Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D23/00—General constructional features
  • F25D23/02—Doors; Covers
  • F25D23/023—Air curtain closures
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47F—SPECIAL FURNITURE, FITTINGS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR SHOPS, STOREHOUSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS OR THE LIKE; PAYING COUNTERS
  • A47F3/00—Show cases or show cabinets
  • A47F3/04—Show cases or show cabinets air-conditioned, refrigerated
  • A47F3/0439—Cases or cabinets of the open type
  • A47F3/0443—Cases or cabinets of the open type with forced air circulation
  • A47F3/0447—Cases or cabinets of the open type with forced air circulation with air curtains
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D23/00—General constructional features
  • F25D23/06—Walls
  • F25D23/061—Walls with conduit means
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D2317/00—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass
  • F25D2317/06—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation
  • F25D2317/066—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation characterised by the air supply
  • F25D2317/0664—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation characterised by the air supply from the side

Definitions

• the present invention is directed to a top-opening freezer having an improved cooling gas flow distribution.
• the present invention is directed to a top-opening freezer including an outer casing, a goods compartment disposed within the outer casing and having a bottom wall, a front wall, a rear wall, two side walls and a top-opening.
• a first flow path is provided such that cooling gas is guided from an opening at an upper portion of the front wall side of the goods compartment to an opening in an upper portion of the opposite rear wall side of the goods compartment thereby providing a cooling gas curtain across the top opening.
• Top-opening freezers are widely used. E.g. in supermarkets, top-opening freezers are used both for deep-freezing consumer products such as food and at the same time displaying these products to customers. In these top-opening freezers having e.g. the form of chests cold air remains in the goods compartment as the goods compartment is only open at its upper side and the cold air being heavier than the air of the surrounding environment is captured within the goods compartment.
• cooling air curtain In order to reduce the heat entry due to customers grasping into the goods compartment cold air is conventionally directed across the top opening of the goods compartment thereby creating a cooling air curtain.
• the flow path of the cooling air curtain usually extends from an opening in an upper portion of a front wall in the goods compartment to an upper portion of a rear wall.
• the top-opening freezer according to the present invention is characterized by a side wall cooling means cooling at least one of the side walls of the goods compartment and being positioned between a side wall of the goods compartment and the outer casing.
• a second flow path can be provided such that cooling gas is guided in at least one channel positioned between a side wall of the goods compartment and the outer casing.
• cooling gas can flow in a closed loop.
• the cooling gas is provided by cooled air which can circulate in the closed loop.
• a cooling gas circulation means such as a fan is provided to circulate the cooling gas.
• the cooling gas can flow to an entry to the second flow path being proximal to the front wall of the goods department, then flow through the second flow path and then ' from an exit of the second flow path back to its entry, optionally via the cooling gas circulating means.
• cooling gas circulating means circulating both the cooling gas in the first flow path and the cooling gas in the second flow path.
• a fan can be provided underneath the bottom wall of the goods compartment propelling a common cooling gas flow.
• this common cooling gas flow is divided into the first flow producing the cooling gas curtain from the front wall to the rear wall of the goods compartment and the second flow flowing through the channel positioned adjacent to the side wall of the goods compartment.
• two separate cooling circulation means can be provided for the first and the second flow path, respectively.
• a cooling means such as a heat exchanger is provided within the closed loop. Cooling gas for the first and/or second flow path can be cooled by passing it through the cooling means.
• the cooling means is located within the top opening freezer, but can also be provided remotely thereof.
• the cooling gas flowing in the second flow path serves for cooling the adjacent side wall. Thereby, the heat entry across the side wall to the goods compartment can be reduced significantly.
• the channel of the second flow path is defined by one of the respective side walls and the outer casing.
• walls defining the channel of the second flow path can be constituted by a side wall and a wall of the outer casing.
• the cooling gas can enter the space between the side wall and the outer casing proximal to a front wall side, then flow through the space between the side wall and the outer casing and then exit at the opposite rear wall side. No additional tubing needs to be provided between the side walls of the goods department and the outer casing.
• the second flow path is arranged such that cooling gas flows from a front wall side of the goods compartment across the entire side wall surface to a rear wall side of the goods compartment.
• the side wall can be cooled along its entire length.
• the channel of the second flow path is posi- tioned laterally adjacent to an upper edge of the side wall of the goods compartment.
• the side wall is especially cooled in a region adjacent to the top- opening where heat losses occur due to turbulences in the cooling gas curtain.
• the channel of the second flow path includes one or more flow connections to the goods compartment.
• cooling gas can flow from the second flow path into the goods compartment thereby providing improved cooling of the goods compartment especially in a region close to the side walls.
• the flow connections can be provided by holes or cut-outs in the side wall of the goods compartment. These holes or cut- outs can have any geometry allowing a gas flow between the cooling channel and the goods compartment.
• the second flow path is closed at its rear wall side such that the entire gas flow is forced through the flow connections into the goods compatment.
• the holes or cut-outs can be made larger in regions where additional cooling is especially desired, such as at a region proximal to the rear wall, compared to other regions such that more cooling gas enters at these regions.
• the second flow path can be divided into a first continuous flow portion extending from a front wall side of the goods compartment to a rear wall side and a second flow portion having flow connections to the goods compartment.
• the first flow portion serves for better isolating the goods compartment against the surrounding environment of the top-opening freezer while the second flow portion improves the cooling within the goods compartment within the region close to the side walls.
• the first and second flow portions can be separated e.g. by a guide vane.
• the flow connections can be arranged at the filling limit of the goods compartment. That means that the openings for introducing cooling gas from the channel of the second flow path to the goods compartment are approximately arranged in a height of the side wall up to which the goods compartment is to be filled at maximum with goods to be stored therein. By such arrangements, the goods closest to the cooling gas curtain are especially cooled.
• the flow connections are preferably arranged at a portion of the side wall proximal to the rear wall. Accordingly, cooling gas can specifically be introduced into the goods compartment in a region downstream of the middle of the first flow path, i.e. the middle of the cooling gas curtain. Thereby, especially the region closer to the opening in the rear wall for returning the cooling gas of the first flow back to cooling gas circulation means, i.e., the region where the cooling gas curtain is warmest and most disturbed, can be additionally cooled.
• Figure 1 is a sectional view of a top-opening freezer
• Figure 2 is a sectional view of a conventional top-opening freezer along the plane A-A indicated in Figure 1 ;
• Figure 3 is a sectional view of a top-opening freezer according to an embodiment of the invention along the plane A-A indicated in Figure 1 ;
• Figure 4 is a sectional view of a prior art top-opening freezer along the plane B-B indicated in Figure 1 ;
• Figure 5 is a sectional view of a top-opening freezer according to an embodiment of the invention along the plane B-B indicated in Figure 1 .
• a top-opening freezer 1 includes an outer casing 3 and a goods com- partment 5 disposed within the outer casing 3 and having a bottom wall 7, a front wall 9, a rear wall 1 1 and a top-opening 13.
• a cooling gas circulating and cooling means 15 like e.g. a fan coupled with a heat exchanger.
• the fan propels cooling gas for flowing round a cooling gas circuit.
• the cooling gas first flows through a space between the bottom wall 7 and front wall 9 of the goods compartment and the outer casing 3. Then, cooling gas exits through an opening 17 in an upper portion of the front wall 9.
• the cooling gas flows along the top opening 13 of the goods compartment 5 thereby forming a cooling gas curtain.
• the illustrated top-opening freezer 1 further includes a heat exchanger (not shown) positioned within the cooling gas circuit and connected to a cooling unit (not shown) included in a lower part 21 of the top-opening freezer 1.
• FIG. 2 illustrates a conventional top-opening freezer wherein a cooling gas curtain 23 (indicated as arrows) is flowing from a front wall 9, across the top-opening 13 to a rear rear wall 1 1 of the goods compartment 5.
• the side walls 25, 27 of the goods compartment 5 are not specifically cooled.
• Figure 3 shows an embodiment of the top-opening freezer according to an embodiment of the invention.
• additional second flow paths are provided in a space between the side walls 25, 27 and the outer casing 3, respectively.
• the two second flow paths are provided with a first flow portion 33, 35, respectively, extending from a front wall 9 side of the goods com- partment 5 to a rear wall 1 1 side, and second flow portions 37, 39, respectively, having flow connections 38 to the goods compartment 5.
• a part of the cooling gas flows from a front side along the first flow portions 33, 35 to the rear side thereby cooling the side walls.
• Another part of the cooling gas flows through the second flow portions 37, 39 from the front side through the flow connections 38 into the goods compartment 5 thereby cooling the regions of the goods compartment 5 close to the side walls 25, 27.
• the cooling gas returning from the rear wall side 1 1 flows linearly along the surface underneath the bottom wall 7 and through a unit 41 , comprising a fan and a heat exchanger extending almost along the entire width of the bottom wall 7 before again flowing to the front wall 9.
• a unit 41 comprising a fan and a heat exchanger extending almost along the entire width of the bottom wall 7 before again flowing to the front wall 9.
• the cooling gas coming from the fan/evaporator unit 41 is divided by a guide vane 43 into two separate streams. The middle stream continues to form the cooling gas curtain whereas the border region streams are diverted into the direction of the second flow path in the side walls 25, 27.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Thermal Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Cold Air Circulating Systems And Constructional Details In Refrigerators (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Related Child Applications (1)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=38180401

Family Applications (2)

Family Applications Before (1)

Country Status (8)

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Family Cites Families (5)

• 2006
  • 2006-07-28 PL PL09179831T patent/PL2166296T3/pl unknown
  • 2006-07-28 US US12/375,501 patent/US20100031692A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2006-07-28 EP EP09179831A patent/EP2166296B1/de not_active Not-in-force
  • 2006-07-28 WO PCT/EP2006/007503 patent/WO2008011906A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2006-07-28 CN CN2006800554383A patent/CN101501426B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2006-07-28 DE DE602006017749T patent/DE602006017749D1/de active Active
  • 2006-07-28 AT AT09179831T patent/ATE534005T1/de active
  • 2006-07-28 EP EP06762884A patent/EP2047190B1/de not_active Ceased
• 2007
  • 2007-07-27 TW TW096127649A patent/TW200821519A/zh unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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