Refrigerator with ice maker
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing ice-making evaporators in refrigerators are limited in size due to space constraints within the ice-making chamber, leading to inefficient heat load matching, reduced ice-making speed, poor frost-reducing capacity, and increased energy consumption due to frequent defrosting, which affects the quality of ice cubes.
Innovation Solution
The ice-making evaporator is relocated outside the ice-making chamber and placed within the refrigerating compartment, connected via an ice-making air duct with a fan, allowing for a larger effective area and improved heat load matching, reducing defrosting frequency, and enhancing ice quality by minimizing heat transfer to the ice storage bucket.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the ice-making evaporator is located inside the ice-making chamber, then the structure is simple and easy to install, but the effective area is limited and heat load matching is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The ice-making evaporator is relocated from the ice-making chamber to the refrigerating compartment, utilizing the larger spatial dimension of the refrigerating compartment to accommodate a larger evaporator area while maintaining system functionality through air duct connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The refrigeration system is divided into separate components: the ice-making evaporator is separated from the ice-making chamber and connected via air ducts, allowing independent optimization of evaporator size and chamber layout.
2Reliability
If the ice-making evaporator has small outline dimension, then it fits within the ice-making chamber, but the frost-reducing capacity is poor and defrosting frequency increases
Solution Approach 1:
By moving the evaporator to the refrigerating compartment with larger available volume, the system achieves sufficient frost-reducing capacity without being constrained by the smaller ice-making chamber dimensions.
3Productivity
If the ice-making evaporator is located inside the ice-making chamber, then no additional air ducts are needed, but the ice-making speed is reduced due to insufficient heat exchange area
Solution Approach 1:
The evaporator is positioned in the refrigerating compartment where larger heat exchange area can be accommodated, and air ducts are used to transport cold air to the ice-making chamber, achieving faster ice-making despite the spatial separation.
4Loss of energy
If the ice-making evaporator is frequently defrosted, then the refrigerating capacity is restored, but energy consumption increases and ice cube quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Relocating the evaporator to the refrigerating compartment allows for larger size and better heat exchange efficiency, reducing frost accumulation rate and thereby decreasing defrosting frequency and associated energy losses.
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 increases ice-making speed, improves frost-reducing capacity, decreases energy consumption, and maintains better ice quality by reducing heat transfer during defrosting, resulting in a more efficient and effective ice-making process.
Implementation Method 1
an ice-making evaporator disposed outside the ice-making chamber and located in the refrigerating compartment
Implementation Method 2
an ice-making fan disposed in the ice-making air duct
Implementation Method 3
a defrosting heater is disposed in the ice-making air supply duct below the ice-making evaporator
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to the field of household appliances technologies, and discloses a refrigerator with an ice maker, at least comprising: a refrigerating compartment and an ice-making chamber disposed inside the refrigerating compartment, wherein an ice maker is arranged inside the ice-making chamber, the ice-making chamber is supplied with cold air by an ice-making refrigeration system including an ice-making evaporator, an ice-making air duct, and an ice-making fan, the ice-making evaporator is communicated with the ice maker through the ice-making air duct to form a refrigerating circulation loop, the ice-making fan is arranged in the ice-making air duct, and the ice-making evaporator is disposed outside the ice-making chamber and located inside the refrigerating compartment.