material (A).

[0049] In addition, when the multi-stage cooling body of the present invention is installed inside a refrigerator, the multi-stage cooling body can maintain a frozen state for a long time, so that even when the power is turned off, the temperature inside the refrigerator can be maintained at a low temperature, thereby enabling efficient use of power.

[0050] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another embodiment of the present invention installed inside a refrigerator.

[0051] Figure 6 shows a state in which a multi-stage cooling body (100) is installed inside a refrigerator. The temperature inside a refrigerator of a single-stage cooling body (100) is normally maintained at 4 to 10°C, but the multi-stage cooling body (100) freezes at 10°C or higher, so when the refrigerator is in operation, the rapid cooling material (A) of the multi-stage cooling body maintains a frozen solid state.

[0052] In the event of a power outage in such a refrigerator, the multi-stage cooling body maintains a frozen state for a long period of time, thereby preventing a rapid rise in the temperature of the refrigerator. Accordingly, even when such a multi-stage cooling body (100) is installed inside the refrigerator and the power is periodically turned on and off to save electricity, the temperature rise inside the refrigerator is much smaller than in the case where the multi-stage cooling body (100) is not present.

[0053] In the above embodiments, it has been described that the cooling rods forming the multi-stage cooling body (100) of the present invention have a cylindrical shape, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and there are various modified examples, such as the cooling rods having a cross-section of a polygon including a square, and the protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the contents described in the claims.

[0054] The present invention is applied to a multi-stage cooling body and a cooling device technology using the same, which increases the energy saving effect by allowing the ice formed when the power is turned off to be maintained for a long time, thereby maintaining the temperature inside a water purifier or refrigerator in a cooled state for a long time, by forming cooling rods in multi-stages in a concentric circle outward.

Claims

1. A first cooling rod having a tube body having a space formed inside, the upper and lower parts of the tube body being sealed, and a cooling means installed on the outer side of the lower surface; At least one cooling rod having the same center as the first cooling rod and installed spaced apart from the first cooling rod; A multi-stage cooling body characterized by including a rapid cooling material (A) filled inside the tube of the first cooling rod, sealedly filled between the first cooling rod and the cooling rod most adjacent to the first cooling rod among the cooling rods, and sealedly filled in the space between the cooling rods.

2. In claim 1, A multi-stage cooling body characterized in that the above rapid cooling material (A) is a mixture of at least one selected from water, salt water, acetic acid, and graphene.

3. In claim 1, A multi-stage cooling body characterized in that an outward protrusion is formed at the lower portion of the first cooling rod and the lower portion of at least one cooling rod is in contact with the upper surface of the outward protrusion.

4. In claim 2, A multi-stage cooling body characterized in that an insertion groove is formed on the upper surface of the above-mentioned outward protrusion so as to have the same center as the center of the above-mentioned first cooling rod, and an insertion protrusion that is inserted into the insertion groove is formed on the cooling rod most adjacent to the above-mentioned first cooling rod.

5. In claim 1, A multi-stage cooling body characterized in that an injection port for injecting the rapid cooling material (A) is formed on the upper surface of the first cooling rod and at least one cooling rod, and the injection port is sealed after the rapid cooling material (A) is injected.

6. A multi-stage cooling body according to claim 1, characterized in that a lid for filling the rapid cooling material (A) is installed on the upper surface of the first cooling rod and the at least one cooling rod.

7. A multi-stage cooling body according to claim 1, characterized in that an outer shell is installed spaced apart from the outermost cooling rod from the first cooling rod among the at least one or more cooling rods, and a plurality of through holes are formed in the outer shell.

8. A cooling device using a multi-stage cooling body, characterized in that it includes a multi-stage cooling body as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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