EP3167231B1 - System for cooling a room with a cold air stream drawn in under the ceiling - Google Patents

Description

1. Field of the invention

The invention relates to the field of cooling a room filled with food in buildings such as ships or platform at sea. The invention particularly relates to producing a uniform temperature throughout the room.

2. Prior Art

In the field of cooling large premises intended to receive perishable food on board transport vessels, cruise ships or offshore platform housing a population, the preservation of such commodities is generally carried out at negative or just positive temperatures. . In order not to break the cold chain, the same temperature must be uniformly maintained throughout the room. This uniform temperature is achieved by air flows expelled throughout the room by air coolers. Installed air coolers have fans that produce chilled air flows and are scattered throughout the room to better distribute the cold production.

In some cases, the premises are both large and filled with many products to be refrigerated, this is the case in the field of transport by boat. For example, a liner embeds a large supply at the beginning of a cruise, so the refrigerated premises are initially filled to the maximum of food whose height can approach the ceiling. As a result, the airflow produced by the fans installed on the walls can be braked or deflected by these products, which may create poorly ventilated areas.

Another disadvantage is the compactness of the current air coolers. In such coolers, the air is sucked from the back and horizontally passes through a cooling coil before expelling a refrigerated flow. The fan generating the air flow is placed at the same height as the refrigeration battery, this configuration causes a significant thickness of the air cooler. As a result, the current systems occupy a large volume, which reduces the useful volume in the room to be refrigerated.

The maintenance of such devices requires being able to open them with a sufficiently wide hatch placed on the front but also on one side to change internal components. This type of air coolers can not be installed in corners of the room where the hatch on the side would not be accessible. As a result, the air coolers are generally placed in the middle of a wall, this arrangement having a larger footprint.

The document JP S56 155329 , published December 1, 1981, discloses a dual air-conditioning system placed at the corner of two premises and having outlets at the top and inlet mouths at the bottom, the heat exchange battery being located at the halfway up. This document describes a cooling system having the features of the preamble of claim 1. The document JP S55 87417 , published June 17, 1980, discloses a cooling plant having a fan at the top propelling cold air through the mouths, the air being extracted at the bottom. The plant has the same width from the floor to the ceiling of the room in which it is placed.

The invention particularly relates to a cooling system for refrigerating premises containing objects such as food to be cooled and maintain at the required low temperature, especially when the premises are filled to the maximum height. In addition, said system provides a uniform temperature throughout the room where it is installed and it occupies the least possible space while allowing easy maintenance.

3. Objectives of the invention

The invention particularly aims to overcome these disadvantages of the prior art, including compactness, optimization of congestion in the room, better homogeneity of refrigerant air flow in the room.

4. Presentation of the invention

The invention particularly relates to a cooling system comprising a cooling coil for cooling an air flow and at least one fan, the rear face of the system being intended to be in contact with the wall of a room. The airflow is sucked into the lower part of the system, passes vertically through the cooling battery located in the middle part and is expelled by the front face at the top of the system to be propelled horizontally under the ceiling of a room. The thicknesses of the middle part comprising the cooling battery and the lower part comprising a suction grille are lower than that of the upper part comprising the fan.

In this way, the air propelled by the cooling system spreads under the ceiling and reaches the opposite end of the room allowing a better air circulation and a uniform distribution of the temperature throughout the room. The fact that the system is placed against a partition with a lower thickness in the middle and lower part makes it possible to store more food near the system.

According to a first exemplary embodiment, the air cooling system comprises an inclined plane connecting the front faces of the middle part and the upper part. This arrangement makes it possible to adapt the different thicknesses of the different parts and a better transfer of the weight of the upper part to the middle part.

According to another exemplary embodiment, the inclined plane comprises a lighting element whose orientation of the light beam depends on the inclination of the inclined plane. The area to be illuminated is in front and a little below the lighting system thus taking advantage of the inclination of the plane.

According to another exemplary embodiment, the cooling battery comprises tubes carrying a coolant and tubes in which defrosting resistors slide. In this way, the resistances of defrosting are placed inside the cooling coil and their maintenance is facilitated.

According to another embodiment, the tubes containing the defrosting resistors are located in the lower part of the cooling coil. In this way, the flow of water produced by the defrosting is facilitated.

According to another exemplary embodiment, the air cooling system comprises baffles at the top of the system to guide the flow of refrigerated air. In this way, the refrigerated air flow can be easily oriented in the room.

5. List of figures

• la figure 1 montre un schéma d'un refroidisseur d'air 1 vu de face selon un exemple de réalisation,
• la figure 2 montre un schéma du même refroidisseur d'air vu de coté,
• la figure 3 présente un exemple de schéma d'un local vu du dessus contenant un refroidisseur d'air,
• la figure 4 présente une vue en perspective d'un local 1 montrant les flux d'air émis par le refroidisseur d'air,
• la figure 5 présente une vue en perspective d'un refroidisseur d'air 1 selon un exemple particulier de réalisation,

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description of a particular embodiment, given as a simple illustrative and non-limiting example, and the appended drawings, among which:

• the figure 1 shows a diagram of an air cooler 1 seen from the front according to an exemplary embodiment,
• the figure 2 shows a diagram of the same air cooler seen from the side,
• the figure 3 presents an example diagram of a room seen from above containing an air cooler,
• the figure 4 presents a perspective view of a room 1 showing the air flows emitted by the air cooler,
• the figure 5 has a perspective view of an air cooler 1 according to a particular embodiment,

6. Description of an embodiment of the invention 6.1 General principle

The invention relates in particular to a cooling system comprising a cooling battery for cooling a flow of air and at least one fan, the rear face of the system being intended to be in contact with the wall of a room. The airflow is sucked into the lower part of the system, passes vertically through the cooling battery located in the middle part and is expelled by the front face at the top of the system to be propelled horizontally under the ceiling of a room. The thicknesses of the middle part comprising the cooling battery and the lower part comprising a suction grille are lower than that of the upper part comprising the fan.

In this way, the median and low parts are less thick than the upper part thus allowing the storage of foodstuffs closer to the cooling system, at least at the level of the median and low parts.

6.2 Description of an embodiment

In the context of the present invention, the cooling system is also called an air cooler, or an evaporator (case of the use of bi-phasic heat transfer fluid).

The Fig. 1 shows a diagram of an air cooler 1 seen from the front according to an exemplary embodiment. The air cooler is in the form of a piece of furniture comprising three parts: bass (B), median (M) and high (H). The lower part B and the middle part M have an identical thickness, from 400 to 600 millimeters depending on the cooling capacity made available by the air cooler. The upper part H is thicker, up to 1000 millimeters forming a "blow nose". The width of the refrigeration system varies from 600 millimeters to 1600 millimeters depending on its power. The height is invariant: from 1595 millimeters for the realized range (this dimension includes the condensate tray, the height without this tray is 1420mm). As a variant, the condensates can be evacuated by a specific pipe which receives the liquids and evacuates them from the room. An intermediate portion having an oblique wall provides the junction between the upper and middle parts. This particular configuration allows to free up space at the foot of the air cooler, to put goods to store, while maintaining optimum maintainability.

According to the invention, the air is sucked from below through a suction grid 2 and is expelled from above through an expulsion grid 3. The cooled air is propelled by at least one fan 4 located in upper part H, the inner shape of the upper part H directs the air horizontally and establish a flow directed at the outlet of the refrigeration system so that the refrigerated air is propagated as far as possible in the room by sticking to the ceiling. Benefiting from the Coanda effect, the blowing of cold air flows in the immediate vicinity of the ceiling allows them to go very far in the room. The air velocity through a mouth or blower creates acceleration and the airflow is thus guided against the ceiling. The airflow sticks almost to the ceiling. In the case of large premises, one can have several refrigeration systems.

According to an improvement, deflectors are placed in front of the expulsion grid in order to direct the air in a direction normal to the plane of said grid. In this way, the airflow is directed under the ceiling and sent as far as possible from the refrigeration system. Thus, the flow spreads better in the room and a uniform temperature is thus produced.

The air sucked from the bottom through a cooling coil 5, typically a finned exchanger, which is traversed by a heat transfer fluid. The fans 4 are of the centrifugal type, comprising a plurality of blades. According to the illustrated example, the refrigeration system 1 comprises two fans having a vertical axis. According to a variant, it comprises a centrifugal fan comprising a blade wheel, the axis of the wheel being horizontal. By crossing the battery 5 with cold walls, the humidity of the air condenses then frost, turning into ice which is fixed on the walls. After a while, the air passage section is reduced. Heaters are placed in the battery for defrosting. A particular embodiment will be described thereafter. The air cooler 1 is hung on the wall by the rear face and the ceiling of the room by its upper face.

According to an improvement, the front edge 6 of the connection between the middle part and the upper part is inclined so as to adapt the different thicknesses. This shape also allows a better transfer of the weight of the upper part on the middle part and to install a lighting 7. The slope of the edge 6 orients the beam of the lighting spot 7 in front and towards the bottom of the air cooler 1. This provision is preferred because the generation by cooler 1 of a laminar air flow under the ceiling prevents the installation of certain types of ceiling lights in the vicinity of the cooler.

According to another improvement, a thermal insulation is implemented at the inclined plane and at the top, ie above the cooling battery 5, so as to limit the formation of condensation. This condensation has the disadvantage of generating frost, which weighs down the device and gradually blocks the pipes. This insulation is advantageously constituted by a double metal wall thus creating an insulating layer with a thickness ranging from 1 to 5 centimeters. According to one variant, the insulation consists of an insulating material which is bonded inside this zone, this material is for example of the Armaflex type marketed by the company ARMACELL, typically of a thickness of 5 millimeters. Any type of insulation is particularly suitable for closed cell foam, less than 1 cm thick, sold in rolls, this type of product not impregnating with water.

According to another improvement, inspection hatches are arranged to the left and right of the air cooler, allowing at least access to the middle part M and the upper part H by one or other of the sides. In this way, it is possible to arrange the air cooler near a corner of the room by plating the back side against one of the walls, while keeping accessible inside the air cooler 1 through the access hatches left free. According to an alternative embodiment, the access to the median part is effected by removing the front edge which the covers, thus making it possible to carry out maintenance on the battery 5 as well as on the components of the air cooler 1, without opening the hatches from the side.

The Fig. 2 shows a diagram of the same air cooler 1 but seen in profile. This figure shows the suction grid 2 in the lower part, and the expulsion grid 3 at the top, the position of at least one fan 4 and the cooling battery 5, the inclined edge 6 between the middle part and the upper part and a lighting means 7 placed on this inclined song. The Fig. 2 also shows an electrical box 9 fixed inside the air cooler, at the bottom part B. This box contains a control unit which, according to signals produced by a probe, controls the regulation of the temperature, the operation of the fans, and the defrost cycle. This box also contains the communication interface with the remote display and control unit.

The water produced by the defrost is collected at the bottom by a recovery tray 10 at the bottom of the refrigeration system. This tray is also equipped with electrical resistances, as well as the drain pipe so as to evacuate the water resulting from defrosting outside the refrigeration system and the room. The electrical box 9 contains at least the power supply of the components, but can also provide the electrical energy of the control and control assembly of the air cooler. According to a preferred embodiment, the defrosting is carried out periodically for a short time, for example 10 minutes of defrosting 3 to 6 times per day. In this simple embodiment, the period and duration of the defrosting can be adjusted by the user by a remote control box. According to an alternative embodiment, the initiation of a defrosting cycle is carried out by analyzing the pressure difference between the flow entering and leaving the battery 5. The decrease in the section of passage of air passing through the battery due to Frost is proportional to the increase in the air pressure difference measured at the inlet and the outlet of the battery 5. If this pressure difference exceeds a certain threshold, then the control box 9 triggers the "defrost" mode, in particular the ignition of the defrosting resistances for a predetermined time.

According to an improvement, the de-icing resistors are at the bottom of the cooling coil. In this way, the hot air flow rising from the resistances propagates to the entire battery 5 and can thus effectively defrost it.

The Fig. 3 shows a diagram of a room 11 seen from above containing the air cooler 1, an inlet 12 and stored food 15. The air cooler is advantageously placed as far as possible from the entrance 12 of the room. A control box 13 is preferably fixed outside the entrance and close to it. In this way, an operator can see the indications displayed on the box, typically an indication of the temperature, an indication of the operation of the fans, de-icing means, etc ... The control box 13 also includes buttons allowing a operator to introduce orders and instructions (for example, the temperature to be maintained in the room, the defrosting parameters, an ignition button for the lighting of the room, ...).

Considering that the door at the entrance 12 of the room tends to warm the room with the inflow of hot air when opening this door, a temperature sensor 14 is placed in the immediate vicinity, so as to provide the highest temperature present in the room 11. This temperature sensor is connected by a cable to the control box 13 and the electrical box 9 inside the air cooler. According to one variant, the communication between the control unit 13 and the electrical box 9 is carried out by a wired link of the data bus type, but the communication can also alternatively be carried out by a radio signal, using Wifi for example . The electrical box 9 is also connected to temperature probes internal to the refrigeration system, and in particular to the air inlet and outlet of the battery. If the temperature difference measured by the outdoor sensor 14 and the indoor sensor exceeds a certain threshold, then the fans are triggered in order to stir the air contained in the room and allow a better homogeneity. If, overall, the temperature measured by the probes exceeds a certain value, the set temperature, then the coolant circulates in the battery 5 to lower the air temperature and thus reduce the gap.

The Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of a room 11 containing the air cooler 1, an inlet 12 and stored food 15. It can be seen that the system 1 propels the refrigerated air over the stored products and in guided directions can be fan. In this way, the refrigerated air spreads quickly under the ceiling, thus avoiding the goods stored in the room and covers them, allowing a uniform distribution of the temperature in the room 11.

Advantageously, the upper part of the air cooler 1 may optionally comprise steering deflectors placed in front of the expulsion grid 3. These deflectors are adjustable from right to left and possibly upwards and downwards, so as to produce a large flow of air output that spreads in a directed and optimal way throughout the room.

The Fig. 5 presents a perspective view of an air cooler 1. The lower part ends with a nozzle allowing the flow of water produced by the defrosting. After installation of the refrigeration system, this nozzle is connected to a pipe containing an electrical resistance avoiding the freezing of the water inside.

The Fig. 5 presents the shape of the inclined song 6, this song allows in particular to orient a lamp (not shown) whose beam illuminates the bottom and the front of the air cooler 1.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments that have just been described. In particular, the invention can be implemented regardless of how to generate frigories within the refrigeration system.

Claims (11)

1. Air cooling system (1) comprising a cooling battery (5) for cooling an air stream, and at least one fan (4), the rear face of the said system being intended to be in contact with the wall of a room and its upper face being intended to be in contact with the ceiling of the said room; the said air stream being drawn in in the bottom part (B), vertically traversing the cooling battery (5) located in the middle part (M) and being exhausted by the front face in the top part (H) in close proximity to the ceiling, characterised in that the thicknesses of the middle part (M) comprising the cooling battery and of the bottom part (B) comprising a suction grille (2) are less than that of the top part comprising the at least one fan (4).
2. Air cooling system according to Claim 1, characterised in that it comprises an inclined plane linking the front faces of the middle part (M) and of the top part (H).
3. Air cooling system according to Claim 2, characterised in that the said inclined plane comprises a lighting element the light-beam direction of which depends on the inclination of the inclined plane.
4. Air cooling system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the cooling battery (5) comprises tubes transporting a heat-transfer fluid and tubes into which defrost heaters slide.
5. Air cooling system according to Claim 4, characterised in that the tubes containing the defrost heaters are in the bottom part of the cooling battery (5).
6. Air cooling system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises direction deflectors in the top part (H) of the system to direct the cooled air stream.
7. Air cooling system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises a thermal insulation element above the cooling battery (5).
8. Air cooling system according to Claim 7, characterised in that the thermal insulation element is formed of a double metal shell.
9. Air cooling system according to Claim 7, characterised in that the thermal insulation element is formed of a closed-cell insulation foam with a thickness of less than 1 centimetre.
10. Air cooling system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the thickness of the bottom part (B) is between 0.4 metres and 0.6 metres, the thickness of the middle part (M) is between 0.4 metres and 0.6 metres and the thickness of the top part (H) is less than 1 metre.
11. Air cooling system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the total height of the system is 1.595 metres.

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