Active-Insulation Dual-Evaporator Cooling With Rotating Fan
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigeration appliances face inefficiencies in matching thermal loads with cooling capacities, particularly in rapidly switching between fresh food and freezer compartments, leading to suboptimal temperature control and energy usage.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a sequential dual evaporator system with a switching mechanism and a pivoting evaporator fan, along with a variable capacity compressor and thermal storage materials, allows for independent and rapid switching between refrigeration and freezer modes, optimizing cooling cycles and energy efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a conventional single evaporator system is used, then the device complexity is low, but the temperature control precision and energy efficiency deteriorate when rapidly switching between fresh food and freezer compartments
Solution Approach 1:
The single evaporator is divided into two separate evaporators - a fresh food evaporator and a freezer evaporator. Each evaporator is dedicated to serving its specific compartment, allowing independent temperature control and eliminating the need to switch between modes. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by providing precise temperature control for each compartment while maintaining system simplicity through dedicated functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The common refrigerant manifold serves both evaporators simultaneously, allowing the system to provide cooling to both fresh food and freezer compartments at the same time. This multi-functionality enables the system to handle diverse thermal loads without mode switching, improving temperature control precision while maintaining energy efficiency through parallel operation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If rapid switching between fresh food and freezer modes is implemented, then the adaptability to different thermal loads improves, but the reliability of temperature control deteriorates due to suboptimal temperature management during transitions
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the evaporators into dedicated fresh food and freezer units, the system can independently respond to thermal loads in each compartment without switching. Each evaporator maintains its own optimal operating conditions, ensuring reliable temperature control while adapting to different thermal demands through independent operation rather than mode switching.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs a variable capacity compressor that can dynamically adjust its cooling output to match the combined thermal loads of both compartments. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the system to adapt to varying thermal demands while maintaining stable temperatures, eliminating the reliability issues associated with switching between fixed modes.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a sequential dual evaporator system with switching mechanism is used, then the adaptability to different cooling modes improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses two separate evaporators with dedicated functions for fresh food and freezer compartments, eliminating the need for switching mechanisms. Each evaporator is permanently assigned to its specific compartment, providing cooling mode adaptability through parallel operation rather than sequential switching, thereby reducing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The common refrigerant manifold provides universal service to both evaporators simultaneously, enabling the system to handle diverse cooling requirements in both compartments at the same time. This multi-functional design achieves cooling mode adaptability without requiring complex switching mechanisms, as the system can operate in any combination of cooling modes through the shared refrigerant distribution.
4Productivity
If independent dual evaporators are implemented, then the productivity of cooling cycles improves through optimized temperature control, but the loss of energy increases due to additional system components
Solution Approach 1:
By dedicating separate evaporators to specific compartments, each evaporator operates at optimal efficiency for its designated function, improving overall cooling cycle productivity. The elimination of mode switching prevents energy losses associated with transition periods, and the system recovers heat more effectively by continuously operating both evaporators at their optimal points.
Solution Approach 2:
The common refrigerant manifold merges the refrigerant flow paths of both evaporators, allowing efficient heat exchange and energy recovery between compartments. This merging enables the system to optimize energy utilization by directing refrigerant flow to where it is most needed while recovering heat that would otherwise be wasted, reducing overall energy losses despite the additional evaporator component.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enhances the coefficient of performance by enabling precise temperature control, reducing energy consumption, and maintaining consistent compartment temperatures, thereby improving food preservation and storage efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a forced air cooling system comprising a fan and an evaporator are provided between a freezer compartment and a food storage compartment of a refrigerator
Implementation Method 2
a variable capacity compressor and thermal storage materials, allows for independent and rapid switching between refrigeration and freezer modes
Implementation Method 3
an evaporator for cooling air that is to be supplied to the fresh food storage compartment and the freezer compartment
Implementation Method 4
a variable capacity compressor and thermal storage materials, allows for independent and rapid switching between refrigeration and freezer modes
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3~4
AI summary
An appliance having a fresh food storage compartment and a freezer compartment. The appliance includes a forced air coil system disposed between the fresh food storage compartment and the freezer compartment and is configured to selectively provide cooling to one or both of the at least one fresh food storage compartment and the at least one freezer compartment. The forced air coil system includes an evaporator fan configured to provide cooling to the food storage compartment, the freezer compartment, or both.