Refrigerator
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Solution Overview
Problem
In conventional refrigerators, one refrigerant flow path often becomes covered with frost, reducing heat exchange efficiency, and supplying refrigerant to both paths can lead to refrigerant drifting towards the path with low fluid resistance.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator with a refrigeration cycle featuring multiple refrigerant flow paths, a switching valve, and a processor that duty-controls the opening and closing of these paths to adjust refrigerant flow rates based on cold air amounts, temperature differences, and operational states, ensuring optimal heat exchange while minimizing refrigerant drift.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If refrigerant is supplied to only one refrigerant flow path, then the structure is simple and control is easy, but the other flow path becomes covered with frost and heat exchange efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The evaporator is divided into multiple independent refrigerant flow paths (first, second, and third flow paths), each capable of being independently controlled by separate switching valves. This segmentation allows selective operation of different flow paths based on operational requirements, preventing frost accumulation in non-operating paths while maintaining heat exchange efficiency in active paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically switches between different refrigerant flow paths based on operational conditions. The processor controls switching valves to open or close specific flow paths, and can also blend refrigerant between paths using a blending valve. This dynamic adaptation ensures optimal heat exchange efficiency while preventing frost in inactive paths.
2Productivity
If refrigerant is supplied to both refrigerant flow paths, then the response to cold air flow change is improved, but refrigerant drift occurs towards the path with low fluid resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The processor monitors operational conditions and cold air flow characteristics, then adjusts the opening/closing state of switching valves and the blending valve accordingly. This feedback control ensures refrigerant is supplied to flow paths with adequate cold air flow, preventing drift to paths with insufficient flow while maintaining responsive cooling performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the fluid resistance parameters of different refrigerant flow paths by selectively opening or closing switching valves and adjusting the blending valve. This allows dynamic adjustment of refrigerant distribution to match cold air flow conditions, ensuring refrigerant flows to paths where it can be effectively utilized without drifting to paths with low fluid resistance.
3Reliability
If multiple refrigerant flow paths are used, then heat exchange efficiency is improved, but the control complexity and device structure become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple refrigerant flow paths share common components such as the compressor, condenser, and evaporator body. The switching valves and blending valve provide universal control functionality across all flow paths, allowing a single control system to manage multiple paths without requiring completely separate systems for each path.
Solution Approach 2:
The blending valve acts as an intermediary device that mixes refrigerant from different flow paths or controls refrigerant distribution between paths. This intermediary component simplifies the control architecture by providing a central point for regulating refrigerant flow across multiple paths, reducing the need for complex individual control mechanisms for each path.
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 maintains high heat exchange efficiency while reducing refrigerant drift by dynamically controlling the flow rates through the refrigerant paths, ensuring effective cooling in both the refrigerating and freezing compartments.
Implementation Method 1
a switching valve configured to individually switch an open and closed state of each of the plurality of refrigerant flow paths, the processor configured to adjust a flow rate of refrigerant flowing in the each of the plurality of refrigerant flow paths by individually duty-controlling an opening and closing time
Implementation Method 2
an evaporator connected to the plurality of refrigerant flow paths, respectively, heat exchange is performed by a plurality of refrigerant flow paths
Implementation Method 3
a refrigeration cycle including a compressor
Implementation Method 4
a condenser, a plurality of refrigerant flow paths branched at a downstream of the condenser
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator includes a plurality of refrigerant flow paths, configured to reduce the drift of the refrigerant. The refrigerator includes a refrigeration cycle including a compressor, a condenser, a plurality of refrigerant flow paths branched at a downstream of the condenser, the plurality of refrigerant flow paths each including a pressure reducing device, and an evaporator connected to the plurality of refrigerant flow paths, and a processor including a switching valve configured to individually switch an open or closed state of each of the plurality of refrigerant flow paths, the processor being configured to adjust a flow rate of refrigerant flowing in each of the plurality of refrigerant flow paths by individually duty-controlling an opening and closing time of each of the plurality of refrigerant flow paths by controlling the switching valve.