Draft Beer Machine Parallel Refrigeration for Rapid Pipe Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing draft beer machines require excessive time for beer to reach a servable temperature due to air cooling or water cooling methods, which are inefficient in quickly refrigerating beer for immediate consumption.
Innovation Solution
A double cooled draft beer machine with a refrigeration circuit including a compressor, condenser, and evaporator, featuring a refrigeration tube connected in parallel with the evaporator, and a solenoid valve controlled by thermostats to direct refrigerant flow between the refrigeration tube and evaporator, ensuring rapid cooling of beer pipes and casks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If air cooling method is used to refrigerate beer casks, then the beer can be stored in a cold storage box, but it takes over 10 hours to refrigerate the beer before it can be served
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigeration system is segmented into two independent parallel paths: one path with the evaporator for cold storage chamber refrigeration, and another path with the refrigeration tube for direct beer pipe refrigeration. This segmentation allows simultaneous or selective operation of different refrigeration modes, enabling quick cooling of beer pipes without waiting for complete cask refrigeration.
Solution Approach 2:
The refrigeration tube is pre-cooled and connected in parallel with the evaporator, allowing the beer pipe to be refrigerated in advance before beer is dispensed. The solenoid valve can direct refrigerant to the refrigeration tube first, ensuring the beer pipe is ready for immediate service without requiring 10+ hours of preliminary cask cooling.
2Temperature
If water cooling method is used to refrigerate beer, then the beer can be cooled in a water tank, but the pre-cooling process also spends over 10 hours before beer can be served normally
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the beer pipe refrigeration function from the conventional cask-based refrigeration system by introducing a separate refrigeration tube connected directly to the beer pipe. This extracted subsystem can operate independently and quickly cool the beer pipe without requiring prolonged pre-cooling of large water tanks or entire casks.
Solution Approach 2:
The refrigeration tube provides preliminary refrigeration action directly on the beer pipe, ensuring the pipe is cooled and ready for immediate beer dispensing. This eliminates the need for 10+ hour pre-cooling processes associated with water tank methods, as the refrigeration tube can be activated quickly when needed.
3Temperature
If a single evaporator system is used for cold storage chamber refrigeration, then the cask can be stored in cold conditions, but the beer pipe cannot be quickly refrigerated to dispensing temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigeration system is divided into two separate but parallel segments: the evaporator segment for cold storage chamber cooling, and the refrigeration tube segment for rapid beer pipe cooling. This segmentation allows each component to optimize its function independently, maintaining cold storage temperatures while enabling fast beer pipe refrigeration when required.
Solution Approach 2:
The solenoid valve provides dynamic control, allowing the system to switch refrigerant flow between the evaporator and refrigeration tube based on operational needs. When quick beer dispensing is required, the valve directs refrigerant to the refrigeration tube, dynamically adjusting the system to prioritize beer pipe cooling speed over cold storage maintenance.
4Productivity
If the refrigeration circuit is configured with parallel evaporator and refrigeration tube, then rapid beer cooling is enabled, but the device complexity increases with additional solenoid valve and control components
Solution Approach 1:
The solenoid valve serves multiple functions: it controls refrigerant distribution between the evaporator and refrigeration tube, enables rapid beer pipe cooling when needed, and maintains cold storage chamber temperatures during normal operation. This multi-functionality justifies the added component by consolidating control capabilities into a single device that enhances productivity without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The parallel configuration with solenoid valve control enables preliminary action capability, where the refrigeration tube can be activated in advance to cool the beer pipe quickly before dispensing. This preliminary cooling action, controlled by the solenoid valve, allows the system to maintain simplicity during normal operation while providing rapid cooling capability when needed, improving productivity without constant complexity.
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
Enables rapid refrigeration of beer to a servable temperature, ensuring beer is always dispensed at a low temperature, improving cooling efficiency and allowing immediate consumption after cask placement.
Implementation Method 1
A beer pipe and a refrigeration tube which can refrigerate the beer pipe are also arranged inside the cabinet
Implementation Method 2
the evaporator can refrigerate the cold storage chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A double cooled draft beer machine comprises a cabinet, and there is a refrigeration circuit inside the cabinet, including a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator. Inside the cabinet, there is a cold storage chamber used to hold the cask, and the evaporator can refrigerate the cold storage chamber. A beer pipe and a refrigeration tube which can refrigerate the beer pipe are also arranged inside the cabinet. The refrigeration tube is connected to the refrigeration circuit and in parallel with the evaporator. In the refrigeration circuit, at least one solenoid valve is set up. The present double cooled draft beer machine also comprises a relay and the first thermostat. The first thermostat is in series with the relay, and the contacts of the relay are connected to the solenoid of the solenoid valve, as well as the compressor.