Refrigerator Pantry Duct Design for Segmented Low-Temperature Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators maintain a uniform temperature in the refrigerator compartment, leading to spoilage of frozen foods stored in the wrong compartment, and suffer from cold air loss and reverse flow due to strong suction forces, inadequate heat insulation, and water collection issues in low-temperature food storage areas.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design featuring a pantry with a duct structure that supplies cold air from an off-center location, using a pantry fan to direct cold air to the center of the low-temperature storage space, and includes insulation and drainage passages to prevent interference and water accumulation, ensuring efficient cold air delivery and maintaining a lower temperature than the average compartment temperature.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a refrigerator compartment fan supplies cold air to the entire refrigerator compartment, then the refrigerator compartment maintains a relatively constant temperature, but food items that should be kept frozen will spoil easily due to insufficient low-temperature storage capability
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigerator compartment is segmented into a general storage area and a separate low-temperature storage space (pantry). The pantry is equipped with its own dedicated airflow path and fan, independent from the main refrigerator compartment fan. This segmentation allows the pantry to maintain lower temperatures (around -1°C to 1°C) while the rest of the refrigerator compartment maintains standard refrigeration temperatures, enabling proper frozen food storage without requiring complete system redesign
Solution Approach 2:
The low-temperature storage space is provided with localized cold air supply through a dedicated duct structure and fan system. The duct structure includes a cold air vent that protrudes into the pantry, and the pantry fan is positioned to directly supply cold air to the center of the pantry. This local quality enhancement creates a micro-environment with sufficiently low temperatures for frozen food storage within the otherwise standard refrigerator compartment
2Productivity
If the refrigerator compartment fan uses strong suction force to supply cold air, then cold air can be delivered effectively, but reverse flow occurs instead of cold air supply or cold air loss through the airflow path
Solution Approach 1:
The airflow system is segmented into two independent paths: the main refrigerator compartment airflow path with its fan, and the dedicated pantry airflow path with its own fan and duct structure. The pantry fan draws cold air from the evaporator area through a separate duct that bypasses the main refrigerator compartment circulation. This segmentation eliminates the reverse flow problem by providing a dedicated, controlled airflow path to the pantry that is not subject to the suction dynamics of the main compartment fan
Solution Approach 2:
The duct structure acts as an intermediary between the evaporator area and the pantry. It includes a cold air vent that protrudes into the pantry and is positioned to receive cold air directly from the evaporator. The duct structure with its specific geometry and positioning serves as a mediator that guides cold air flow reliably to the pantry without being affected by the main compartment fan's suction, preventing reverse flow and ensuring consistent cold air delivery
3Ease of manufacture
If the duct structure is installed off-center to supply cold air, then the structure can be simplified, but cold air may not reach the center of the low-temperature storage space effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The duct structure is intentionally designed with asymmetric features: it is installed off-center in the refrigerator compartment but includes a cold air vent that protrudes asymmetrically toward the center of the pantry. The duct structure's asymmetric positioning and orientation allow it to be manufactured and installed more simply while still achieving effective cold air distribution to the pantry center through its protruding vent design
4Temperature
If the evaporator is positioned to provide cold air, then heat transfer occurs effectively, but warm air that has not transferred heat may be supplied to the low-temperature food storage space
Solution Approach 1:
The cold air supply path to the pantry is extracted as a separate, dedicated channel from the general refrigerator compartment airflow. The duct structure with its cold air vent is positioned to draw cold air directly from the evaporator area, creating a separate extraction path that bypasses the main compartment air circulation. This ensures that only pre-cooled air from the evaporator vicinity is supplied to the pantry, preventing warm air from entering the low-temperature storage space
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
The solution effectively prevents spoilage of frozen foods by maintaining a lower temperature in the pantry, reduces cold air loss, and ensures efficient heat transfer and air circulation, addressing issues of reverse flow and water collection.
Implementation Method 1
cold air generated by heat transfer across the evaporator
Implementation Method 2
The pantry fan is attached to the inside of the duct structure, and supplies the cold air generated by heat transfer across the evaporator to the pantry
Data Source
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AI summary
A refrigerator includes: a pantry (1530) located in a food storage compartment (1200); a cover (1150) that blocks an evaporator installed behind the food storage compartment and has a through hole (1155) positioned to face the evaporator; a duct structure (1600) that is attached to the front of the cover to cover the through hole and has a cold air vent (1630) protruding towards the pantry; and a pantry fan (1900) that is attached to the inside of the duct structure and supplies the cold air generated by heat transfer across the evaporator to the pantry via the cold air vent of the duct structure, thereby keeping the temperature of the pantry (1530) lower than the temperature of the food storage compartment (1200).