Low energy refrigerator heat source
AssigneeWhirlpool Corporation
InventorPatrick J. Boarman
Life of this patent
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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.
Claims20
A refrigerator comprising:
- a cabinet body and a door that provides access to the cabinet body;
- a heat reservoir positioned at a source of latent heat, the heat reservoir harvesting heat from the source of latent heat;
- an application having a heat output, the application at a location generally remote from the heat reservoir;
- a fluid pathway between the heat reservoir and the application for supplying the heat output at the application from the heat reservoir;
- a pump in operable communication with the fluid pathway for moving fluid through the fluid pathway between the heat reservoir and the application.
A refrigerator comprising:
- a cabinet body and a door that provides access to the cabinet body;
- an application having a heat output associated with an operation of the refrigerator;
- a flow pathway positioned at a source of latent heat, the flow pathway between the source of latent heat and the application for supplying the heat output for the operation from the source of latent heat;
- a pump in operable communication with the flow pathway for moving the latent heat through the flow pathway between the source of latent heat and the application.
A method for using latent heat in a refrigerator, comprising:
- positioning a heat exchanger at a source of latent heat;
- harvesting heat from the source of latent heat with a fluid;
- moving the fluid to an application having a heat output;
- supplying the heat output at the application using the latent heat in the fluid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.