Blast Chiller Evaporator Layout for Uniform Cooling at Reduced Power
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing professional blast chillers face issues with uneven temperature distribution when selectively deactivating heat-pump refrigeration circuits, leading to warmer airflows and potential food quality problems.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerating machine with a heat-pump cooling assembly that includes a forced-air heat exchange unit with low-pressure heat exchangers arranged in overlapping rows, allowing for homogeneous temperature distribution and efficient cooling even in reduced-power operating modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If heat-pump refrigeration circuits are selectively deactivated to reduce cooling power, then energy efficiency is improved, but temperature distribution uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is divided into multiple independent heat-pump refrigeration circuits (first circuit with first evaporator, second circuit with second evaporator, etc.), each capable of independent control. This segmentation allows selective activation/deactivation of individual circuits while maintaining overall system functionality and temperature uniformity through coordinated operation of multiple smaller units.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple evaporators from different heat-pump circuits are positioned to overlap in the vertical direction, creating a combined cooling effect zone. This merging of cooling zones ensures that even when some circuits are deactivated, the remaining active evaporators collectively maintain uniform temperature distribution across the entire compartment.
2Stability of the object's composition
If multiple heat-pump refrigeration circuits are used to maintain temperature uniformity, then temperature distribution uniformity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into modular heat-pump circuits that can be independently controlled. Each circuit functions as a complete, self-contained unit with its own evaporator, reducing the complexity of individual components while allowing flexible combination to achieve the desired temperature uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The electronic control unit dynamically adjusts operational parameters (activation status, cooling capacity) of individual heat-pump circuits based on real-time temperature measurements and cooling demands. This parameter optimization allows the system to maintain temperature uniformity while minimizing the number of active circuits, thereby reducing effective system complexity.
3Productivity
If heat-pump circuits are deactivated for reduced power operation, then productivity is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to warmer airflows
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling compartment is divided into multiple cooling zones, each served by a dedicated evaporator from a separate heat-pump circuit. This segmentation ensures that deactivation of one circuit only affects its local zone, while other zones remain adequately cooled, maintaining overall food safety and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple evaporators are positioned to overlap vertically, creating redundant cooling coverage. This merging ensures that if one evaporator is deactivated, the overlapping evaporators from other circuits can compensate, preventing warm airflow formation and maintaining reliable cooling across the entire compartment.
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
The solution ensures a uniform temperature distribution within the thermal-insulated compartment, maintaining food quality and extending the lifespan of refrigeration components by minimizing compressor on and off cycles.
Implementation Method 1
a first heat exchanger structured so as to allow a first refrigerant fluid flowing through it to remove heat from the air inside the same thermal-insulated compartment
Implementation Method 2
a first refrigerant fluid flowing through it to remove heat from the air
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
A refrigerating machine (1) for food products comprising: an outer casing (2) internally provided with a large thermal-insulated compartment (3) adapted to contain the food product(s) to be preserved; an electrically-operated cooling assembly (5), which in turn comprises: a plurality of heatpump refrigeration circuits (8) separate and independent of one another, each of which is provided with a low-pressure heat exchanger (11) which is capable of cooling the inside of the thermal-insulated compartment (3); and an oblong-shaped forced-air heat exchange unit (15), which extends inside the thermal-insulated compartment (3) parallel to a given first direction (di), and is structured so as to accommodate said low-pressure heat exchangers (11) arranged so as to form at least two rows of low-pressure heat exchangers, which extend along said first direction (d1) side by side and superimposed on one another; and a ventilation apparatus (9) is structured so as to generate a transversal airflow (f) that flows substantially perpendicular to said at least two rows of low-pressure heat exchangers (11) passing through said rows of low-pressure heat exchangers (11). (Figure 2)