MODULAR REFRIGERATOR and ICEMAKER

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a cabinet, a sealed system, a cooling recipient, and a heat pipe. To transport cooling capacity to the cooling recipient, evaporator in the sealed system includes a cold plate section with heat transfer surface. A cold end of the heat pipe is attached to the cold plate section of the evaporator. An internal refrigerating or freezing compartment, an external compartment, an ice maker, or an ice-making cabinet could be a recipient of cooling capacity. Air flowing around a warm end of the heat pipe brings cooling potential to the internal and/or external compartments. Icemaker and/or ice-making cabinet can be located in the freezing compartment, in the freezing compartment door, in refrigerating compartment, or in refrigerating compartment door. To facilitate heat transfer the warm end of the heat pipe is in heat transfer contact with an ice making cavity that receives and freezes water to ice. Depending on design and application an assembly of the cold plate section of the evaporator and the cold end of the heat pipe can be accessible either from inside or from outside of the refrigerator.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to residential and commercial refrigerators, freezers, icemakers, and other cooling apparatuses.

Main assembly in existing refrigerators and other cooling appliances consists of a sealed system, an insulated cabinet with one or several doors, and a control system. Basic parts of the sealed system include a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device that is often a capillary tube, an evaporator, and hermetically sealed connecting lines (tubes) delivering refrigerant to and from compressor, condenser, and evaporator. In addition, sealed system may be equipped with a drier, an accumulator and a receiver. Some sealed systems may have extra evaporators, expansion devices, compressors, condensers, and refrigerant valves. In medium and large refrigerators sealed system includes elements to provide airflow through condenser and evaporator.

Refrigerator may also include an icemaker whereto cooling potential is delivered mainly by airflow while in stand alone icemakers the cooling potential may be absorbed from evaporating refrigerant in thermal contact with an ice making surface.

In many existing refrigerating appliances compressor, condenser, and some auxiliary parts are located in a machine compartment, while evaporator is either in the freezing and/or refrigerating compartments or in the machine compartment. If evaporator is in the machine compartment, the evaporator heat transfer surface is in air communications with freezing and/or cooling compartments.

This arrangement doesn't allow any meaningful variation in the refrigerator compartments without redesigning of the sealed system. It's hard to add a compartment, an icemaker, or to increase or reduce width and height of an existing compartment without considerable changes in the sealed system including redesign of airflow passages, evaporators, fans, and so on.

Another problem with existing refrigerators is diagnostics and repair. It's almost impossible to find a refrigerant leak in the sealed system, if the leak is in foamed connection tubes. It may also be very expensive to fix any dent in the walls or local damage of the compartment liner. Thus, often it's cheaper to trash a whole refrigerator than to repair it.

While designing a new refrigerator it's also complicated to position an icemaker in the cooling compartment. For example, to put an icemaker in the fresh food (refrigerating) compartment or to make an additional compartment for an icemaker in the door of this compartment, special air passages from the freezing compartment or/and an additional evaporator are needed.

All these problems could be solved if it was a way to transfer cooling capacity from the evaporator to different parts of the refrigerator without special air passages.

One way to eliminate a need in complicated air system is implementing a heat pipe as means for delivering cooling capacity to any point of refrigerator. U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,214 considers location of the icemaker in the refrigerating compartment with a heat pipe transferring cooling capacity from the freezer to the icemaker. According to this patent the cold end of the heat pipe is located in a freezing compartment and a warm end is in a water reservoir of the ice-making system transferring cooling potential to freezing water. However, U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,214 considers heat pipe as a means to deliver cooling potential only to the icemaker. Besides, there are a couple weaknesses in this design. One is in transferring of cooling potential from the freezing compartment to the cold end of the heat pipe by natural air convection. Even with well-developed fins on the cold end of the heat pipe heat transfer by natural convection considerably increases heat pipe temperature that, in turn, reduces efficiency. Adding a fan to assist in heat transfer from the freezer or the freezer evaporator to the heat pipe cold end requires extra room and energy for the fan and only partly improves efficiency. Another weakness of U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,214 is in positioning the warm end of the heat pipe in a reservoir filled with water to be frozen. It considerably complicates ice harvesting from the icemaker.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One preferred embodiment of the invention provides a refrigerator comprising a refrigerator cabinet, a cooling recipient, control means, and a refrigeration sealed system including: a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, an evaporator with a cold plate section with a heat transfer surface configured to have refrigerant flow therethrough to absorb heat and wherein at least a part of liquid refrigerant evaporates, a heat pipe, wherein a cold end of the heat pipe is in heat transfer contact with the cold plate while a warm end of the heat pipe is in heat transfer communications with the cooling recipient providing cooling to said recipient.

Another preferred embodiment of the invention provides a refrigerator further comprising an internal cooling compartment inside of the refrigerator cabinet, a door to access to this compartment, and an evaporating section of the evaporator to evaporate a part of liquid refrigerant providing cooling to the cooling compartment.

Another embodiment of the invention further provides the internal cooling compartment operating as a freezing compartment.

Yet another embodiment of the invention provides the internal cooling compartment operating as a refrigerating compartment.

Another preferred embodiment of the invention provides a refrigerator wherein the cold end of the heat pipe is attached to the heat transfer surface of the cold plate and an assembly of the cold plate section of the evaporator and the cold end of the heat pipe is accessible from outside of the refrigerator.

Yet another embodiment of the invention provides a refrigerator wherein the cold end of the heat pipe is attached to the heat transfer surface of the cold plate and an assembly of the cold plate section of the evaporator and the cold end of the heat pipe is accessible from inside of the refrigerator.

Another preferred embodiment provides a refrigerator comprising an icemaker as a cooling recipient.

Further in accordance with the present invention the icemaker and the warm end of the heat pipe is disposed either in the freezing or in the refrigerating compartment.

Yet another embodiment provides a refrigerator with the icemaker and the warm end of the heat pipe disposed either in the freezing or in the refrigerating compartment door. Further in accordance with the present invention the icemaker includes a body with an ice making cavity for receiving water and freezing water to ice and wherein the warm end of the heat pipe is in heat transfer contact with surface of the cavity.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention the cooling recipient is an internal cooling compartment inside of the refrigerator cabinet.

Further in accordance with the present invention the internal cooling compartment that is the cooling recipient is a refrigerating compartment.

Still another preferred embodiment of the invention provides a refrigerator with an external cooling compartment.

Yet another embodiment of the invention provides a refrigerator with a refrigeration sealed system that includes a multi-way valve located after the condenser directing refrigerant flow to the evaporating sections.

Yet another embodiment of the invention provides a refrigerator with an air fan to enhance heat transfer from the warm end of the heat pipe to the cooling recipient. Still another embodiment of the invention provides a refrigerator wherein the cooling recipient is equipped with a temperature sensor that sends a signal to stop the fan when the cooling recipient temperature reaches or drops below a set temperature.

Still another preferred embodiment of the invention provides a refrigerator with a cold plate temperature sensor that sends a signal to stop refrigerant flow through the cold plate when the cold plate temperature drops below predetermined temperature level or derivative of the cold plate temperature drop exceeds a predetermined level.

Another preferred embodiment of the invention provides a method for refrigerating, freezing, and ice-making with a refrigerator comprising of a refrigerator cabinet, a refrigeration sealed system, a heat pipe, and a recipient to be provided with cooling; said sealed system consists of all essential elements of compression-refrigeration sealed system and a cold plate section configured to have a refrigerant flow therethrough to absorb heat and wherein at least a part of liquid refrigerant evaporates, said cold plate is with a heat transfer surface; the method to transfer cooling potential from the evaporator to the cooling capacity recipient by attaching one end of the heat pipe to the heat transfer surface of the cold plate while another end is in heat transfer communications with the cooling recipient.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is sealed system schematics.

FIG. 2 is a heat pipe.

FIG. 3 is schematics of modular refrigerator with sealed system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a refrigerator with icemaker in a compartment door.

FIG. 5 is a refrigerator with icemaker inside of refrigerating compartment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows sealed system schematics of a refrigerator with a heat pipe. Compressed gaseous refrigerant after compressor 1 flows to condenser 3 wherein high-pressure refrigerant cools down and condenses rejecting heat to airflow driven by fan 5. Liquid refrigerant through dryer 7 flows to multi-way valve 9. The valve depicted in FIG. 1 is a 3-way valve. However, it may be 2, 4, 5, N-way valve, or may be no valve at all. The 3-way step motor valve of Sanyo can be used as the 3-way valve depicted in FIG. 1. After valve 9 liquid refrigerant flows to expansion devices 11 and 13 that, for example, may be capillary tubes, and further to an evaporator that consists from several sections including cold plate sections 15, 17, and a conventional evaporating section 19. Cold plates 15, 17 are configured to have refrigerant flow therethrough to absorb heat and wherein at least a part of liquid refrigerant evaporates. Each cold plate section has a surface that is in heat transfer relations with cold end 25 or 27 of heat pipes 21, 23. Conductive surface of the heat pipe cold end is attached either straight to the cold plate or through intermediate conductive media. The surfaces of the cold plate and the cold end of the heat pipe may be flat or rounded or any other shape providing good thermal contact between the cold plate and the cold end. The second (warm) end of heat pipes 21, 23 extends to a refrigerator compartment and/or another cooling capacity recipient. A cooling capacity recipient could be a fresh food compartment, a kimchi compartment, an icemaker, or any other apparatus that requires and receives cooling potential. After evaporator sections vapor refrigerant flows through suction line 12 back to compressor 1. To increase efficiency and capacity one or both cap tubes 11, 13 may be attached to suction line 12. In depicted in FIG. 1 sealed system refrigerant flows through cold plate sections 15 and 19 in parallel, while to get to section 19 refrigerant first flows through section 15. However, it could be a different arrangement for refrigerant flow. For example, cold plate sections 15 and 17 may be in serious connections. 3-way valve 9 may have several positions. One allows refrigerant to flow only through capillary tube 11 to the cold plate section 15 and to the evaporating section 19. Another valve position allows refrigerant to flow to capillary tube 13 and to the section 17. Yet third valve position directs refrigerant to both cap tubes 11 and 13 to reach all sections 15, 17, 19. Valve 9 may also be closed preventing refrigerant flow to any evaporating section.

As it is shown in FIG. 1 there are heat pipes 21, 23 with cold ends 25, 27 attached to heat transfer surfaces of cold plate sections 15, 17 respectively. Connections and contact area of the cold end of each heat pipe and cold plate sections of the evaporator are designed a way that provides efficient heat transfer from evaporating in the cold plate refrigerant to condensing in the cold end heat pipe media. Another (warm) ends 29, 31 of the heat pipes are located either in refrigerator compartments, or in refrigerator doors, or in proximity to the compartments whereto cooling capacity to be delivered. To enhance heat transfer the warm ends of the heat pipes may be equipped with fins. Fans 33, 35 may improve temperature distribution in the compartments also as efficiency of the system.

Not all of the refrigerator compartments are cooling recipients acquiring cooling potential delivered by heat pipes. Besides of cold plate sections transferring cooling to heat pipes FIG. 1 depicts section 19 that is a regular evaporating section that may be installed in an internal (relative to the refrigerator cabinet) cooling compartment or connected to the internal cooling compartment with air passages.

FIG. 2 shows a heat pipe 21 of FIG. 1. As an example, the heat pipe depicted in FIG. 2 consists of 5 hermetically sealed tubes 42. Each tube contains heat pipe media that condenses in the cold ends 25 and evaporates in the warm ends 29. Condensed media returns to the warm end either by gravity force or through capillary action. A wick, or sintered metal powder, or a series of grooves parallel to the pipe axis, or other means can be used to achieve capillary effect. Cold end of each individual pipe is connected to others with brackets 44 and 46. Bracket 46 is to be attached to the cold plate surface with, for example, screws protruded through holes 48 to position the cold heat pipe end in heat transfer and structural communications with the cold plate. Bracket 44 could be covered with insulating material to prevent moisture condensation on the surface. At the opposite (warm) end 29 of the heat pipe individual tubes are spaced from each other and provided with fins to enhance air to tubes heat transfer.

There are different types of heat pipes to use in refrigerator. Each heat pipe may consist from several or only one tube. Internal surface of tubes may be smooth and without a wick, if the cold end of heat pipe is above the warm end and gravity provides satisfactory return of the heat pipe liquid media to the warm end. At least a part of the heat pipe tube could be flexible allowing bending and twisting of the heat pipe. There are several well-known companies designing and manufacturing different heat pipes: Thermacore, Heat Pipe Technology, Noren Products, etc.

FIG. 3 shows schematics of a refrigerator with four compartments and sealed system according to FIG. 1. Four compartments include an internal freezing compartment 50, machine compartment 52 located under the freezing compartment 50, internal refrigerating compartment 54 above the freezing compartment 50, and external compartment 56. A refrigerator cabinet comprises from side walls 58, 60, back wall 62, top 64, and bottom 66. Machine compartment houses sealed system parts (see FIG. 1): compressor 1, condenser 3 with fan 5, 3-way valve 9, capillary tubes 11, 13. A water valve, dryer 7, and, at least, a part of a control system are also may be located in the machine compartment (these parts are not shown in FIG. 3). Internal freezing compartment 50 is provided with cooling by evaporating section 19 with a fan 70 positioned behind a cover (not shown) in freezing compartment 50. Cold plate 15 is inside of the refrigerator cabinet, on the top of compartment 50. Cold plate 15 is connected to the cold end 25 of heat pipe 21. The connection is accessible from inside of the refrigerator. Another cold plate 17 is on the side of freezing compartment 50 and connected to the cold end 23 of heat pipe 27. The connection is accessible from outside of the refrigerator cabinet. Each cold plate, excluding the heat transfer surface wherein the cold end of heat pipe is attached, may be foamed in refrigerator wall or maybe simply attached to this wall.

Heat pipe 21 provides cooling to the internal refrigerating compartment 54. Cooling to the external compartment 56 is delivered by heat pipe 23. Fasteners attach cold ends 25, 27 of the heat pipes to cold plates 15, 17. Warm ends 29, 31 of the heat pipes with fans 33, 35 are installed in the compartments behind the covers (not shown). Filled with phase change media tubes connect cold and warm ends of the heat pipes and may be foamed in the compartment walls, or located behind the cover. Air pumped by fans 33 and 35 through the warm ends of heat pipes deliver heat to the pipe media evaporating liquid media while absorbing heat from air. Thus, air exits warm end of the heat pipe with lower temperature providing cooling to the compartments. Evaporated heat pipe media, in turn, condenses in the cold end of the heat pipe rejecting absorbed from the warm end heat to the cold plate.

Each compartment may have either an individual control or control connected to the main control board of the refrigerator. In case of individual control a signal from a thermistor or a thermocouple monitoring compartment temperature (not shown) stops the fan when the compartment temperature drops below a predetermined or set temperature level. Lack of air circulation through the warm end of the heat pipe stops or greatly decreases delivery heat to the cold end of the heat pipe that, in turn, decreases refrigerant evaporation inside of the cold plate and reduces evaporating pressure and temperature. The cold plate surface temperature also drops down. Thermistor or thermocouple attached to the cold plate or cold plate vicinity (not shown) sends signals to the main refrigerant control board that together with a timer gets both temperature and derivative of the temperature change. When either temperature drops below a predetermined level or pace of temperature reduction exceeds a predetermined level, control sends a command to stop refrigerant flow through the cold plate that could be done either switching the 3-way valve position or stopping the compressor. In case of a multi-speed compressor and/or multi-speed fan instead of stopping the speed of compressor and fan could be reduced. On the contrary, when the compartment temperature increases above some level the valve turns in the position to deliver refrigerant to the corresponding cold plate and compressor and/or fan speed is increased depending on the control algorithm. Individual control of compartments 54, 56 allows avoiding additional AC and DC electrical connections of these compartments with the main control board.

Individual for each 54 and 56 compartments electrical cord (not shown) maybe plugged in an electrical outlet providing compartment illumination, the fan drive, and temperature, fan and lights control.

In an alternative design compartment 54 or both compartments 50 and 54 are external compartments. In this design the refrigerator cabinet (machine compartment 52) contains elements of sealed system, control system, and some auxiliary parts. External compartments may be manufactured separately from the refrigerator cabinet and later connected to the cabinet by fasteners. Same as compartment 56 with heat pipe 23 any external compartment could become an additional refrigerating compartment, or a kimchi compartment, an ice making compartment, or a compartment for other cooling applications. Additional compartments can be attached to the top, bottom, or any side of the refrigerator. The height, depth, and width of fully assembled refrigerator may vary. If there is no need in additional compartment this compartment as, for example, compartment 56 could be removed from refrigerator temporarily or permanently. If there is not a compartment, a corresponding cold plate heat transfer surface (pos. 17 in FIG. 3) shall be covered with insulation to avoid sweat. The cold plate could be recessed below the compartment external surface a way the cold plate covered with insulation creates a flat surface with the rest of the wall.

In an alternative design cold plate section of the evaporator could be installed in the upper part instead of the lower part of refrigerator, the way that attached to the cold plate the cold end of the heat pipe is above the warm end. Thus, condensed heat pipe media may move to the warm end only by gravity force like in a thermosiphon that, in turn, simplifies the heat pipe.

In many well-known refrigerator brands like Sub Zero, Kitchen Aid, Monogram, etc. the machine compartment is located at the top. It makes positioning cold plate above the compartment wherein cooling is to be delivered especially simple and convenient. Another application of heat pipe in a refrigerator is in delivering cooling capacity to an icemaker or/and ice storage bin located in a refrigerating or freezing compartment. In some refrigerators icemaker and ice bin can be enclosed in a special ice-making section separated from the rest of the compartment, in others an icemaker may not require separation from the compartment. Examples of icemakers wherein a heat pipe delivers cooling capacity to freeze water and preserve ice from melting are depicted in FIGS. 4, 5. FIG. 4 demonstrates schematics of a bottom mount refrigerator 100. There are 2 main compartments in refrigerator 100: refrigerating compartment 102 with door 104 and freezing compartment 106 with door 108. There is also an ice producing apparatus, for example, icemaker schematically depicted in position 110. The icemaker can be installed in any part of the refrigerator including the refrigerating compartment, or the refrigerating compartment door, or the freezing compartment, or the freezing compartment door. In FIG. 4 ice maker 110 is installed in the refrigerating compartment door 104. In this arrangement the icemaker within door 104 is enclosed in enclosure 112. Ice storage bin 116 is in the same enclosure. An ice dispenser (not shown) is on the other part of the door. Ice dispenser delivers ice to a customer from ice bin 116 without the door opening. Ice dispenser can be one of well-known designs that are in the most domestic refrigerators like GE, Whirlpool, Sub Zero, etc.

An evaporator of the refrigeration sealed system includes cold plate 120 and conventional evaporating section 124 connected in series. Liquid refrigerant expanded after condenser in a cap tube (not shown) flows through cold plate 120. After the cold plate wherein a part of liquid refrigerant evaporates refrigerant flows to the evaporating section 124. Bold dash lines with arrows in FIG. 4 demonstrate refrigerant flowing to the cold plate and from cold plate to the evaporating section. After evaporating in evaporating section 124 vapor refrigerant returns to compressor (not shown). Evaporating section 124 provides cooling capacity to freezing compartment 106 while cold plate 120 supplies the icemaker and ice bin with cooling delivering this cooling with a heat pipe. Heat pipe consists of cold end 128, warm end 122, and connecting tube 127 transporting vapor and liquid media between cold and warm ends.

The icemaker includes a body with an ice making cavity having a surface for receiving water and freezing water to ice. Cold end 128 of the heat pipe is attached to cold plate 120 to receive cooling from the cold plate and condense media vapor inside of cold end 128. Warm end 122 is connected to the icemaker a way that the warm end of the heat pipe through the icemaker body is in heat transfer contact with the surface of the cavity delivering low temperature potential to water to be frozen in the icemaker 110. Besides of freezing water cold icemaker body provides cooling to keep ice from thawing in the ice storage bin. To enhance cooling supply to the ice bin an additional heat pipe section next to the ice bin can be employed. Small fan assistance may also be useful to transfer cooling potential from the icemaker to the ice bin. While water and ice absorb cooling from the heat pipe, liquid media in the warm end of the heat pipe evaporates and moves to the cold end to be condensed. If gravity allows sufficient liquid media flow to the warm end, the heat pipe can be simplified to a thermosiphon.

An insulation pad 130 above the heat pipe cold end covers both heat pipe cold end and the cold plate preventing sweat and accidental touching of cold metal. Tubing 127 is also insulated preventing sweat and accidental cold burns. Besides of connection in series cold plate 120 may also be installed in parallel with evaporating section 124 or connected to the evaporating section by series-parallel refrigerant lines.

In FIG. 4 cold plate 120 is accessible from outside of the refrigerating compartment, more particularly from the top of refrigerator 100. In an alternative design the cold plate may be installed on the outside wall 126 close to the edge where the door hinges are located. The cold plate also could be installed inside of any compartment or on any side or even on the back of the refrigerator. Tubing 127 connecting the cold and warm ends of the heat pipe may go through a hinge 132 of door 104. There are different methods of designing connection between the heat pipe and cold plate 120 allowing easy opening of door 104 and possibility to disassemble the door from the refrigerator cabinet. In design depicted in FIG. 4 tubing 127 includes a flexible section. Design of the heat pipe with a flexible section can be close to designs that Thermacore and several other companies use manufacturing heat pipes with flexible sections.

Another use of heat pipe is in a refrigerator with icemaker located inside of a refrigerating or freezing compartment. FIG. 5 shows same as in FIG. 4 bottom mount refrigerator 100 but with an ice-making enclosure 112 and ice storage bin 116 inside of the refrigerating compartment 102. The icemaker includes a body with an ice making cavity for receiving water and freezing water to ice. Same as with icemaker in the door, surface of the cavity is in heat transfer communications with heat pipe warm end 122. There are several ways to achieve a good heat transfer contact between the heat pipe warm end and the cavity surface. Tubes of the heat pipe warm end depicted in FIG. 5 may be molded into the icemaker body, or these tubes can be wrapped around the body, or passed through holes in the icemaker body. Flat or rounded conductive piece with same profile as the corresponding icemaker part can be attached to the heat pipe warm end and connected the ice making cavity.

Same as in refrigerator in FIG. 4 bold dash lines with arrows show refrigerant flowing to the cold plate and from cold plate to the evaporating section.

The warm end of the heat pipe is connected with cold end 128 by tubes 127 transporting heat pipe liquid media to the warm end and vapor to the cold end. Cold end 128 is connected with fasteners or springs to the cold plate 120 that is a part of the refrigeration sealed system described above. Heat transfer surface of the cold plate is accessible to be connected or disconnected with heat pipe cold end 128 from inside of the refrigerator cabinet. In FIG. 5 the cold plate is on the top of the compartment. However, it may be positioned on the bottom or compartment's sides.

A layer of heat transfer grease 134 can be used to improve heat transfer between heat transfer surface of cold plate 120 and heat pipe cold end 128. Ice storage bin 116 slides underneath of ice making enclosure 112. To prevent ice cubes from fusing the ice bin could be insulated. The bin is designed a way that gravity moves ice to hole 136. When door 104 closed and ice is to be delivered to a customer, hole 136 is opened against the opening 140 in ice chute 138. When the door is opened or an ice dispenser is not activated, the hole 136 is obstructed not allowing ice cubes dropping down into the refrigerating compartment. Well known mechanical or electromechanical means maybe used for obstruction of hole 136. Because of highly efficient heat transfer from cold plate to the heat pipe and further to the ice making cavity, icemaker can be relatively small. It allows locating ice-making cabinet next to the wall as shown in FIG. 5 and making it narrow. Thus, icemaker wouldn't considerably obstruct an access to food in the refrigerating compartment.

An ice dispenser (not shown) is on the other part of the door 104. To simplify the ice chute ice dispenser may be located on the periphery of the door against the chute. Control of icemaker operations has several steps. Besides of controlling icemaker body temperature another way is the cold plate temperature control. While icemaker is in freezing water operation control directs, at least, a part of refrigerant through cold plate 128. When water in the icemaker becomes frozen heat transfer to the heat pipe warm end considerably reduces, this decreases delivery of heat pipe media vapor to the cold end of the heat pipe and diminishes refrigerant evaporation in the cold plate. This, in turn, decreases evaporating pressure and temperature. The cold plate surface temperature drops down. Thermistor or thermocouple attached to the cold plate sends signals to the control board that with an assistance from a timer gets both temperature or/and derivative of the temperature change. When either temperature drops below a predetermined level, or pace of temperature reduction exceeds a predetermined level, control sends a command to cut refrigerant flow through the cold plate and activate an icemaker heater (not shown). After ice is detached and extracted from the ice making cavity and a new portion of water is brought to the icemaker, refrigerant flow to the cold plate is restored. When ice bin is filled, mechanical, electrical, or photoelectrical device stops ice making operation. Still there is a necessity to keep temperature in the ice bin several degrees below 0 deg. C. or 32 deg. F. To provide ice making cabinet with cooling capacity combination of cold plate-heat pipe-icemaker still will be in periodical operation but without water delivering to the ice making cavity. To enhance cooling supply to the ice bin an additional heat pipe section next to the ice bin can be employed. Small fan assistance may also be useful.

Claims

1. A refrigerator with a refrigerator cabinet, a cooling recipient, control means, and a refrigeration sealed system including:

a compressor to compress refrigerant vapor;

a condenser to condense vapor refrigerant to liquid;

an expansion device;

an evaporator with a cold plate section to evaporate liquid refrigerant, said cold plate section with a heat transfer surface configured to have refrigerant flow therethrough to absorb heat and wherein liquid refrigerant evaporates;

a heat pipe with a cold end that is in heat transfer contact with the heat transfer surface of the cold plate and a warm end that is in heat transfer communications with the cooling recipient providing cooling to said recipient.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 further comprising an internal cooling compartment inside of the refrigerator cabinet, a door to access to this compartment, and an evaporating section of the evaporator to evaporate a part of liquid refrigerant providing cooling to said cooling compartment.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2 wherein the cooling compartment is a freezing compartment

4. The refrigerator according to claim 2 wherein the cooling compartment is a refrigerating compartment.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1 wherein an assembly of the cold plate section of the evaporator and the cold end of the heat pipe is accessible from outside of the refrigerator cabinet.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1 wherein an assembly of the cold plate section of the evaporator and the cold end of the heat pipe is accessible from inside of the refrigerator cabinet.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 1 wherein the cooling recipient is an icemaker.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 7 wherein the warm end of the heat pipe is disposed either in the refrigerating compartment or in the door of the refrigerating compartment and wherein either said compartment or said door contains the icemaker.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 8 wherein the icemaker includes an ice making cavity for receiving water and freezing water to ice and wherein the warm end of the heat pipe is in heat transfer contact with the ice making cavity.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 7 wherein icemaker located either in the freezing compartment or in the door of the freezing compartment and wherein the warm end of the heat pipe is disposed in said compartment or said door.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 10 wherein the icemaker includes an ice making cavity for receiving water and freezing water to ice and wherein the warm end of the heat pipe is in heat transfer contact with the ice making cavity.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 1 wherein the cooling recipient is an internal cooling compartment inside of the refrigerator cabinet.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12 wherein the internal cooling compartment is a refrigerating compartment.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 1 wherein the cooling recipient is an external cooling compartment.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 1 wherein the refrigeration sealed system includes a multi-way valve located after the condenser directing refrigerant flow to the evaporating sections.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 1 having a fan to enhance heat transfer from the warm end of the heat pipe to the cooling recipient.

17. The refrigerator according to claim 16 wherein the cooling recipient is provided with a temperature sensor that sends a signal to stop the fan when the cooling recipient temperature reaches or drops below a set temperature.

18. The refrigerator according to claim 17 wherein the cold plate is provided with a cold plate temperature sensor that sends signals to stop refrigerant flow through the cold plate when the cold plate temperature drops below a predetermined temperature level or derivative of the cold plate temperature change exceeds a predetermined pace of the temperature reduction.

19. A method for refrigerating, freezing, and ice-making with a refrigerator comprising of a refrigerator cabinet, a refrigeration sealed system, a heat pipe with a cold and a warm ends, and a recipient to be provided with cooling, said refrigeration sealed system consisting of all essential elements of refrigeration sealed systems including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator that includes a cold plate section with a heat transfer surface, said cold plate section is configured to have refrigerant flow there through; the method to transfer cooling potential from the evaporator to the cooling recipient by positioning the cold end of the heat pipe in heat transfer contact with the heat transfer surface of the cold plate and the warm end in heat transfer communications with the cooling recipient.