Refrigerator Machine Room Air Guide for Condenser Cooling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Refrigerators consume a significant amount of power due to inefficient refrigeration cycles, particularly in the cooling of condensers, which affects the overall efficiency and energy consumption.

Innovation Solution

A machine room design for refrigerators that includes a defrost water tray, a condenser positioned above it, an air blowing fan, and a guide part to direct air flow, ensuring a larger portion of the air flow is directed to the condenser rather than the defrost water tray, thereby enhancing cooling efficiency and reducing power consumption.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If the air blowing fan is positioned to cool the condenser, then the condenser cooling efficiency is improved, but air flow may be diverted to the defrost water tray reducing overall refrigeration efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverefrigeration cycle efficiencyVSAvoidair flow distribution control
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

A guide part is introduced as an intermediary component between the air blowing fan and the condenser. This guide part directs and controls the air flow path, ensuring that air generated by the fan is efficiently channeled to the condenser for heat exchange, while preventing air from being diverted to the defrost water tray. The guide part acts as a mediator that resolves the air flow distribution problem without requiring complex control systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If the guide part is designed to maximize air flow to the condenser, then the condenser cooling efficiency is improved, but the structural complexity of the machine room increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheat exchange efficiencyVSAvoidmachine room structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The guide part is designed with specific local geometric features that are optimized for directing air flow to the condenser. Rather than redesigning the entire machine room structure, only the local region where air flow control is needed is modified with the guide part. This allows the system to achieve improved heat exchange efficiency while maintaining overall structural simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Loss of energy

If the air blowing fan generates strong air flow to improve condenser cooling, then the refrigeration cycle efficiency is improved, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverefrigeration cycle efficiencyVSAvoidair blowing fan power consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The guide part serves as a passive intermediary that improves air flow efficiency without requiring additional energy input. By directing air flow along an optimized path and preventing wasteful diversion to the defrost water tray, the guide part enhances heat exchange efficiency while avoiding the need for the fan to work harder, thus not increasing power consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 design improves the refrigeration cycle efficiency by facilitating greater heat exchange with the condenser, lowering the refrigerant temperature, and reducing power consumption while preventing defrost water overflow.

Implementation Method 1

A cooling fan may be provided in the machine room to cool the condenser. As the condenser is caused to exchange heat with the air by the cooling fan, the refrigerant passing through the condenser may be cooled.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Implementation Method 2

a condenser to change the refrigerant changed into the high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous state in the compressor into a low-temperature, high-pressure liquid state

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat exchange: Heat Exchanger

Data Source

PatentEP2759790B1Machine room of refrigerator
Publication Date: 2019.03.06 LG ELECTRONICS INC
  • EP2759790B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2759790B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2759790B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

A machine room of a refrigerator is disclosed. The machine room includes a defrost water tray to collect defrost water, a condenser installed at an upper side of the defrost water tray, an air blowing fan installed at one side of the condenser to generate air flow, and a guide part to guide air supplied from the air blowing fan, wherein the air blowing fan is disposed at an upper side of the defrost water tray, and the guide part is disposed between the condenser and air blowing fan to prevent a portion of the air flow supplied by the air blowing fan from moving to the defrost water tray.