Refrigerator Base Air Guide for Door Thermal Load Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing household refrigeration appliances face challenges in efficiently exchanging air between the interior and exterior, leading to thermal loads on the door and furniture fronts due to direct exposure to warm air from the base's ventilation slots.
Innovation Solution
A household refrigeration appliance design featuring a base with a continuous front wall that is spaced from the floor and open downwards, incorporating an air guiding device made of metal that directs warm air under the door and furniture fronts, reducing thermal stress and enhancing air exchange through forced convection with a fan.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If ventilation slots are arranged on the front of the base for air exchange, then air convection between the base interior and environment is improved, but thermal loads are generated on the door and furniture fronts due to direct exposure to warm air
Solution Approach 1:
The air guiding device acts as an intermediary element between the ventilation slots and the door/furniture fronts. It redirects the warm air flow through a controlled path that passes behind the door assembly rather than directly onto the visible surfaces, thus mediating between the need for ventilation and the need to protect surfaces from thermal exposure
Solution Approach 2:
The solution moves the thermal interaction from a two-dimensional surface exposure problem to a three-dimensional spatial routing problem. By creating a vertical air guiding structure that extends from the base upward, the warm air is channeled through a different spatial dimension (behind the door) rather than across the front surface, effectively removing the thermal load from the visible surfaces
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 effectively reduces thermal loads on the door and furniture fronts by directing warm air away from them, improving air exchange and maintaining efficient cooling performance.
Implementation Method 1
a fan for forced convection is arranged, by means of which air convection is made possible between the interior of the base and the environment of the built-in household refrigeration appliance
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a domestic refrigeration device (1) comprising: a heat-insulated inner container (3) having an inner space (4); a refrigerant circuit provided for cooling the interior space (4); a door leaf (10) for opening and closing the interior space (4); and a base (2) on which the inner container (3) is arranged and in which at least part of the refrigerant circuit is arranged. At least part of the front (15) of said base (2) is open to allow an exchange of air from the interior of the base (2) with the surroundings of the domestic appliance (1). An air guiding element (17) is mounted in front of the base (2) and has a continuous front wall (19) covering the front (15) of the base (2) and is spaced apart from the floor on which the base (2) stands. The air guiding element (17) is open downwards in the direction of the floor.