Cooling unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial refrigeration units face issues with ice formation and insulation damage due to condensate on throttle elements, leading to functional impairment and increased maintenance costs, as existing designs require costly insulation that is interrupted by throttle devices and cannot effectively prevent condensation and icing.
Innovation Solution
The control unit is arranged inside the cooling unit, partially or completely within an insulation unit, and designed as a pump arrangement to maintain a temperature higher than the dew point, preventing ice formation and allowing for complete insulation of cooling medium lines, thus avoiding condensation and corrosion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If throttle elements are provided outside the cooling unit for controlling mass flow, then heat extraction from the goods space is enabled, but moisture condenses on the throttle elements causing ice formation and functional impairment
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit is extracted from the external environment and placed inside the cooling unit, removing it from the harmful condensation-prone external area while maintaining its mass flow control function. This relocates the throttle elements to an ice-free environment inside the cooling unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulation unit acts as an intermediary barrier between the control unit and the humid external environment. It prevents moisture from reaching the control unit, thereby eliminating the condensation and ice formation problem while allowing the control unit to function externally.
2Ease of operation
If throttle elements are provided outside the cooling unit, then mass flow control is achieved, but the insulation of cooling medium lines is interrupted causing condensate formation and insulation damage
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit is extracted from the external area and placed inside the cooling unit. This allows the insulation of cooling medium lines to be continuous and uninterrupted, as the control unit is now surrounded by insulation material within the cooling unit boundaries.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulation unit serves as a protective intermediary that encloses the control unit, preventing moisture from reaching both the control unit and the cooling medium lines. This maintains the integrity and effectiveness of the insulation system.
3Ease of manufacture
If control unit is arranged outside the cooling unit, then installation is simplified, but the control unit temperature is lower than dew point causing condensation
Solution Approach 1:
The insulation unit acts as a thermal intermediary, isolating the control unit from the cold external environment. It maintains the control unit temperature above the dew point by preventing heat loss, thereby preventing condensation while allowing external installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulation unit changes the thermal parameters of the control unit environment, maintaining a higher temperature that prevents condensation. This allows the control unit to be installed externally without suffering from condensation issues.
4Loss of energy
If insulation is provided for cooling medium lines, then heat loss is reduced, but the insulation becomes soaked with condensate losing insulating properties
Solution Approach 1:
The insulation unit serves as a protective intermediary that prevents moisture from reaching the insulation of cooling medium lines. By enclosing the control unit and preventing condensate formation in this area, it protects the insulation from becoming soaked and losing its insulating properties.
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 solution keeps the control unit ice-free, reduces maintenance needs, and achieves optimal hydraulic balance, enhancing the efficiency and longevity of the refrigeration system while preventing condensation and corrosion.
Implementation Method 1
designed as a pump arrangement to maintain a temperature higher than the dew point, preventing ice formation
Implementation Method 2
arranged within the cooling unit at least partially within an insulation unit. This arrangement has the advantage that the control unit is arranged at least partially, advantageously completely, within an insulation unit. This is particularly advantageous in order to isolate the control unit from the humidity of the room air, so that a way is also created to avoid condensation and ice formation.
Implementation Method 3
The provision of one pump arrangement per cooling point has proven to be advantageous in this respect, since pump arrangements with a lower output can also be used as a result. This decentralized individual arrangement is also advantageous because it allows each cooling unit to be designed to be individually controllable
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3
AI summary
Cooling unit (1), in particular for cooling foodstuffs, comprising at least one delimiting element that at least partially encompasses the goods compartment (W), which comprises at least one ceiling element (2), at least one rear wall (4) and at least one base element (6), at least one cooling medium supply line ( 16) for feeding a cooling medium into the cooling unit (1) and/or at least one cooling medium discharge line (18) arranged separately from the cooling medium supply line (16) for draining the cooling medium out of the cooling unit (1) to form a cooling medium network within the cooling unit (1) At least one control element (14) for controlling the temperature and/or the pressure of the cooling medium flowing at least partially through the cooling unit, the control unit (14) being arranged inside the cooling unit (1).