Air Conditioner Outdoor Unit Drain Structure to Prevent Ice Formation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Air-conditioning apparatus outdoor units with antifreeze heaters still experience ice growth that can cover the heat exchanger and refrigerant pipes, leading to reduced heating capacity and potential pipe breakage, despite increased power consumption and complex structures.
Innovation Solution
An air-conditioning apparatus outdoor unit design featuring a casing with a heat exchanger supported by a bottom plate and a drain structure that guides drain water to the bottom plate, preventing ice formation by ensuring effective discharge through strategically positioned drain holes and a water guide plate that directs water flow without freezing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an antifreezing heater is disposed on a bottom plate to prevent drain water freezing, then freezing prevention is improved, but device complexity and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the antifreezing heater from the system entirely, replacing it with a purely structural drainage solution. The drain structure guides water to the bottom plate where it can naturally drain through drain holes, eliminating the need for electrical heating components and their associated complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The drain structure is designed to utilize gravity and natural water flow to guide drain water from the heat exchanger to the bottom plate and out through drain holes. The system serves itself by using the weight and flow of water to prevent freezing, without requiring external power or active heating elements.
2Reliability
If an antifreezing heater is disposed on a bottom plate to prevent drain water freezing, then freezing prevention is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the energy-consuming antifreezing heater from the system, replacing passive structural drainage that uses no power. Water is guided to the bottom plate and drains naturally, eliminating electrical power requirements entirely.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the natural properties of water (gravity, flow) to achieve drainage and freezing prevention without external energy input. The drain structure passively directs water away from areas where it could freeze, using no power at all.
3Reliability
If ice grows beyond the antifreezing heater, then heat exchanger coverage is improved, but heating capacity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of trying to melt ice that forms on the heat exchanger (the conventional approach), the invention inverts the strategy by preventing water from reaching the heat exchanger area in the first place. The drain structure guides water away, so ice cannot form on the heat exchanger surfaces that would block heating.
Solution Approach 2:
The drain structure acts as an intermediary element between the heat exchanger and the bottom plate, intercepting drain water and guiding it along a controlled path to the drain holes. This prevents water from contacting the heat exchanger and forming ice that would reduce heating capacity.
4Reliability
If ice grows on the bottom plate, then drainage coverage is improved, but refrigerant pipe breakage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the problematic ice formation process by eliminating the conditions that allow ice to grow on the bottom plate. The drain structure ensures water flows directly to drain holes and exits the system, preventing accumulation and subsequent freezing that would create expanding ice blocks capable of damaging pipes.
Solution Approach 2:
The drain structure performs preliminary action by guiding water away from the refrigerant pipes and bottom plate areas before freezing can occur. By establishing proper drainage pathways in advance, the system prevents the formation of expanding ice that would later exert damaging pressure on pipes.
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 prevents ice accumulation on the heat exchanger and refrigerant pipes, maintaining heating capacity and avoiding pipe breakage without the need for an antifreeze heater, thus reducing energy consumption and product complexity.
Implementation Method 1
a drain structure disposed under the heat exchanger, the drain structure guiding the drain water to the bottom plate
Implementation Method 2
a heat exchanger disposed in upper part of an inner space of the casing
Implementation Method 3
Air-conditioning apparatuses configured to perform a cooling operation or a heating operation by switching between refrigerant flow directions through a four-way valve
Data Source
AI summary
An air-conditioning-apparatus outdoor unit includes a casing, a heat exchanger disposed in upper part of an inner space of the casing, a bottom plate located at a bottom of the casing and having a drain hole through which drain water that is generated on the heat exchanger is discharged outside, a support disposed in the inner space of the casing and supporting the heat exchanger in the upper part of the inner space of the casing, and a drain structure disposed under the heat exchanger and guiding the drain water to the bottom plate.