HIGH PERFORMANCE REFRIGERATOR HAVING INSULATED EVAPORATOR COVER
A high performance refrigerator includes a cabinet with a refrigerated interior, an insulating cover separating a portion of the cabinet from the refrigerated interior, and a refrigeration fluid circuit having an evaporator located within the portion of the cabinet separated by the insulating cover from the refrigerated interior. The refrigerator also includes a controller that commands the refrigerator to perform a defrosting cycle when the evaporator coil requires defrosting. This defrosting cycle includes closing dampers in the insulating cover during the defrosting of the evaporator coil, thereby keeping the refrigerated interior thermally isolated from the evaporator during the defrost cycle. The controller is also operable to stop operation of a defrost heater when the evaporator reaches a first target temperature above the freezing point of water, and to re-open the dampers when the evaporator reaches a second target temperature above the freezing point of water.
The present application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/548,795 (pending), filed Oct. 19, 2011, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to refrigerators or freezers and, more particularly, to refrigeration systems for use with high performance blood bank refrigerators or plasma freezers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONRefrigeration systems are known for use with laboratory refrigerators and freezers of the type known as “high performance refrigerators,” which are used to cool their interior storage spaces to relative low temperatures such as about −30° C. or lower, for example. These high performance refrigerators are used to store blood and/or plasma, in one example.
Known refrigeration systems of this type include a single loop circulating a refrigerant. The system transfers energy (i.e., heat) from the refrigerant to the surrounding environment through a condenser, and the system transfers heat energy to the refrigerant from the cooled space (e.g., a cabinet interior) through an evaporator. The refrigerant is selected to vaporize and condense at a selected temperature close to the desired temperature for the cooled space, such that the refrigeration system can maintain the cooled space near that selected temperature during operation.
One common problem with known refrigeration systems is that the evaporator includes coils that tend to produce and accumulate frost along the outer surface if any moisture is ambient within the cooled space. If enough frost accumulation occurs, the ability of the evaporator to remove heat from the cooled space is detrimentally impacted. Consequently, known refrigeration systems require a defrost cycle where the evaporator coils are heated to remove the frost. This defrost cycle may be a manual defrost or an automatic defrost, but both types of defrost cycles are undesirable for various reasons.
In a manual defrost cycle, all of the products stored in the cabinet are removed and the cooled space is left exposed to the ambient environment to heat up the evaporator coils and melt the frost. This cycle is undesirable because the products stored in the cabinet need to be stored in an alternative refrigerator for the duration of the defrost cycle, and also because the melting process can produce a significant amount of moisture that needs to be removed from the cabinet. In an automatic defrost cycle, the evaporator coils are rapidly heated by a local heating unit or hot gas flow to remove the frost, which is collected by a trough and delivered out of the cooled space. The cooled space necessarily undergoes a temperature spike during this automatic defrost cycle, which can jeopardize the products stored in the cabinet.
There is a need, therefore, for a refrigerator that substantially minimizes or eliminates a temperature spike within the cooled space during a defrost cycle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn one embodiment, a refrigerator includes a cabinet with a refrigerated interior and a refrigeration fluid circuit for circulating a refrigerant. The refrigeration fluid circuit includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator located within the cabinet. The evaporator includes an evaporator coil, an evaporator fan producing air flow through the evaporator coil, and a defrost heater. The refrigerator also includes an insulating cover separating a portion of the cabinet containing the evaporator from the refrigerated interior. The insulating cover includes at least one damper which opens to permit air circulation from the refrigerated interior through the evaporator.
The refrigerator further includes a controller operable to command the refrigerator to perform a series of steps defining a defrost cycle when the evaporator coil requires defrosting. The series of steps includes stopping operation of the compressor and the evaporator fan, closing the at least one damper to thermally isolate the evaporator from the refrigerated interior, and starting operation of the defrost heater. The refrigerated interior remains thermally isolated from the evaporator during operation of the defrost heater.
In one aspect, the refrigerator also includes a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the evaporator. The controller operates during defrosting as follows: when the temperature sensor detects that the evaporator has reached a first target temperature above the freezing point of water, the defrost heater stops. After any remaining moisture drips off the evaporator coils, the compressor starts. When the temperature sensor detects that the evaporator has reached a second target temperature below the freezing point of water, the at least one damper opens and the evaporator fan starts. In one example, the first target temperature is about 10° C. and the second target temperature is about −25° C. The controller may also be operable to perform the defrost cycle steps as an adaptive defrost cycle, which includes varying time periods between defrost cycles and varying lengths of defrost cycles dependent upon multiple operating parameters.
In another embodiment of the invention, a method of operating a refrigerator is provided, the refrigerator including a cabinet with a refrigerated interior, a refrigeration fluid circuit including a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator, and an insulating cover with at least one damper separating the evaporator from the refrigerated interior. The method includes stopping operation of the compressor and an evaporator fan. The at least one damper closes to thermally isolate the evaporator from the refrigerated interior. A defrost heater starts operation to remove moisture from evaporator coils. The refrigerated interior remains thermally isolated from the evaporator during operation of the defrost heater.
In yet another embodiment, a method of operating a refrigerator is provided, the refrigerator including a cabinet with a refrigerated interior, a refrigeration fluid circuit including a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator, and an insulating cover with at least one damper separating the evaporator from the refrigerated interior. The method includes starting operation of a defrost heater when the at least one damper is closed. When the evaporator reaches a first target temperature above the freezing point of water, the defrost heater is stopped and the compressor is started. When the evaporator reaches a second target temperature below the freezing point of water, the at least one damper opens and an evaporator fan starts operating.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and, together with a general description of the invention given above, and the detailed description of the embodiment given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
With reference to the figures, and more specifically to
With reference to
The refrigeration fluid circuit 20 is configured to circulate the refrigerant 36 between the condenser 24 and the evaporator 30. Generally speaking, heat energy in the refrigerant 36 is transferred to ambient air outside the cabinet 12 at the condenser 24. Heat energy is removed from the interior 18 of the cabinet 12 and transferred to the refrigerant 36 at the evaporator 30. Thus, circulating the refrigerant 36 through the fluid circuit 20 continuously removes heat energy from the interior 18 to maintain a desired internal temperature, such as, for example −30° C.
The refrigerant 36 enters the compressor 22 in a vaporized state and is compressed to a higher pressure and higher temperature gas in the compressor 22. The fluid circuit 20 of this exemplary embodiment also includes an oil loop 54 for lubricating the compressor 22. Specifically, the oil loop 54 includes an oil separator 56 in fluid communication with piping 34 downstream of the compressor 22 and an oil return line 58 directing oil back into the compressor 22. It will be understood that the oil loop 54 may be omitted in some embodiments of the fluid circuit 20.
Upon leaving the compressor 22, the vaporized refrigerant 36 travels to the condenser 24. A fan 60 controlled by the control interface 52 directs ambient air across the condenser 24 and through a filter 62 so as to facilitate the transfer of heat from the refrigerant 36 to the surrounding environment. The air flow through the condenser 24 is shown by arrows in
In the evaporator 30, the refrigerant 36 receives heat from the interior 18 through a plurality of evaporator coils (not shown in
The refrigerant 36 used in the refrigeration fluid circuit 20 may be chosen based on several factors, including the expected operating temperature within the cabinet 12 and the boiling point and other characteristics of the refrigerant 36. For example, in refrigerators with an expected cabinet temperature of about −30° C., an exemplary refrigerant 36 suitable for the presently described embodiment includes refrigerants commercially available under the respective designations R404A. Moreover, in specific embodiments, the refrigerant 36 may be combined with an oil to facilitate lubrication of the compressor 22. For example, and without limitation, the refrigerant 36 may be combined with Mobil EAL Arctic 32 oil. It will be understood that the precise arrangement of the components illustrated in the figures is intended to be merely exemplary rather than limiting.
With reference to
As shown in
Also shown in
Turning to
The evaporator 30 also includes a defrost heater 114 for removing frost build up on the evaporator coil 112 as needed or on a regular basis. The defrost heater 114 is shown mounted adjacent to the evaporator coil 112 in
With reference to
As previously described, the damper drive mechanism 100 may be one or more servo motors 102, 104 connected to the first and second dampers 66, 68 via corresponding drive shafts 106, 108. However, the damper drive mechanism 100 may include other types of actuation mechanisms and devices in other embodiments. For example, the damper drive mechanism 100 may be hydraulically driven, pneumatically driven, or mechanically driven such as by various types of motors. The damper drive mechanism 100 may be configured to rotate the dampers 66, 68 between open and closed positions as shown in the illustrated embodiment, but it will be understood that the damper drive mechanism 100 may alternatively slide or otherwise move the dampers 66, 68 in non-rotational manners as well.
An exemplary operation of the refrigerator 10 is shown schematically in the flowchart of
Returning to
One of the sensors S3 connected to the evaporator 30 may be configured to measure the temperature of the evaporator 30. At step 210, the controller 50 determines whether that sensor S3 is reading a temperature of the evaporator 30 which is at or exceeding a first target temperature above the freezing point of water (0° C.). In one example, this first target temperature may be about 10° C. If the evaporator 30 is not at or above that first target temperature, then the controller 50 continues to operate the defrost heater 114 to remove frost from the evaporator coil 112. If the evaporator 30 is at or above the first target temperature, then the controller 50 turns off the defrost heater 114 and allows a set period of time for additional moisture to drip off the evaporator coil 112 onto the drip pan 116 at step 212. After this “drip time” has occurred, the controller 50 starts the compressor 22 to cause refrigerant flow through the evaporator 30 again at step 214, thereby cooling the evaporator portion 72.
At step 216, the temperature sensor S3 measures the temperature of the evaporator 30 and the controller 50 determines whether this temperature is at or below a second target temperature below the freezing point of water (0° C.). In one example, this second target temperature may be about −25° C. If the evaporator 30 is not at or below the second target temperature, the controller 50 continues to operate the compressor 214 to cool the evaporator 30. Once the controller 50 determines that the evaporator 30 is at or below the second target temperature, then the controller 50 opens the first and second dampers 66, 68 at step 218. The controller 50 also starts the evaporator fan 64 at step 220, to thereby force air flow from the refrigerated portion 74 through the evaporator portion 72 and the evaporator 30 for further cooling. This final step of the defrost cycle or method 200 returns the refrigerator 10 to the operational state shown in
As briefly noted above, in one alternative embodiment the defrost cycle will be an adaptive defrost cycle selectively actuated at step 202 of the method 200. In this adaptive defrost cycle, the period between defrost cycles and the time duration of the defrost cycles are modified based on a plurality of operational parameters monitored by the controller 50. For example, the conventional time-based defrost cycle may operate the defrost heater 114 for 10 minutes every six hours. By contrast, the adaptive defrost cycle may monitor the actual temperature being maintained in the cabinet 12, as well as the number of door openings and amount of total time the door is open. These and other factors are considered to determine how long the period should be before the next defrost cycle is started, and also how long the defrost heater 114 should be operated in the next defrost cycle. In this regard, if the door of the cabinet 12 is not opened often during a six hour period and the evaporator 30 is having little trouble maintaining the desired temperature within the refrigerated portion 74, then the next defrost cycle may be delayed by an additional number of hours and/or shortened in duration. Thus, the adaptive defrost cycle is highly energy efficient because the evaporator coil 112 is only defrosted when that cycle becomes necessary. Moreover, the adaptive defrost cycle automatically adjusts the refrigerator 10 for proper and efficient operation in a variety of environmental conditions.
While the present invention has been illustrated by a description of an exemplary embodiment and while this embodiment has been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and method, and illustrative example shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicant's general inventive concept.
Claims
1. A refrigerator, comprising:
- a cabinet having a refrigerated interior;
- a refrigeration fluid circuit for circulating a refrigerant, the refrigeration fluid circuit including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator located within the cabinet and including an evaporator coil, an evaporator fan producing air flow through the evaporator coil, and a defrost heater;
- an insulating cover separating a portion of the cabinet containing the evaporator from the refrigerated interior, the insulating cover including at least one damper that may open to permit air circulation from the refrigerated interior through the evaporator; and
- a controller operable to command the refrigerator to perform the following steps when the evaporator coil requires defrosting: stop operation of the compressor and the evaporator fan; close the at least one damper to thermally isolate the evaporator from the refrigerated interior; and start operation of the defrost heater, wherein the refrigerated interior remains thermally isolated from the evaporator during operation of the defrost heater.
2. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the evaporator, and wherein the controller is further operable to command the refrigerator to perform the following steps during defrosting of the evaporator:
- when the temperature sensor detects that the evaporator has reached a first target temperature above the freezing point of water, stopping operation of the defrost heater and allowing for any remaining moisture to drip off the evaporator coils;
- starting the compressor after the remaining moisture drips off the evaporator coils; and
- when the temperature sensor detects that the evaporator has reached a second target temperature below the freezing point of water, opening the at least one damper and starting operation of the evaporator fan.
3. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the first target temperature is about 10° C. and the second target temperature is about −25° C.
4. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the at least one damper includes a first damper and a second damper, the first damper in an open position permitting air flow into the evaporator from the refrigerated interior, the second damper in an open position permitting air flow from the evaporator into the refrigerated interior.
5. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the insulated cover further includes a plurality of insulated panels that collectively divide the cabinet into an evaporator chamber and the refrigerated interior when the at least one damper is closed.
6. The refrigerator of claim 5, wherein each of the insulated panels is a vacuum insulated panel.
7. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the expansion device includes at least one of a capillary tube or a valve.
8. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the refrigeration fluid circuit further includes an accumulator operatively connected to the evaporator and the compressor.
9. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the refrigeration fluid circuit further includes a filter/dryer operatively connected to the condenser and the expansion device.
10. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the controller is operable to modify an amount of time between defrost cycles and to modify an amount of time the defrost heater is operating during a defrost cycle based on at least one measurable operating parameter.
11. A method of operating a refrigerator including a cabinet having a refrigerated interior, a refrigeration fluid circuit including a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator located within the cabinet and having an evaporator fan and defrost heater, the refrigerator further including an insulating cover with at least one damper configured to separate the evaporator from the refrigerated interior of the cabinet, and the method comprises:
- stopping operation of the compressor and the evaporator fan;
- closing the at least one damper to thermally isolate the evaporator from the refrigerated interior; and
- starting operation of the defrost heater,
- wherein the refrigerated interior remains thermally isolated from the evaporator during operation of the defrost heater.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
- when the evaporator has reached a first target temperature above the freezing point of water, stopping operation of the defrost heater and allowing for any remaining moisture to drip off the evaporator coils;
- starting the compressor after the remaining moisture drips off the evaporator coils; and
- when the evaporator has reached a second target temperature below the freezing point of water, opening the at least one damper and starting operation of the evaporator fan.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first target temperature is about 10° C. and the second target temperature is about −25° C.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one damper includes a first damper and a second damper, the first damper in an open position permitting air flow into the evaporator from the refrigerated interior, the second damper in an open position permitting air flow from the evaporator into the refrigerated interior, and the first and second dampers are simultaneously closed by the refrigerator when the operation of the evaporator fan is stopped.
15. A method of operating a refrigerator including a cabinet having a refrigerated interior, a refrigeration fluid circuit including a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator located within the cabinet and having an evaporator fan and defrost heater, the refrigerator further including an insulating cover with at least one damper configured to separate the evaporator from the refrigerated interior of the cabinet, and the method comprises:
- starting the operation of the defrost heater when the at least one damper is closed; and
- when the evaporator has reached a first target temperature above the freezing point of water, stopping operation of the defrost heater and starting operation of the compressor; and
- when the evaporator has reached a second target temperature below the freezing point of water, opening the at least one damper and starting operation of the evaporator fan.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first target temperature is about 10° C. and the second target temperature is about −25° C.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one damper includes a first damper and a second damper, the first damper in an open position permitting air flow into the evaporator from the refrigerated interior, the second damper in an open position permitting air flow from the evaporator into the refrigerated interior, and the first and second dampers are simultaneously opened by the refrigerator when the operation of the evaporator fan is started.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 16, 2012
Publication Date: Apr 25, 2013
Applicant: THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC (ASHEVILLE) L.L.C. (Asheville, NC)
Inventor: Thermo Fisher Scientific (Asheville) L.L.C. (Asheville, NC)
Application Number: 13/652,951
International Classification: F25D 21/06 (20060101);