Refrigerator Evaporator Control Without Pump-Down Compression Risk
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Solution Overview
Problem
In refrigerators with parallel freezer and fridge evaporators, the existing pump-down process leads to compressor reliability issues and inefficient refrigerant collection, as it causes rapid pressure and temperature drops, resulting in liquid compression and wasted energy.
Innovation Solution
A control method that actuates the compressor, opens the refrigerant passage to the fridge evaporator, and activates fans at specific times to manage pressure differences and utilize residual cool air, eliminating the need for an additional pump-down process and improving refrigerant collection efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If pump-down process is performed to collect refrigerants before compressor stops, then refrigerant collection efficiency is improved, but compressor reliability deteriorates due to liquid compression
Solution Approach 1:
The freezer fan is activated before the compressor stops to maintain positive pressure in the freezer evaporator, preventing refrigerant liquid accumulation. This preliminary action ensures that when the compressor restarts, refrigerants are already in a safe state for compression, eliminating the need for pump-down while protecting against liquid compression.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the harmful effect of pressure drop during pump-down into a beneficial control strategy. By using fan activation to maintain pressure differentials, the system achieves refrigerant collection without creating the vacuum conditions that lead to liquid compression, thus turning a potentially harmful process into a safe and efficient operation.
2Productivity
If pump-down process is performed to collect refrigerants, then refrigerant collection is achieved, but energy consumption increases and cooling efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the unnecessary pump-down process from the refrigeration cycle. By using fan activation to maintain pressure differentials instead of compressor-driven pump-down, the system achieves refrigerant collection without the energy-intensive vacuum creation and maintenance, directly reducing power consumption while maintaining collection effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the existing fan infrastructure to maintain pressure differentials and facilitate refrigerant collection, rather than requiring additional pump-down operations. The fans naturally maintain positive pressure in evaporators during normal operation, and this self-sustaining pressure management eliminates the need for separate energy-consuming refrigerant collection phases.
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 method enhances cooling cycle efficiency, reduces power consumption, and improves compressor reliability by efficiently collecting refrigerants and utilizing residual cool air, thereby shortening refrigerant collection time and reducing energy waste.
Implementation Method 1
a compressor, a fridge evaporator and a freezer evaporator connected in parallel to an outlet of the compressor
Implementation Method 2
the temperature of the evaporator rapidly decreases to a low temperature due to a sudden decrease in pressure and the resulting evaporation of the refrigerants
Implementation Method 3
actuating a freezer fan at the same time when or just after the refrigerant passage at the fridge evaporator is opened
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a control method for a refrigerator that can acquire a pump-down effect without performing an additional pump-down process and furthermore, efficiently utilize residual cool air remaining in a freezer evaporator.