REFRIGERATOR

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a condenser which is connected into a refrigerating circuit and embodied as a tubular heat exchanger having tube sections. At least one heat accumulator element is inserted into an installation interspace between the tube sections of the condenser. The heat accumulator element is arranged in spaced apart relationship to the tube sections of the condenser by at least one predefined air flow gap.

Description

The invention relates to a refrigerator according to the preamble of claim 1.

Refrigerators have a condenser connected in a refrigerating circuit. The condenser is a heat exchanger by means of which the heat absorbed in the refrigeration process is released outside of the refrigerator to the ambient air. Different designs of condensers are used for this purpose: With statically ventilated condensers, the surface area is enlarged to provide better heat dissipation by means of sheet metal strips or wire arrays which connect the heat exchanger tubes to one another. The statically ventilated condenser is mounted on the rear of the refrigerator. Alternatively thereto, there are forced-ventilation condensers which can be implemented with significantly smaller dimensions. A separate fan can be arranged between the condenser and a compressor for the purpose of dissipating the heat from the condenser by means of its air flow.

DE 20 2006 007 585 U1 discloses a generic refrigerator in which the condenser is embodied as a tubular heat exchanger with a tube coil which has horizontally running linear tube sections which are interconnected via edge-side tube bends. In order to increase the efficiency of the refrigerating circuit the generic refrigerator has a latent heat accumulator which absorbs heat given off by the condenser. A change in the aggregate state takes place when the heat given off by the condenser is absorbed. The aggregate state is reversed again during a standstill time of the refrigerating circuit by dissipation of heat to the environment.

In the generic refrigerator the latent heat accumulator is in direct contact with the condenser tubes. In this way a direct thermal transition is provided from the condenser into the latent heat accumulator.

The object of the invention is to provide a refrigerator in which the refrigerating capacity of the refrigerating circuit is increased by simple means.

The object is achieved by means of the features of claim 1. Advantageous developments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.

The invention is based on the knowledge that free flow cross-sections between the heat accumulator element and the condenser's middle tube sections, which run in particular horizontally and in a straight line, enable faster heat dissipation from the condenser. Contrary to the prior art, therefore, the heat accumulator element according to the invention is spaced apart from the tube sections of the condenser by at least one predefined air flow gap. In this way an additional natural convection takes place in the air flow gap obtained, thus assisting in accelerating the heat dissipation from the condenser.

In order to provide more effective heat dissipation the surface area of the condenser can be enlarged by means of cooling structures. Such cooling structures can be provided on the front side and/or rear side on the tube coil of the condenser in the form of wire arrays. Alternatively the condenser surface area can be increased in size by means of sheet metal strips which interconnect the tube sections. The front and rear-side cooling structures, together with the tube sections of the condenser, in each case delimit installation interspaces in which the heat accumulator element can be inserted. According to the invention the heat accumulator element can in this case be arranged contactlessly, in particular roughly centrally, between two neighboring tube sections. In this way the heat accumulator element is spaced apart by the same gap dimensions from the upper and lower tube sections. The heat accumulator element can be designed in roughly a strip shape.

A permanently correctly positioned arrangement of the heat accumulator element in the installation interspace between the neighboring condenser tube sections is imperative. For this purpose an additional retaining element can be provided in the respective installation interspace in order to ensure positionally secure retention of the heat accumulator element. The retaining element can be in particular a retaining wire which is supported on the heat accumulator element in the installation interspace. The retaining element can be embodied on the front and/or rear cooling structure, in particular secured thereto by means of a welded joint.

Alternatively or in addition the heat accumulator element can be fixedly clamped inside the installation interspace between the front and rear cooling structures by means of a simple clamp connection.

As mentioned above, the cooling structure of the condenser can be implemented as a front and rear wire array. In this case the heat accumulator element is installed by insertion into the laterally open installation interspace between neighboring condenser tube sections. As the heat accumulator is inserted into the installation interspace the front and rear wires of the cooling structure bend apart in an elastically resilient manner, as a result of which the inserted heat accumulator element is securely held by the clamping forces applied by the wire arrays.

As already mentioned above, free flow cross-sections between the middle condenser tube sections running in a straight line are extremely important for effective transfer of the heat from the condenser to the environment. Against this background, a heat accumulator element can be arranged alternatively or in addition on the edge side in the region of the outer tube bends of the condenser. In this way the installation interspaces between the horizontally running linear tube sections can remain completely free in order to increase the flow conditions, while only the outer condenser tube bends on the edge side can be thermally coupled to the heat accumulator element.

Heat accumulator elements can preferably be provided on opposite edge sides of the condenser in each case such that they can extend in the manner of frame strips along the edge sides of the condenser.

To provide simple retention on the condenser, the heat accumulator element can be threaded through the horizontally running condenser tube sections in a meandering shape at a roughly right-angled orientation with respect to said tube sections. In this arrangement the heat accumulator element can be folded on the end side in the manner of a loop around a tube section of the condenser and secured.

It is particularly preferred for effective heat dissipation from the condenser if the edge-side heat accumulator elements are embodied in the appliance side direction outside of the front and/or rear condenser cooling structures. In this way the heat accumulator elements are arranged in the appliance side direction so as not to be overlapping with the cooling structure. An adverse effect on the mode of operation of the cooling structure due to overlapping heat accumulator elements can therefore be avoided.

As described above, the heat accumulator element can be routed in a meandering shape and roughly at right angles through the condenser tube sections in order to be retained on the condenser. Alternatively hereto, the heat accumulator element can be mounted on the outside onto the outer tube bends of the condenser. To provide a positive-locking connection the heat accumulator element can have at least one recess into which a tube bend of the condenser can project.

Alternatively thereto, the heat accumulator element can be a roughly U-shaped hollow profile part into the cavity of which tube bends of the condenser can project. In this case the heat accumulator element can be embodied by way of example as an elongate extruded part, that is to say in material measured by the yard which is favorable for manufacturing processes. The hollow profile part mounted onto the condenser on the edge side can enclose the outer tube bends of the condenser in the manner of a cover.

The present invention can be used both for statically ventilated condensers and for forced-ventilation condensers. In the case of such a forced ventilation the condenser is assigned a separate fan which generates an air flow through the condenser in order to dissipate the condenser's heat. In this case the condenser can be arranged in a cooling air duct which is partly delimited by at least one heat accumulator element. Preferably the heat accumulator elements can be embodied as cooling air duct sidewalls between which the condenser is arranged. The heat accumulator elements can therefore take on a dual function, additionally being used as air guide parts.

In order to increase heat dissipation from the condenser, the heat accumulator element can have a material which changes its aggregate state upon absorbing heat given off in the refrigeration process. The change in aggregate state is reversed again during a standstill time of the refrigerating circuit through dissipation of heat to the environment. The material can be by way of example a material fixed in a matrix and having the same mechanical properties irrespective of the actual temperature. In this case the relevant transition point for the change in the aggregate state can be warmer than the typical ambient temperatures or the temperatures defined in the standards for measuring the energy consumption of refrigerators. By this means it is ensured that the heat accumulator element is cooled down again below the transition point during the refrigerating circuit standstill time. With dynamically ventilated condensers, the fan can be activated during the refrigerating circuit standstill time, as a result of which the condenser can be effectively cooled overall.

Three exemplary embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the attached figures, in which:

FIG. 1 shows in a perspective view from behind a refrigerator having a condenser with partially inserted heat accumulator element according to the first exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 shows the heat accumulator element inserted into the condenser in an enlarged sectional view along the section plane I-I;

FIG. 3 shows a view corresponding to FIG. 2 according to a variation;

FIG. 4 shows a view corresponding to FIG. 2 according to a further variation;

FIG. 5 shows an arrangement of the heat accumulator element on the condenser according to the second exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 6 shows the heat accumulator element according to the second exemplary embodiment in a variation; and

FIG. 7 shows a forced-ventilation condenser provided with heat accumulator elements according to the third exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 1 shows in a partial view from behind a refrigerator 1 having a condenser 3 mounted on the rear wall of the housing. The condenser 3 is ventilated statically and has a tube coil running in a meander shape and having horizontal, linear tube sections 5 which are arranged spaced apart from one another in a vertical plane one above the other. The middle tube sections 5 according to FIG. 1 are connected to one another via lateral tube bends 6.

As front and rear cooling structures, the condenser 3 has wire arrays 7, 9 which increase the size of the condenser surface area in order to provide more effective heat dissipation. FIG. 2 shows a detail of the condenser in a sectional side view. According thereto, wires of the front and rear wire arrays 7, 9 are fixed to the respective condenser tube sections 5 via connecting points 11. Together with the wire arrays 7, 9, the neighboring tube sections 5 shown in FIG. 2 form an installation interspace 13, open in the appliance side direction in each case, into which can be inserted, according to FIG. 1, a heat accumulator element 15 embodied in this case by way of example as strip-shaped. The heat accumulator element can be by way of example an elongate pouch filled with a material, wherein the material can change its aggregate state upon absorbing heat given off by the condenser in the refrigeration process.

As shown in FIG. 2, the strip-shaped heat accumulator element 15 is spaced apart from the upper and lower condenser tube sections 5 in a contactless manner via air flow gaps 17. Contrary to the prior art, therefore, there is no direct contact with the condenser tube sections 5. Rather, flow conditions in the region of the condenser 3 can be improved with the aid of the air flow gaps 17 to the extent that the efficiency of the heat dissipation from the condenser 3 is increased.

For stable retention of the heat accumulator element 15, the wire pieces 19 shown in FIG. 3 can be provided inside the installation interspace 13 as retaining elements which are fixed for example by way of a welded joint to the front and rear wire arrays 7, 9. According to FIG. 3, the heat accumulator element 15 is reliably as well as permanently supported on the two wire pieces 19.

Alternatively to FIG. 3, the width of the heat accumulator element 15 can be dimensioned such that in the installed state clamping forces F_K are exerted by the wire arrays 7, 9 onto the intermediately disposed heat accumulator element 15, as shown in FIG. 4. In this case the wires of the wire arrays 7, 9 should be bent apart in an elastically resilient manner when the heat accumulator element 15 is installed in the condenser 3 so that the strip-shaped heat accumulator element 15 can be introduced into the installation interspace 13.

FIG. 5 shows in a second exemplary embodiment a condenser 3 provided on the rear side of the refrigerator and having a heat accumulator element 15. In contrast to the preceding figures, the heat accumulator element 15 according to FIG. 5 is oriented in the vertical direction as well as roughly at right angles with respect to the horizontal condenser tube sections 5. In this case the strip-shaped heat accumulator element 15 is threaded through the tube sections 5 in roughly a meandering shape in the region of the laterally outer tube bends 6. In this way the installation interspace 13 between the horizontal, straight tube sections 5 can remain completely free, thereby enabling free air convection between the straight tube sections 5 of the condenser 3 without any adverse effect due to the heat accumulator element 15.

The left side of the condenser 3 not shown in FIG. 5 is provided in the same way with a vertically arranged, strip-shaped heat accumulator element 15. Arranged between the two lateral heat accumulator elements 15 are the wire arrays 7, 9 which increase the size of the surface area of the condenser 3 without any adverse effect caused by inward-protruding heat accumulator elements.

The upper end 21 of the heat accumulator element 15 shown in FIG. 5 is folded in the manner of a loop around the top-side tube section 5 of the condenser 3 and fixed in place by means of an indicated fastening pin 23.

FIG. 6 likewise shows a heat accumulator element 15 arranged on the edge side of the condenser 3 in a modification of the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 5. As in FIG. 5, here, too, only the right rear side of the refrigerator is shown. The left side not shown is essentially embodied mirror-symmetrically likewise with an edge-side heat accumulator element 15. In contrast to FIG. 5, the heat accumulator element 15 in FIG. 6 is a rigid, roughly U-shaped hollow profile part. The strip-shaped hollow profile part is mounted with its open side in the manner of a cover onto the edge-side tube bends 6 of the condenser 3. The cavity delimited by the U limbs 24 of the heat accumulator element 15 is dimensioned such that the condenser tube bends 6 can be inserted into the heat accumulator element 15, with a clamping tension being built up in the process. As in FIG. 5, in FIG. 6 the cooling structures 7, 9 are also provided between the two laterally inserted heat accumulator elements 15.

In contrast to the preceding exemplary embodiments, FIG. 7 shows a refrigerator having a forced-ventilation condenser 3 together with a compressor 25 as well as a separate fan 27 arranged between the condenser 3 and the compressor 25.

The device combination shown in FIG. 7, consisting of condenser 3, fan 27 and compressor 25, is arranged in a machine space 28 of the refrigerator. Said space is embodied in a rear section of the refrigerator close to the floor.

During operation the fan 27 generates a cooling air flow I which is pulled through the condenser 3. In this case the condenser is a finned heat exchanger. In order to avoid a leakage flow past the condenser 3, the condenser 3 is arranged in an airtight cooling air duct 30.

In FIG. 7, the cooling air duct 30 is delimited by the upper ceiling wall of the machine space 28 as well as by a bottom base plate 32 on which the device combination stands. In the installation depth direction x, the cooling air duct 30 is delimited by two edge-side heat accumulator elements 15 arranged in an upright position. These are mounted analogously to FIG. 6 laterally onto the edge-side condenser tube bends 6 and, acting in a dual function, delimit the cooling air duct 30 in an airtight manner.

Toward that end each of the heat accumulator elements 15 can have, on its side facing the condenser, recesses into which the tube bends 6 can project in a positive-locking manner.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

• 1 Refrigerator
• 3 Condenser
• 5 Condenser-tube sections
• 6 Tube bends of the condenser 3
• 7, 9 Cooling structures
• 11 Connecting points
• 13 Installation interspace
• 15 Heat accumulator element
• 17 Air flow gap
• 19 Retaining elements
• 21 Upper end of the heat accumulator element 15
• 23 Fastening pin
• 24 U limbs of the heat accumulator element 15
• 25 Compressor
• 27 Fan
• 28 Machine space
• 30 Cooling air duct
• 32 Base plate
• I Cooling air flow
• x Installation depth direction
• F_K Clamping forces

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A refrigerator, comprising: a refrigerating circuit;a condenser connected into the refrigerating circuit and constructed in the form of a heat exchanger having tube sections for ducting a refrigerant; andat least one heat accumulator element inserted into an installation interspace between the tube sections of the condenser, said heat accumulator element being arranged in spaced-apart relationship to the tube sections of the condenser by at least one predefined air flow gap.

17. The refrigerator of claim 16, constructed in the form of a domestic refrigerator.

18. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the condenser has at least one member selected from the group consisting of a front-side cooling structure and a rear-side cooling structure, said member delimiting the installation interspace together with the tube sections of the condenser.

19. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the condenser has a wire array delimiting the installation interspace together with the tube sections of the condenser.

20. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the heat accumulator element is arranged contactlessly between two neighboring tube sections.

21. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the heat accumulator element is arranged contactlessly roughly centrally between two neighboring tube sections.

22. The refrigerator of claim 16, further comprising at least one retaining element provided in the installation interspace between the tube sections of the condenser for retaining the heat accumulator element.

23. The refrigerator of claim 22, wherein the retaining element is formed on at least one member of the condenser selected from the group consisting of a front cooling structure and a rear cooling structure.

24. The refrigerator of claim 23, wherein the retaining element is a retaining wire.

25. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the heat accumulator element is fixedly clamped in the installation interspace between front and rear cooling structures of the condenser.

26. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the tube sections are straight tube sections, said condenser including tube bends to respectively connect the straight tube sections, said at least one heat accumulator element interactively cooperating with the condenser and arranged on an edge side in a region of the tube bends of the condenser.

27. The refrigerator of claim 26, further comprising two of said heat accumulator element respectively arranged on opposite edge sides of the condenser and extending along the condenser edge sides.

28. The refrigerator of claim 27, wherein the heat accumulator elements are arranged to leave free installation interspaces between the tube sections of the condenser.

29. The refrigerator of claim 27, wherein the edge sides extend vertically.

30. The refrigerator of claim 27, wherein the condenser has at least one member selected from the group consisting of a front cooling structure and a rear cooling structure, said member being arranged between the two heat accumulator elements.

31. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the heat accumulator element is threaded through the tube sections in a meandering shape and oriented roughly at right angles with respect to the tube sections.

32. The refrigerator of claim 26, wherein the heat accumulator element has at least one recess into which a tube bend of the condenser projects.

33. The refrigerator of claim 26, wherein the heat accumulator element is a roughly U-shaped hollow profile part having a cavity into which the tube bends of the condenser project.

34. The refrigerator of claim 16, further comprising a fan for forced ventilation of the condenser, said condenser being arranged in a cooling air duct which is at least partly delimited by the at least one heat accumulator element.

35. The refrigerator of claim 34, further comprising a plurality of said heat accumulator element, said heat accumulator elements being constructed as cooling air duct sidewalls between which the condenser is arranged.

36. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the heat accumulator element has a material which changes its aggregate state upon absorbing heat given off by the condenser in a refrigeration process.

37. A refrigerator, comprising: a refrigerating circuit;a condenser connected into the refrigerating circuit and constructed in the form of a heat exchanger having straight tube sections and tube bends to respectively connect the straight tube sections; andat least one heat accumulator element interactively cooperating with the condenser and arranged on an edge side in a region of the tube bends of the condenser.

38. The refrigerator of claim 37, further comprising two of said heat accumulator element respectively arranged on opposite edge sides of the condenser and extending along the condenser edge sides.

39. The refrigerator of claim 38, wherein the heat accumulator elements are arranged to leave free installation interspaces between the tube sections of the condenser.

40. The refrigerator of claim 38, wherein the edge sides extend vertically.

41. The refrigerator of claim 38, wherein the condenser has at least one member selected from the group consisting of a front cooling structure and a rear cooling structure, said member being arranged between the two heat accumulator elements.

42. The refrigerator of claim 37, wherein the heat accumulator element is threaded through the tube sections in a meandering shape and oriented roughly at right angles with respect to the tube sections.

43. The refrigerator of claim 37, wherein the heat accumulator element has at least one recess into which a tube bend of the condenser projects.

44. The refrigerator of claim 37, wherein the heat accumulator element is a roughly U-shaped hollow profile part having a cavity into which the tube bends of the condenser project.

45. A refrigerator, comprising: a refrigerating circuit;a condenser connected into the refrigerating circuit and arranged in a cooling air duct;a fan for forced ventilation of the condenser; andat least one heat accumulator element at least partly delimiting the cooling air duct.

46. The refrigerator of claim 45, further comprising a plurality of said heat accumulator element, said heat accumulator elements being constructed as cooling air duct sidewalls between which the condenser is arranged.