Evaporative condensate dissipation system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing evaporative condensate dissipation systems in refrigerated display cases tend to overflow or spill when the rate of liquid condensate generation exceeds evaporation rates, especially in humid conditions, due to reduced evaporation efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A temperature-controlled display device with an evaporative condensate dissipation system featuring a rotating element within a receptacle, where the rotating element is periodically submerged and emerged in the liquid condensate, enhanced by a fan for airflow and a heat exchanger to increase evaporation rates, and optionally a cascaded system with multiple stages for progressive temperature increase.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a stationary receptacle is used to accumulate liquid condensate, then the structure is simple, but the evaporation rate is insufficient causing overflow in humid conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by transforming the stationary liquid condensate into a moving state through rotation. The rotating element (drum or plates) periodically submerges and emerges from the liquid, creating dynamic motion that increases the effective evaporation surface area and enhances mass transfer between liquid and air, thereby resolving the contradiction between simple structure and insufficient evaporation rate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dimensionality change by transitioning from a two-dimensional flat evaporation surface to a three-dimensional rotating structure. The rotation introduces a temporal dimension, allowing the liquid to be continuously exposed to air across multiple surfaces throughout the rotation cycle, dramatically increasing the effective evaporation area without proportionally increasing the device footprint.
2Reliability
If the receptacle depth is increased to accommodate more condensate, then overflow is prevented, but the evaporation efficiency decreases due to reduced surface area to volume ratio
Solution Approach 1:
The rotating element dynamically exposes liquid to air across multiple surfaces during rotation, maintaining high evaporation efficiency even when larger condensate volumes are accommodated. The motion ensures continuous renewal of the liquid-air interface, preventing the evaporation efficiency degradation that would normally occur with increased liquid depth.
Solution Approach 2:
The system effectively recovers evaporation potential by continuously cycling the liquid through exposure and re-submersion phases. Each rotation cycle discards the saturated air boundary layer and recovers fresh evaporation capacity by exposing new liquid surfaces to unsaturated air, maintaining high evaporation efficiency throughout the rotation.
3Productivity
If a rotating element is added to increase evaporation surface area, then evaporation rate improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotating element serves multiple functions simultaneously: it increases evaporation surface area, promotes liquid-air mixing, prevents stagnant zones, and can be integrated with the existing receptacle structure. This multi-functionality justifies the added mechanical complexity by delivering multiple performance benefits from a single component.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating element is designed to be partially self-sustaining through its interaction with the liquid condensate. The weight distribution and rotational dynamics can be configured to utilize the liquid's own mass to maintain rotation or counterbalance forces, reducing the need for complex drive mechanisms and control systems.
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 system effectively manages condensate dissipation by increasing the wetted surface area and using airflow and heat to expedite evaporation, preventing overflow and ensuring efficient condensate removal even in humid environments.
Implementation Method 1
an evaporative condensate dissipation system configured to receive a liquid condensate from an external surface of the cooling element and to dissipate the liquid condensate by evaporation
Implementation Method 2
enhanced by a fan for airflow and a heat exchanger to increase evaporation rates
Implementation Method 3
enhanced by a fan for airflow and a heat exchanger to increase evaporation rates
Data Source
AI summary
An evaporative condensate dissipation system includes a receptacle configured to receive and accumulate a liquid condensate from a cooling element of a refrigeration system, a rotating element (e.g., an array of plates, a rotating drum, etc.) disposed at least partially within the receptacle such that a portion of the rotating element is submerged in the liquid condensate, and a motor configured to cause the rotating element to rotate such that a portion of the rotating element is periodically submerged in the liquid condensate and emerged from the liquid condensate. A fan may be used to provide an airflow across a surface of the rotating element to increase expedite evaporative dissipation. The fan and/or motor may be operably controlled by a switch or sensor responsive to a level of the liquid condensate accumulated in the receptacle.