The present invention relates generally to refrigerated cold beverage merchandisers and, more particularly, to a refrigerated cold beverage merchandiser having a condenser that resists airside fouling.
Cold beverages, such as soft drinks, beer, wine coolers, etc. are commonly displayed in convenience stores, supermarkets and other retail establishments in refrigerated merchandisers for self-service purchase by customers. Conventional merchandisers of this type conventionally comprise a refrigerated, insulated enclosure defining a refrigerated product display cabinet and having one or more glass doors. The beverage product, typically in cans or bottles, single or in six-packs, is stored on shelves within the refrigerated display cabinet. To purchase a beverage, the customer opens one of the doors and reaches into the refrigerated cabinet to retrieve the desired product from the shelf
Beverage merchandisers of this type necessarily include a refrigeration system for providing the cooled environment within the refrigerated display cabinet. Such refrigeration systems include an evaporator housed within the insulated enclosure defining the refrigerated display cabinet and a condenser and compressor housed in a compartment separate from and exteriorly of the insulated enclosure. Cold liquid refrigerant is circulated through the evaporator to cool the air within the refrigerated display cabinet. As a result of heat transfer between the air and the refrigerant passing in heat exchange relationship in the evaporator, the liquid refrigerant evaporates and leaves the evaporator as a vapor. The vapor phase refrigerant is then compressed in the compressor to a high pressure, as well as being heated to a higher temperature as a result of the compression process. The hot, high pressure vapor is then circulated through the condenser wherein in passes in heat exchange relationship with ambient air drawn or blown across through the condenser by a fan disposed in operative association with the condenser. As a result, the refrigerant is cooled and condensed back to the liquid phase and then passed through an expansion device which reduces both the pressure and the temperature of the liquid refrigerant before it is circulated back to the evaporator.
In conventional practice, the condenser comprises a plurality of tubes with fins extending across the flow path of the ambient air stream being drawn or blown through the condenser. A fan, disposed in operative association with the condenser, passes ambient air from the local environment through the condenser. U.S. Pat. No. 3,462,966 discloses a refrigerated glass door merchandiser having a condenser with staggered rows of finned tubes and an associated fan disposed upstream of the condenser that blows air across the condenser tubes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,754 discloses a refrigerated glass door merchandiser having a condenser with in-line finned tube rows and an associated fan disposed downstream of the condenser that draws air across the condenser tubes. A problem associated with conventional condensers is that over time dust, grease and other matter carried in the ambient air passing through the condenser collects on the condenser tubes. This air side fouling is problematic in that as the dust and other matter build up on the outside of the condenser tubes, heat transfer between refrigerant flowing through the tubes and the ambient air passing over the tubes decreases thereby degrading overall condenser performance.
It is an object of this invention to provide a refrigerated cold beverage merchandiser having a condenser that resists air side fouling.
A refrigerated cold beverage merchandiser is provided having an insulated enclosure defining a product display cabinet and a compartment separate from the insulated enclosure wherein a compressor, condenser and condenser fan are housed. The insulated enclosure has an access opening, which preferably has one or more doors that may be opened by the customer to access product shelved within the refrigerated display cabinet. The condenser comprises a plurality of tube rows disposed in a particular arrangement extending between opposite side end plates with the tubes being bare, non-finned tubes. The non-finned condenser tubes are arranged in alternately disposed first and second tube rows, with a longitudinal spacing between first and second rows of Sl, there being at least one first row and at least one second row. Each row is defined by a plurality of parallelly disposed tubes spaced apart in row at a transverse spacing, St. The condenser fan is disposed adjacent the condenser and is advantageously encompassed by a shroud which extends to and mates with the condenser end plates whereby the air flow is channeled through the condenser.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the condenser comprises a plurality of non-finned tube rows disposed in an in-line arrangement extending between opposite side end plates, the tube arrangement having a ratio of Sl/St of at least 0.7. In another embodiment of the present invention, the non-finned condenser tubes are arranged in at least one first row and at least one second row, with each tube of the second row disposed relative to a respective tube of the first row at a transverse offset, Ss. measured tube centerline to tube centerline of not greater than 0.25 Sl, the tubes disposed in an arrangement having a ratio of Sl/St of at least 0.7.
For a further understanding of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
Referring now to
The refrigerated display cabinet 25 is defined by an insulated rear wall 22 of the enclosure 20, a pair of insulated side walls 24 of the enclosure 20, an insulated top wall 26 of the enclosure 20, an insulated bottom wall 28 of the enclosure 20 and an insulated front wall 34 of the enclosure 20. Heat insulation 36 (shown by the looping line) is provided in the walls defining the refrigerated display cabinet 25. Beverage product 100, such as for example individual cans or bottles or six packs thereof, are displayed on shelves 70 mounted in a conventional manner within the refrigerated display cabinet 25, such as for example in accord with the next-to-purchase manner shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,754, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. The insulated enclosure 20 has an access opening 35 in the front wall 34 that opens to the refrigerated display cabinet 25. If desired, a door 32, as shown in the illustrated embodiment, or more than one door, may be provided to cover the access opening 35. It is to be understood however that the present invention is also applicable to beverage merchandisers having an open access without a door. To access the beverage product for purchase, a customer need only open the door 32 and reach into the refrigerated display cabinet 25 to select the desired beverage.
An evaporator 80 is provided within the refrigerated display cabinet 25, for example near the top wall 26. An evaporator fan and motor 82, as illustrated in
Refrigerant is circulated in a conventional manner between the evaporator 80 and the condenser 50 by means of the compressor 40 through refrigeration lines forming a refrigeration circuit (not shown) interconnecting the compressor 40, the condenser 50 and the evaporator 80 in refrigerant flow communication. As noted before, cold liquid refrigerant is circulated through the evaporator 80 to cool the air within the refrigerated display cabinet 25. As a result of heat transfer between the air and the refrigerant passing in heat exchange relationship in the evaporator 80, the liquid refrigerant evaporates and leaves the evaporator as a vapor. The vapor phase refrigerant is then compressed in the compressor 40 to a high pressure, as well as being heated to a higher temperature as a result of the compression process. The hot, high pressure vapor is then circulated through the condenser 50 wherein in passes in heat exchange relationship with ambient air drawn or blown across through the condenser 50 by the condenser fan 60.
Referring now to
In the slightly staggered tube arrangement of the condenser 50 of the present invention illustrated diagrammatically in
Although shown and described herein with the tube rows 55 disposed horizontally, it is to be understood that the condenser tube banks 52 could readily be orientated with the tube rows 55 disposed vertically. Further, the condenser 50 may consist of any number of tube banks and any number of tube rows within the tube banks and any length for the tube rows, as desired, as long as the tube rows are aligned in either an in-line arrangement as depicted diagrammatically in
The condenser fan 60 is disposed adjacent the condenser 50 and advantageously downstream with respect to air flow of the condenser 50 so as to draw the air flow through the condenser tube banks 52. As illustrated in
This application is a divisional of PCT/US03/12468, filed Apr. 23, 2003 which is incorporated herein by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20050145376 A1 | Jul 2005 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60376486 | Apr 2002 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/US03/12468 | Apr 2003 | US |
Child | 10960390 | US |