Refrigerator And/Or Freezer Device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator and/or freezer with at least one body and with at least one cooled interior space arranged in the body, wherein the appliance includes at least one refrigerant circuit that serves for cooling the interior space, wherein the refrigerant circuit includes at least one condenser, wherein at least one heat pipe is provided that is in direct or indirect thermal contact with the condenser and that is arranged such that it forms at least a part of a frame heater of the appliance and/or is in thermal contact with the outer skin of the appliance.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator and/or freezer with at least one body and with at least one cooled interior space arranged in the body, wherein the appliance includes at least one refrigerant circuit that serves for cooling the interior space, wherein the refrigerant circuit includes at least one condenser.

[0002] From the prior art, such refrigerators or freezers are known in numerous different embodiments.

[0003] In the condenser the condensation of the refrigerant is effected, during which heat is released.

[0004] In known appliances, this heat usually is released to the environment via free or enforced convection.

[0005] It is the object underlying the present invention to develop a refrigerator or freezer as mentioned above to the effect that the condenser waste heat is used efficiently. This object is solved by a refrigerator and/or freezer with the features of claim 1.

[0006] Accordingly, it is provided that at least one heat pipe is provided, which is in direct or in indirect thermal contact with the condenser and is arranged such that the same forms at least a part of the frame heater of the appliance and/or is in thermal contact with the outer skin of the appliance.

[0007] The present invention thus uses the heat obtained in the vicinity of the condenser, namely for operating a frame heater and/or for heating at least a part of the outer shell of the appliance according to the invention.

[0008] A frame heater is understood to be a heater that heats a certain part of the body of the appliance, namely the region directed towards the closure element and surrounding the open side of the body.

[0009] This frame heater can be designed circumferentially or also surround the opening only in part, for example in a U-shaped manner, and has the purpose to prevent icing of the appliance in the vicinity of the opening and hence in the vicinity of the closure element, such as for example of a door, flap or drawer.

[0010] Heating the outer skin of the appliance has the advantage that an undesired formation of condensate on the outer skin of the appliance is prevented. Preferably, the heating of the outer skin thus is configured such that the temperature of the outer skin is kept above the dew point of water.

[0011] The present invention allows to expediently use the waste heat obtained at the condenser anyway and to not simply pass the same into the environment of the appliance. In one or both of said alternatives, this use consists in the form of the frame heater or the heating of the outer skin of the appliance.

[0012] The heat pipe can be filled with water or also with a water-containing solution as heat transport medium. Such heat pipe or such heat tube is based on the principle that on one side of the heat pipe an evaporation of a heat transport medium occurs and at another point and preferably in the other end region of the heat pipe the condensation occurs. As a result, heat is supplied to the heat pipe in one region and in the other region, in which the condensation takes place, heat is released from the heat pipe. According to the invention, this heat quantity released now can be used to form a frame heater or to heat the outer skin of the appliance.

[0013] A separate frame heater, which for example forms part of a refrigerant circuit, thus can be omitted according to the invention just like a separate heating of the outer skin, for example by a heating foil.

[0014] Instead of water or a water-containing medium any other heat transport media can be taken into consideration, by means of which the heat pipe is filled.

[0015] In a further aspect of the invention it is provided that the heat pipe is configured as a gravitational heat pipe.

[0016] This means that the backflow of the heat transport medium in the region in which the evaporation is carried out is effected by gravity and not by other effects, such as for example a capillary effect. Preferably, the heat pipe thus has no capillaries for the transport of the heat transport medium.

[0017] In a further aspect of the invention it is provided that the condenser communicates with a least one heat accumulator and preferably is arranged in a liquid bath, in particular in a water bath.

[0018] This embodiment of the invention makes use of the fact that the thermal energy of the heat accumulator, which is charged with heat by the condenser, can be used in order to operate the heat pipe and thus convey the heat to another point of the appliance.

[0019] The condenser can be arranged for example in the heat accumulator, such as for example in a liquid bath, or also communicate with a heat accumulator in some other way. Thus, the present invention not only relates to the case that the at least one heat pipe is in thermal contact with the condenser, but also to the case that the at least one heat pipe is in thermal contact with the heat accumulator, which in turn is in thermal contact with the condenser.

[0020] Moreover, it is not absolutely necessary that the heat pipe is in direct contact with the outer skin. It is sufficient when a thermal connection between the outer skin of the appliance is present to such an extent that a condensation on the outer skin can reliably be prevented.

[0021] In a further aspect of the invention exactly one heat pipe is arranged. The appliance can also include a plurality of heat pipes which directly or indirectly are in thermal contact with the condenser or with the heat accumulator of the condenser.

[0022] Furthermore, it can be provided that by means of the at least one heat pipe a large part of the heat quantity obtained in the condenser is dissipated. It is conceivable for example that more than 50% and preferably more than 80% of the heat quantities obtained in the condenser are dissipated by means of the at least one heat pipe.

[0023] Further details and advantages of the invention will be explained in detail with reference to an exemplary embodiment described below.

[0024] The exemplary embodiment relates to a refrigerator and/or freezer with a full vacuum insulation. This is understood to be an insulation in which the body consists of a coherent vacuum insulation space at least with 90% of the insulation surface. The vacuum insulation space includes at least one vacuum insulation body, which preferably includes a film bag that serves as a casing of the vacuum insulation body and in which a core material such as for example pearlite is disposed. The film bag is welded in a vacuum-tight manner and has a vacuum in its interior, so that the heat transport correspondingly is made difficult.

[0025] Typically, the envelope of the film bag is a diffusion-tight casing by means of which the gas input in the film bag is reduced so much that the gas-input-related rise in the thermal conductivity of the vacuum insulation body obtained is sufficiently low over its service life.

[0026] Service life for example is understood to be a period of 15 years, preferably of 20 years, and particularly preferably of 30 years. Preferably, the rise in the thermal conductivity of the vacuum insulation body due to the input of gas during its service life is <100% and particularly preferably <50%.

[0027] Preferably, the area-specific gas permeation rate of the casing is <10.sup.-5 mbar*l/s*m.sup.2 and particularly preferably <10.sup.-6 mbar*l/s*m.sup.2 (as measured according to ASTM D-3985). This gas permeation rate applies for nitrogen and oxygen. For other types of gas (in particular steam) low gas permeation rates, preferably in the range of <10.sup.-2 mbar*l/s*m.sup.2 and particularly preferably in the range of <10.sup.-3 mbar*l/s*m.sup.2 (as measured according to ASTM F-1249-90) likewise do exist. Preferably, the aforementioned small rises in thermal conductivity are achieved by these low gas permeation rates.

[0028] The above-mentioned values are exemplary, preferred indications that do not limit the invention.

[0029] The vacuum insulation body can be arranged in the body and/or in the closure element by means of which the body can be closed.

[0030] The present invention is, however, not limited to such full-vacuum refrigerators or freezers.

[0031] The invention also comprises the case that a conventional heat insulation is present, for example in the form of PU foam.

[0032] The refrigerator or freezer according to the invention includes a refrigerant circuit that comprises at least one compressor, at least one condenser downstream of the same, at least one throttle, in particular capillary, downstream of the same, and at least one evaporator into which the refrigerant leaving the capillary enters.

[0033] After traversing the evaporator, the refrigerant gets back to the compressor via a suction line.

[0034] The evaporator absorbs heat from the cooled interior space, in which process the refrigerant evaporates. The condenser serves for the condensation of the refrigerant, in which process heat is obtained. According to the exemplary embodiment, the condenser is disposed in a heat accumulator, such as in a water bath. In operation of the refrigerant circuit, i.e. in operation of the compressor, at least a part of the heat quantity obtained in the condenser is transferred to this heat accumulator.

[0035] The heat accumulator communicates with one or more heat tubes, i.e. heat pipes. The same are filled with water and configured such that in operation of the refrigerant circuit the heat transport medium present therein evaporates within the heat pipe. At its other end region, the heat pipe communicates with the outer skin, which preferably is configured as a sheet metal casing. In this region of the heat pipe the condensation of the heat transport medium is effected, in which process heat is released, which is transferred to the outer skin of the appliance. Furthermore, a heat pipe extends from the condenser or from said heat accumulator to a frame heater of the appliance, which extends around the open side of the body of the appliance and which serves for heating the door stop surface. Thus, this heat pipe also effects a heating of a particular region of the appliance and in this case serves as a frame heater.

[0036] The condenser waste heat is used expediently by the present invention, whereby the use of separate heaters correspondingly can be omitted. Neither a separate frame heater is necessary nor a separate heating device for heating the outer skin for the purpose of avoiding condensate.

[0037] The heat pipes can transport the heat to a larger region of the outer skin or into the region of said frame in order to be able to selectively perform a heating there.

Claims

1. A refrigerator and/or freezer with at least one body and with at least one cooled interior space arranged in the body, wherein the appliance includes at least one refrigerant circuit that serves for cooling the interior space, wherein the refrigerant circuit includes at least one condenser, characterized in that at least one heat pipe is provided, which is in direct or indirect thermal contact with the condenser and which is arranged such that the same forms at least a part of the frame heater of the appliance and/or is in thermal contact with the outer skin of the appliance.

2. The refrigerator and/or freezer according to claim 1, characterized in that the heat pipe is filled with water or with a water-containing solution as heat transport medium.

3. The refrigerator and/or freezer according to claim 1, characterized in that the heat pipe is configured as a gravitational heat pipe.

4. The refrigerator and/or freezer according to claim 1, characterized in that the condenser communicates with at least one heat accumulator.

5. The refrigerator and/or freezer according to claim 4, characterized in that the at least one heat pipe is in thermal contact with the heat accumulator.

6. The refrigerator and/or freezer according to claim 1, characterized in that exactly one or a plurality of heat pipes are provided, which are in thermal contact with the condenser.

7. The refrigerator and/or freezer according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one heat pipe is configured such that more than 50% of the heat quantity obtained at the condenser are dissipated by means of the at least one heat pipe.

8. The refrigerator and/or freezer according to claim 1, characterized in that the condenser communicates with at least one heat accumulator and is arranged in a liquid bath.

9. The refrigerator and/or freezer of claim 8, wherein said liquid bath is a water bath.

10. The refrigerator and/or freezer according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one heat pipe is configured such that more than 80% of the heat quantity obtained at the condenser are dissipated by means of the at least one heat pipe.