Refrigerated Merchandiser Door Boundary Layer for Heat Infiltration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerated merchandisers experience heat infiltration due to the ineffective boundary layer of stagnant air between cold air and the doors, which fails to adequately limit heat transfer.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerated merchandiser design that includes a charged glass pane and a charged airflow with the same polarity, creating an insulated barrier by repelling the airflow away from the glass pane, thereby increasing the thickness of the boundary layer and reducing heat transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a thin boundary layer of stagnant air forms between the airflow and the inside surface of the doors, then the structure remains simple, but heat transfer through the doors is not effectively limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies electrostatic charging to the glass pane surface, changing the electrical parameter of the surface to create repulsive forces against charged air molecules. This parameter change transforms the boundary layer from a passive thin stagnant layer to an actively maintained thicker insulating layer through electrostatic repulsion, effectively reducing heat transfer without increasing physical distance structurally
Solution Approach 2:
The charged glass pane acts as an intermediary between the cold air and the door structure. By charging the glass surface, it creates an electrostatic field that repels charged air molecules, forming an enhanced insulating boundary layer that mediates heat transfer reduction without requiring additional physical insulation materials
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the boundary layer thickness is increased to improve insulation, then heat transfer is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the electrical parameter of the glass pane by applying a static charge, which creates an electrostatic field that repels charged air molecules. This single parameter change effectively thickens the insulating boundary layer and reduces heat infiltration without requiring complex mechanical or structural modifications to the merchandiser
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces what would traditionally require a mechanical or physical insulation system with an electrostatic field-based solution. By charging the glass pane and the airflow, it uses electromagnetic forces rather than mechanical thickness to achieve the insulation effect, simplifying the overall device structure
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
The solution effectively minimizes heat infiltration by maintaining a thicker, insulating boundary layer between the refrigerated air and the glass pane, enhancing the merchandiser's thermal insulation properties.
Implementation Method 1
The charged glass pane and the charged airflow have the same polarity such that the glass pane is insulated from the charged airflow
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerated merchandiser including a case that has a product display area for supporting food product, an opening for providing customer access to the product display area, and an air passageway in fluid communication with the product display area to direct an airflow into the product display area. The merchandiser also includes a door coupled to the case over the opening and including a charged glass pane, and a charge device in fluid communication with the air passageway to alter the polarity of the airflow to create a charged airflow. The charged glass pane and the charged airflow have the same polarity such that the glass pane is insulated from the charged airflow.