Patent Application
20100313589
The embodiments of the invention relate generally to a tubular element. More specifically, the embodiments relate to a tubular element for a sealed refrigeration system of a refrigerator.
Recent and continuing environmental objectives and directives require the use of more environmentally friendly materials as refrigerants. For example, refrigerants have been changed from Freon to R-134a, and more recently from R-134a to R-600a (i.e., Isobutane). The compositions of refrigerants R-134a and R-600a are well known in the art and therefore are not discussed here.
Different refrigerants have different operating characteristics and the formulation of the newer refrigerants requires significant cost in their development, deployment and subsequent disposal. Thus, reduction of the amount of refrigerant, whether R-134a or R-600a, is a desired feature. For instance, R-600a refrigerators produced for sale in countries that follow the ISO codes can use approximately 150 grams of R-600a refrigerant. However, according to the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) regulations, the maximum amount for R-600a refrigerant charge is 50 grams for a household refrigerator. Complying with this standard, while maintaining energy efficiency and meeting desired performance requirements, is an important challenge for producing R-600a refrigerators to be sold in countries that follow the UL regulations, such as the United States. While the use of a maximum of 150 grams of R-600a refrigerant generally does not require any significant design changes in the sealed refrigeration system, the use of only 50 grams of R-600a refrigerant requires some design changes in the sealed refrigeration system.
Hence, there is a need in the industry for a tube element for a sealed refrigeration system of a household refrigerator, which allows the use of only 50 grams of R-600a refrigerant in the sealed refrigeration system without substantially reducing the heat exchange area of such system.
One aspect of the invention relates to a tubular element including a wall defining therein an inner cavity, and a plurality of microchannels supported by the wall and extending along a length of the wall.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a refrigerator which includes a sealed refrigeration system containing a refrigerant and including a tubular element for receiving the refrigerant. The tubular element includes a wall defining therein an inner cavity, and a plurality of microchannels distributed in the wall and extending along a length of the wall. The refrigerant flows through the microchannels.
These and other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. Moreover, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the figures and descriptions of the present invention have been simplified to illustrate elements that are relevant for a clear understanding of the present invention, while eliminating, for the purpose of clarity many other elements found in conventional systems of the type described herein. Those of ordinary skill of the art may recognize that other elements and/or steps are desirable and/or required in implementing the present invention. However, because such elements and steps are well known in the art, and because they do not facilitate a better understanding of the present invention, a discussion of such elements and steps is not provided herein.
In the drawings:
Referring now to
The fresh food compartment 12 is shown with two French doors 15 and 16, which are rotatably attached to the main body 11 in a known manner. However, a single door can be used instead of the doors 15, 16. The freezer compartment 14 is closed by a drawer or a door 17. When a door is used for the freezer compartment 14, it is rotatably attached to the main body 11 in a known manner. When a drawer is used for the freezer compartment 14, it is slidably received in the interior or cavity defined by the freezer compartment 14 in a known manner. The drawer/door 17 and the doors 15, 16 close the frontal access openings 14A, 12A, respectively.
In
As clearly shown in
The wall 120 defines an inner cavity 130 which may be maintained unfilled. In another aspect of the invention, the inner cavity 130 of the tube element 100 may be at least partially filled to reduce the volume of the inner cavity.
The use of the microchannels 110 within the wall 120 of the tube element 100 is advantageous as less refrigerant is used while the airside heat transfer area of the tube element remains comparable to conventional tube elements.
It would be recognized by those skilled in the art that the wall of tube element 100, 200, 300 may also be formed in other shapes, such as oval, rectangular, square, to increase the heat exchange surface.
While the invention has been described in terms of various specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the claims. Moreover, features of various embodiments/variations can be combined. Thus, while there have shown, described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to various specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.
