Refrigeration appliance with a door projection to reduce thermal transfer at door and cabinet interface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Thermal transfer across the interface between the door and cabinet of refrigeration appliances is suboptimally high, leading to increased energy consumption as the appliance works harder to maintain the refrigeration compartment temperature.
Innovation Solution
A refrigeration appliance with a door projection that extends into the cabinet, forming a narrow gap to reduce air flow and thermal transfer, utilizing vacuum-insulated structures for both the door and cabinet to minimize air flow and thermal exchange.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the door is attached directly to the cabinet forming a seal at the interface, then the seal is simple and direct, but thermal transfer across the interface is high
Solution Approach 1:
The door projection extends into the cabinet interior, adding a third dimensional element (depth) to the door-cabinet interface. This creates a narrow gap space that disrupts thermal transfer paths without requiring additional insulation materials or complex sealing mechanisms, thereby reducing thermal transfer while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The narrow gap created by the door projection acts as an intermediary thermal barrier between the door and cabinet. This gap space interrupts direct thermal conduction paths and reduces convective air flow, serving as a passive thermal mediator that reduces energy transfer without active control systems.
2Loss of energy
If the door includes a vacuum-insulated structure, then thermal insulation is improved, but the interface thermal transfer remains a weak point
Solution Approach 1:
The door projection is pre-formed as an integral part of the door assembly before installation. This preliminary structural feature automatically creates the thermal-breaking gap when the door is installed on the cabinet, eliminating the need for additional installation steps or adjustable sealing mechanisms.
3Loss of energy
If the projection extends far into the cabinet, then thermal transfer is reduced more effectively, but the available refrigeration compartment volume is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The projection dimensions are optimized to achieve effective thermal transfer reduction while minimizing volume loss. By carefully controlling the projection's length, width, and depth parameters, the design achieves the thermal barrier function with minimal impact on refrigeration compartment capacity.
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
Reduces thermal transfer across the interface, leading to lower energy consumption and improved efficiency in maintaining the refrigeration compartment temperature.
Implementation Method 1
a projection of the door that extends into a refrigeration compartment of the cabinet to form a narrow gap between the projection and the cabinet that reduces air flow toward, and thus thermal transfer through, the interface between the door and the cabinet
Implementation Method 2
sometimes the door of the refrigeration appliance includes a vacuum-insulated structure
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigeration appliance including: (a) a cabinet that includes a vacuum-insulated structure within which a refrigeration compartment configured to hold a food item is disposed; and (b) a door that includes a vacuum-insulated door structure coupled to the cabinet, the vacuum-insulated door including (i) a gasket that forms a seal against the vacuum-insulated cabinet when the door is in a closed position and (ii) a projection inward of the gasket that projects into the refrigeration compartment and is separated from the vacuum-insulated cabinet by a gap, the gap having a shortest distance that is less than 12 mm.