Cooler with shelf plenum
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Solution Overview
Problem
Coolers and freezers experience temperature fluctuations and undesirable temperature gradients due to repeated door openings, leading to uneven airflow distribution and heat exchange with ambient air, which affects the temperature of stored beverages and food products.
Innovation Solution
A cooler design featuring shelf plenums with openings for direct airflow contact and a return airflow path along the sides, combined with a refrigeration system for precise temperature control, including dampers and a return duct to maintain consistent supercooling of beverages and food products.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a conventional cooler design is used, then the structure is simple, but the cold air distribution is poor and warm air recirculation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The cooler is divided into multiple functional zones: a plenum chamber for cold air distribution, a shelf system with front-to-back airflow paths, and a rear wall structure for return air management. This segmentation allows each zone to perform its specific function optimally, improving cold air distribution while preventing warm air recirculation through the evaporator.
Solution Approach 2:
A plenum chamber is introduced as an intermediary structure between the evaporator and the storage space. This plenum acts as a mediator that distributes cold air evenly across the shelf front and prevents direct recirculation of warm air back to the evaporator, thereby improving temperature distribution without requiring complex active control systems.
2Quantity of substance
If shelves are added to a cooler, then storage capacity increases, but cold air distribution becomes poor
Solution Approach 1:
The shelf structure is designed with differentiated airflow characteristics: the front portion of each shelf receives cold air from above, while the rear portion receives cold air from the plenum chamber. This local quality differentiation ensures that all shelf regions, regardless of position, receive adequate cold air supply, maintaining temperature uniformity across the entire storage space.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system transitions from a single-point or single-plane air distribution approach to a multi-dimensional distribution network. Cold air is delivered to shelves from multiple directions (front, rear, and top), creating a three-dimensional airflow pattern that ensures uniform temperature distribution across all storage zones, thereby improving cold air distribution while maintaining high storage capacity.
3Temperature
If the cooler operates continuously, then cooling performance is maintained, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooler design enables self-regulating airflow patterns that automatically respond to temperature variations. The plenum chamber and shelf geometry create natural airflow paths that adjust based on temperature differences, allowing the system to maintain cooling performance without requiring continuous high-power operation or complex active control, thereby reducing energy consumption while preserving cooling effectiveness.
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 design achieves uniform temperature distribution and supercooling of beverages and food products below their freezing points without solidification, reducing temperature gradients and maintaining precise temperature control.
Implementation Method 1
the evaporator is configured to cool air to a predetermined temperature
Implementation Method 2
the cooler circulates air through the evaporator and storage space
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems and methods are disclosed herein that include providing a cooler with a supply duct, a plurality of shelf plenums connected in fluid communication with the supply duct, and a return duct to implement precise temperature control over an internal cooling space of the cooler. Each of the shelf plenums may include openings disposed in a top surface of each shelf plenum. A supply airflow generated by a fan of a refrigeration system may pass the supply airflow through the supply duct to each of the plurality of shelf plenums, where the supply airflow may exit the shelf plenums through the openings in each shelf plenum to directly contact beverages and/or food products disposed on the top surface of the shelf plenums. The cooler may be further operated to supercool liquid beverages below a freezing point of the beverages without causing solidification and/or crystallization of the beverages.