Outdoor Air-Conditioning Unit Protective Net to Prevent Snow Freezing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In cold districts, snow accumulation and freezing on the horizontal bars of protective nets in outdoor air-conditioning units reduce the air flow rate through ventilation openings, leading to decreased heating performance due to reduced opening areas and potential deformation of heat exchanger fins.
Innovation Solution
The outdoor unit features a protective net with horizontal bars having a downwardly open V-shape upper surface, preventing snow accumulation and freezing by inclined surfaces, and a design that maintains a distance between the heat exchanger and the bars to prevent ice coverage, ensuring consistent air flow and heating performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a protective net with horizontal bars is installed to protect the outdoor heat exchanger, then the heat exchanger is protected from damage, but snow accumulates on the horizontal bars and freezes into ice blocks that reduce ventilation opening area and air flow rate
Solution Approach 1:
The horizontal bars are designed with a curved upper surface having a specific curvature radius (R1) that is larger than the radius of snowballs that can form. This curvature prevents snow from accumulating and freezing into ice blocks that would block the ventilation openings, thereby maintaining air flow rate while preserving the protective function of the net
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameter of the horizontal bars by specifying a particular curvature radius (R1) for the upper surface. This parameter modification allows snow to slide off rather than accumulate, resolving the contradiction between protection and air flow maintenance
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 effectively prevents snow from freezing on the protective net bars, maintains air flow rates, and avoids fin deformation, thus ensuring reliable heating performance even in cold conditions.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the plurality of horizontal bars has an upper surface having a downwardly open V-shape in vertical cross-section formed by combining a rear upper surface inclined downward and rearward and a front upper surface inclined downward and forward
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an outdoor unit for an air-conditioning apparatus having high reliability. A protective net disposed over an air inlet at a rear surface of a casing includes a frame body defining an outer periphery of the protective net, and a plurality of vertical bars and a plurality of horizontal bars crossing each other inside the frame body and defining a plurality of ventilation openings. Each horizontal bar has an upper surface having a downwardly open V-shape in vertical cross-section formed by combining a rear upper surface inclined downward and rearward and a front upper surfaced inclined downward and forward. When it snows, snow on the horizontal bar slides off a downward slope without freezing into ice on the horizontal bar. Accordingly, a reduction in an opening area of the ventilation openings due to ice does not occur.