Low energy refrigerator heat source
AssigneeWhirlpool Corporation
InventorPatrick J. Boarman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refrigerator is provided that includes a low energy refrigerator heat source. The refrigerator includes a heat source positioned at a source of latent heat. The heat source harvested heat from the source of latent heat and stores said heat in a fluid within that heat reservoir or heat exchanger. The warmed fluid is then supplied via a fluid pathway to an application requiring a heat output. Thus, the heat reservoir provides heat to the application without use of an energy-consuming device, which reduces the energy consumption of the refrigerator.
Claims16
A refrigerated appliance comprising:
- a cabinet body having an exterior and an interior;
- a door configured to provide selective access to the interior;
- a heat reservoir disposed on the exterior of the cabinet body and configured to harvest latent heat from ambient air and store the heat in a fluid material;
- an application having a heat output and disposed within the interior of the cabinet body;
- a liquid pathway between the heat reservoir and the application for supplying the fluid material from the heat reservoir to the application;
- a pump in operable communication with the liquid pathway for moving the fluid material through the liquid pathway between the heat reservoir and the application.
A refrigerated appliance comprising:
- a cabinet body having a refrigerated interior and an exterior;
- a door that provides selective access to the refrigerated interior of the cabinet body;
- an application disposed within the refrigerated interior;
- a liquid pathway positioned at a source of latent heat, the liquid pathway between the source of latent heat and the application for supplying a heat output for the operation from the source of latent heat;
- a pump in operable communication with the liquid pathway for moving the latent heat through the liquid pathway between the source of latent heat and the application;
- a heat exchanger at the source of latent heat, the heat exchanger having a liquid heat carrier for moving heat in the liquid heat carrier from the source of latent heat to the application;
- wherein the heat exchanger is positioned on the exterior of the cabinet body for harvesting heat from ambient air around the refrigerated appliance.
A refrigerated appliance comprising:
- a cabinet having an exterior and a refrigerated interior, the cabinet having a top wall, a rear wall, and a pair of parallel side walls;
- a heat reservoir disposed on the exterior and on the top wall and configured to harvest latent heat from ambient air and store the latent heat in a fluid material;
- an application having a heat output and disposed within the refrigerated interior of the cabinet;
- a liquid pathway between the heat reservoir and the application for supplying the fluid material from the heat reservoir to the application;
- a pump in operable communication with the liquid pathway for moving the fluid material through the liquid pathway between the heat reservoir and the application.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.