Heat transfer apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Retail display freezers have high operational costs due to 'hot spots' caused by poor air flow and item placement, which require maintaining the warmest areas at or below the maximum permitted temperature for food safety.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerative shelving arrangement with a heat-absorbing shelf and a condenser forming a hermetically sealed system, where the condenser is elevated and contains thermally conductive fins, allowing the working fluid to circulate without a compressor, enhancing heat transfer and reducing temperature variations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If conventional refrigeration systems with compressors are used, then cooling capacity is sufficient, but device complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the compressor from the refrigeration system, replacing it with a passive two-phase flow heat transfer system. The working fluid circulates through the shelf structure itself, which contains integrated channels, eliminating the need for external compression equipment and significantly simplifying the system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The shelf structure is merged with the heat transfer system by integrating channels directly into the shelf panel. The shelf simultaneously serves as both the storage surface and the heat exchange conduit, combining structural and thermal functions into a single integrated component.
2Temperature
If air flow around shelves is poor, then installation is simple, but hot spots form and temperature uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The shelf panel is segmented into multiple functional zones with integrated channels distributed throughout its structure. These channels divide and distribute the working fluid across different regions of the shelf, ensuring uniform heat transfer and eliminating hot spots through systematic segmentation of the thermal field.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the shelf receive targeted cooling through locally positioned channels. The system provides non-uniform fluid distribution tailored to specific thermal requirements of different shelf zones, ensuring optimal temperature control in each local area while maintaining overall temperature uniformity.
3Temperature
If condenser is placed at lower position, then gravity assists fluid return, but heat transfer efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The condenser is positioned in a vertically elevated location above the evaporator section, inverting the traditional gravity-assisted return arrangement. This vertical dimensionality change enables the condensed liquid to return to the evaporator through gravity while the vapor rises to the condenser, creating a natural thermosyphon circulation pattern that enhances heat transfer efficiency without requiring additional pressure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces mechanical compression with a thermosyphon-driven natural circulation mechanism. The phase change of the working fluid and the resulting density differences create automatic circulation currents that substitute for mechanical pumping and compression systems.
4Use of energy by stationary object
If compressor-based refrigeration is used, then cooling performance is reliable, but operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigeration system serves itself through passive two-phase flow heat transfer. The working fluid automatically circulates through phase change and natural convection currents driven by temperature and density differences, eliminating the need for external energy input from compressors or pumps while maintaining reliable cooling performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes phase transitions of the working fluid between liquid and vapor states to drive heat transfer and circulation. Evaporation absorbs heat in the evaporator section while condensation releases heat in the condenser section, creating a self-sustaining thermal cycle that provides reliable cooling without mechanical compression.
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 provides more even temperature control, reduces energy consumption, and minimizes 'hot spots', resulting in lower operational costs and better product temperature consistency.
Implementation Method 1
a heat-absorbing shelf formed from a panel having first and second main faces containing plural passages for conveying a working fluid
Implementation Method 2
conveying a working fluid in both liquid and gaseous states around an interior portion of the shelf
Implementation Method 3
a condenser in fluid communication with the heat-absorbing shelf
Implementation Method 4
the condenser may comprise a pipe at least partially surrounded by condenser fins
Implementation Method 5
the condenser may be contained within an actively cooled region
Implementation Method 6
The condenser may be elevated relative to the heat-absorbing panel
Data Source
AI summary
Refrigerative shelving arrangement comprising a heat-absorbing shelf (10) formed from a panel having first and second main faces containing plural passages (50) for conveying a working fluid in both liquid and gaseous states around an interior portion of the shelf (10); and a condenser (35) in fluid communication with the heat-absorbing shelf (10), wherein the heat-absorbing shelf (10) and the condenser (35) form a hermetically sealed system configured to allow the working fluid to circulate between the heat-absorbing shelf (10) and the condenser (35) without a compressor.