Dual-Cycle Refrigerator Cooling for Deep Freeze Temperature Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators face challenges in simultaneously cooling compartments with different temperature ranges, as the dual cycle deep freezing system requires separate evaporators for each temperature range, making it difficult to efficiently manage temperature variations across multiple storage compartments.
Innovation Solution
The refrigerator employs two independent freezing cycles with distinct refrigerants and evaporators, allowing for separate control of the freezing, refrigerating, and deep freezing compartments, using a mixed refrigerant in the second cycle to maintain temperatures between -40°C and -70°C, and includes separate fans and sensors for each compartment to optimize cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a dual cycle system with separate evaporators is used for deep freezing, then the deep freezing compartment can be cooled to sufficiently low temperatures, but it becomes difficult to simultaneously cool multiple storage compartments with various temperature ranges
Solution Approach 1:
The first evaporator is designed to serve multiple storage compartments (freezing compartment and refrigerating compartment) simultaneously. By controlling the expansion mechanism, the system can regulate refrigerant flow to cool different compartments according to their respective temperature requirements, making a single evaporator perform multiple cooling functions that would traditionally require separate evaporators for each compartment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the cooling functions for the freezing compartment and refrigerating compartment into a single evaporator system. Instead of using separate evaporators for each compartment as in conventional dual cycle systems, this invention combines them into one evaporator that can be controlled to serve both compartments, thereby simplifying the system structure while maintaining the ability to cool multiple compartments with different temperature ranges.
2Ease of operation
If separate evaporators are used for each temperature range in a dual cycle system, then each compartment can be cooled independently, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The single evaporator is designed with multi-functionality to perform independent temperature control for both the freezing compartment and refrigerating compartment. Through controlled refrigerant flow distribution, the evaporator can independently regulate temperatures in different compartments without requiring separate evaporator units, thus maintaining ease of operation while reducing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The evaporator system is segmented into different functional zones or flow paths that can independently serve different compartments. The expansion mechanism divides refrigerant flow to different sections of the evaporator, allowing each compartment to be controlled independently while using a single integrated evaporator structure, thereby reducing overall system complexity.
3Device complexity
If a single evaporator cools multiple compartments, then device complexity is reduced, but temperature control precision for different compartments may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The expansion mechanism is designed to dynamically adjust refrigerant flow distribution to the evaporator based on the cooling demands of different compartments. This dynamic control allows the system to precisely regulate temperature in each compartment by varying refrigerant flow rates and distribution patterns, maintaining temperature control precision despite using a single evaporator for multiple compartments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates temperature sensing and control mechanisms that provide feedback to the expansion mechanism. Based on temperature measurements from different compartments, the control system adjusts refrigerant flow to the evaporator to maintain precise temperature control in each compartment, ensuring that temperature precision requirements are met even with a simplified single-evaporator configuration.
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 enables efficient and independent temperature control across compartments, minimizing drip loss in the deep freezing compartment and improving load coping speed by allowing simultaneous operation of the cycles when conditions are met, thus maintaining optimal temperatures in all compartments.
Implementation Method 1
a first freezing cycle having a first compressor, a first condenser, at least one first expansion mechanism, and at least one first evaporator in which a first refrigerant circulates
Implementation Method 2
configured to cool a freezing compartment and a refrigerating compartment
Implementation Method 3
a second freezing cycle having a second compressor, a second condenser, a second expansion mechanism, and a second evaporator in which a second refrigerant circulates
Implementation Method 4
configured to cool a deep freezing compartment... maintaining temperatures between -40°C and -70°C
Implementation Method 5
a first compressor... a second compressor
Implementation Method 6
a first condenser... a second condenser
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a first freezing cycle in which a first refrigerant circulates and having a first compressor, a first condenser, at least one first expansion mechanism, and at least one first evaporator, the first freezing cycle configured to cool freezing and refrigerating compartments, a freezing compartment sensor, a refrigerating compartment sensor, a second freezing cycle in which a second mixed refrigerant having a lower evaporation temperature than the first refrigerant circulates and having a second compressor, a second condenser, a second expansion mechanism, and a second evaporator, the second freezing cycle configured to cool a deep freezing compartment, a deep freezing compartment sensor, and a controller configured to operate the first freezing cycle and the second freezing cycle independently or simultaneously, thereby more efficiently cooling the freezing and refrigerating compartments and the deep freezing compartment.