US2297475A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

p 1942. R. I- IINTZE ETAL 2,297,475

' EEEFRIGERATOR Filed April 24, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l Patented Sept. 29, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE Rudolf Hintze, Berlin-Charlottenburg, and Anton Engelmann, Berlin-Tegel, Germany; vested in the Alien Property Custodian Application April 24, 1940, Serial No. 331,392

. In Germany April 5, 1939 Claims. (01. 62-116) This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus and has for its object to provide a cooler, the manufacture of which requires less material than has hitherto been the case. accomplished according to the invention by forming channels in the refrigerator feet through which passes a medium operating in the refrigerating apparatus for cooling purposes. The refrigerator feet themselves thus form one or more coolers required for the operation of the refrigerating apparatus. In the case of a refrigerator in which the condenser consists of two metal sheets secured together around their edges by welding, the arrangement according to the invention is so designed that the metal sheets of the condenser form the refrigerator feet, thereby simplifying the arrangement considerably. The plate condenser forming the feet is preferably bent at the two edges lying opposite to each other. In this manner a very rugged construction is obtained.

If the condenser is, for instance, mounted on the rear or side wall of the refrigerator, the arrangement is carried out in such a manner that the two lateral edges of the condenser are so bent that the bent edges do not prevent a circulation of air necessary for carrying off the heat. The

bent parts of the condenser are preferably so designed that the refrigerant conduits are indented in the same. They may also be so shaped as to receive parts necessary for the refrigerating apparatus, such as, for instance, silencers, floatcontrolled valves or the like. A particularly simple construction of the condenser may be obtained if the lower central portion of the plate condenser is designed in the form of a housing for the motor-compressor set. In this manner a separate housing for the set is dispensed with,

and the arrangement can be so designed that the set is cooled by the refrigerant liquefied in This may be the condenser. This may be accomplished, for

instance, by designing some of the condenser conduits in such a manner that the refrigerant condensed therein flows to the housing of the set in order to beevapoi'ated again.

A very economical arrangement, particularly suitable for small refrigerators, may be obtained if the plate condenser whichfis at the same time designed in the form of a housingfor the compressor-motor set is so designed that the two sidewise bent parts of the condenser serve as refrigerator feet. To facilitate the mounting of the refrigerator on the wall, if desirable, the plate condenser may be secured to the rear side of the refrigerator by means of straps having openings therein, as described more in. detail hereinafter.

The invention will be described more in detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a rear view of a household refrigerator, showing the integrally formed condenser and compressor housing;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same parts, showing also a portion of the cooling chamber;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the compressor housing;

Fig. 4 is a rear view of a modified form of the invention; V

Fig. 5 is a. side view of the same, corresponding to- Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a section on the'line A-A, Fig. 4. Referring to Fig. 1, an embodiment of the invention is shown comprising a plate condenser secured to the back side of a domestic refrigerator and which is designed at the same time as a housing for the motor-compressor set. The condenser consists of two metal sheets I and 2, refrigerant channels 3 being indented in the metal sheet 2, whereas the metal sheet I is flat at the corresponding points. Both metal sheets are provided with indentations A and 5 which form as shown in Fig. 3 the housing for the reception of the compressor-motor set 6. The latter is mounted in the housing on springs I.

The two metal sheets I and 2 of the plate condenser are so bent at both edges as to form parts 8 and 9 bentat right angles. In the upper portion of the part 8 is indented a suction conduit l0. Furthermore, it isprovided with two series-arranged silencers II and l2. l3 denotes the suction conduit extending-from the evaporator (not shown) of the refrigerating apparatus. To the silencer I2 is connected a conduit H which extends within the housing to the suction side of the compressor. In'the arrangement shown the housing for the reception of the compressormotor set is under condenser pressure. housing is connected a conduit l5 which, in turn, is connected to the central conduit l6 of the plate condenser. The compressed refrigerant passes through the conduit l6 into the manifold ll and then into the individual conduits 3 extending in the downward direction and which communicate as disclosed in Fig. 1 with two collecting channels l8 and I9, whence the liquid refrigerant flows through the conduits 20 and 2| to the point 22 arranged beneath the compressormotor housing and from which the conduit 23 extends tothe evaporator. The conduit 23 is indented in the bent portion 9 of the plate con- To the denser. 24 denotes a screen arranged in this conduit. 25 denotes the conduit extending to the control member (not shown) of the refriger-- ating apparatus. In the lower end portion 8 of the plate condenser are indented also refrigerant conduits 25.

The plate condenser shown in Fig. 1 is secured to the rear wall of a refrigerator and is so designed that it forms the back feet of the refrigerator, as indicated at 2'1 and 28, these feet including also the bent portions 9 and 8. Straps 29 are firmly secured to the inner casing 30 of the refrigerator and serve to fasten the plate condenser to the refrigerator. The lateral portions 9 and 8 of the plate condenser are attached as will be seen from Fig. 3 to the straps 29. 3| denotes, for instance, the wall of the kitchen. The straps 29' are bentat right angles at the side facing the wall, so that they may be employed at the same time as spacers for the refrigerator. In order to easily hang the above-described refrigerator on the wall, holes 32 are provided in the straps 29, through which holes the spikes 33 for hanging the refrigerator are hammered into the wall.

The channels formed in the feet may also be employed as coolers for a heat transfer agent serving to carry off the waste heat of the apparatus, for instance, for the lubricant contained in the refrigerating apparatus of the compression type.

A simple form of the invention may be obtained by forming the refrigerator feet of two metal sheets secured together around their edges by welding, in which, are indented the channels for the heat transfer agent. By giving, for instance, these feet a U-shaped form, a particularly robust construction is obtained. These feet are preferably extended in the upward direction so as to form the lateral parts of a frame supporting the entire refrigerating apparatus.

Such an embodiment is shown in Figs. 4 to 6. The refrigerator is equipped with an air-cooled motor-driven refrigerating apparatus of the compression type. The compressor-motor set is arranged in a housing consisting of the two parts IM and I02. The flanges I03 of the two parts of the housing are secured together by welding and the housing is suspended in the manner as shown in Fig. 4 on brackets I04 secured to the frame I05.

The refrigerant leaves the housing IM, I02 through a pressure conduit I05 and passes into a flat condenser coil I01 provided with the cooling ribs I08 to enlarge the heat-radiating surface. The liquid refrigerant then passes in the usual manner from the condenser to the evaporator (not shown). The vaporous refrigerant flows from the evaporator back into the compressor-motor housing IOI, I02 through the suction conduit I09. The frame I05 and the condenser I0I are secured to the two rear refrigerator feet I I0 and III which thus form the lateral frame parts for the refrigerating apparatus. Each of the refrigerator feet consists of two metal sheets secured together around their edges by welding and in which the channels H2 and H3 are indented. In this manner the refrigerator feet form at the same time an air cooler for the heat transfer agent flowing through these channels. The lubricant of the refrigerating apparatus contained in the housing IOI, I02 serves as a heat transfer agent. The lubricant is forced out of the housing through the conduit II! with the aid of an oil pump (not shown) mounted in the housing IOI, I65! and passes at the joint "5 into the oil conduits H3 as shown in Fig. 5. 'I'heoil rises and passes at the Joint I I6 into a conduit II'I through which it flows-into the channels 2 provided in the other refrigerator foot. The oil then passes from the collecting point H8 through a conduit H9 again into the housing IOI, I02. With the aid ofthe above-described oil circulation system. the waste heat of the motor-compressor set .2: carried off to the air which comes into contact with the refrigerator feet H0 and II I.

The feet H0 and III are given a U-shaped form as will be seen from Fig. 6 so as to obtain very rugged lateral parts for the refrigerator frame. At the upper end these parts H0, III are firmly held together with the aid of a U- shaped iron member I20 to which triangular eyes I2'I are secured with which the refrigerator may be hung on the wall. I22 denotes the current supply cable for the enclosed electric motor and I23 the bushing.

What is claimed is:

1. In a refrigerator, a rigid vertical frame comprising parallel sheets welded together, liquid cooling channels indented in one of said sheets, and a cooling chamber having its rear wallextending parallel to the upper portion of said frame and supported thereon, the said frame extending downwardly below said chamber and forming the rear supporting legs therefor.

2. In a refrigerator, a rigid vertical frame comprising parallel metal sheets welded together, liquid cooling channels indented in one of said sheets, a cooling chamber having its rear wall extending parallel to theupper portion of said frame and supported thereon, the said frame extending downwardly below said chamher and forming the rear supporting legs therefor, a compressor unit supported on said frame, and conduits connecting said unit with said cooling channels. i

3. In a refrigerator, a rigid vertical frame comprising parallel metal sheets welded together along their edges, a cooling chamber having its rear wall extending parallel to the upper portion of said frame and supported thereon, the said frame extending downwardly below said chamher and forming the rear supporting legs therefor, a motor compressor unit supported on said frame between said legs, and channels indented in one of said sheets through which the lubricant for said unit is circulated to cool the same.

4. In a refrigerator, a vertical condenser comprising channels formed between two parallel metal sheets which are welded together, said sheets including portions extending downwardly beneath the condenser part thereof to form supporting legs, and a housing for a compressor formed integrally with the condenser by opposite indentations in said sheets between said legs.

5. In a refrigerator, a rigid vertical frame for supporting the rear end of a cooling chamber, said frame comprising two parallel metal sheets coextensive with .the rear wall of said chamber and welded together, supporting legs formed integrally with said frame by extension of said sheets beneath the chamber, and channels formed by indentations in one of said sheets constituting a condenser.

6. A refrigerator as claimed in claim 5, wherein a conduit for gaseous refrigerant is formed by an indentation in one of the frame sheets and wherein a part of such indentation is enlarged to form a silencer. c

7. In a refrigerator, a rigid vertical frame comprising two parallel metal sheets welded together, channels indented in the upper portion of one of said sheets to form a condenser, a cooling chamber supported on said frame adjacent said condenser, said frame extending below said chamber to form supporting legs therefor, a compressor unit supported on said frame between said legs, separate channels indented in one of said sheets forming conduits for refrigerant, and means including said conduits for con veying refrigerant from said condenser to an evaporator in said cooling chamber and from said evaporator to said compressor.

8. In a refrigerator, a rigid vertical frame comprising two parallel metal sheets welded together, said frame being bent at right angles along both vertical edges to form side members, a cooling chamber and a compressor unit mounted on said frame, channels indented in said frame to form a condenser, a channel indented in one side member connected with the condenser, means including saidside channel for conveying refrigerant to an evaporator in the cooling chamber, a second channel indented in the other side member, and means including said second channel for conveying refrigerant from the evaporator to the compressor.

9. In a refrigerator, a rigid vertical frame for supporting the rear end of a cooling chamber, said frame comprising two U-shaped vertical corner members, each comprising two metal sheets welded together, cross members holding said corner members together, a compressor unit supported on said frame, channels formed by the sheets of said corner members, and a cooling system for the compressor lubricant including said channels.

10. A refrigerator as claimed, in claim 9, wherein the channels in therespective corner members are connected in series by means of a conduit connecting the channels together at the top.

RUDOLF HINTZE. ANTON ENGELMANN.

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