US 4,156,352 AGranted

Cooling arrangement for a refrigerator machinery compartment

AssigneeGeneral Electric Company

InventorsRobert B. Gelbard, Ronald D. Gregg

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Abstract

A refrigerator has a machinery compartment at the bottom for housing a motor-compressor unit and a condenser and has an air inlet opening at the front thereof extending substantially across the width of the compartment. The machinery compartment includes a forward section for receiving the condenser and a duct at the rear portion thereof for receiving the motor-compressor unit. The duct has an air inlet at one end for receiving air from the forward section. The condenser extends generally horizontally from one side wall of the compartment across a substantial portion of the forward section. A drain pan is supported above the condenser for collecting water draining from the interior of the refrigerator. The drain pan additionally functions as a baffle to cause air entering the forward section to flow effectively over the condenser. A fan is positioned at the inlet of the duct and the motor-compressor unit is so positioned in the duct that the compressor portion thereof is positioned adjacent to the fan so that substantially all of the air discharged from the fan is directed onto the compressor portion, thereby maximizing the heat transferred from the compressor to the air flowing through the compartment.

Claims7

Dependent claims

In a refrigerator having a machinery compartment at the bottom for housing a motor-compressor unit and a condenser, with an air opening at the front of the machinery compartment extending substantially the full width of the compartment, a cooling arrangement for the motor-compressor unit and the condenser comprising:

the machinery compartment having a forward section at the front portion thereof for receiving said condenser and having a duct at the rear portion thereof for receiving said motor-compressor unit;
said duct having an air inlet at one end within said compartment for receiving air from said forward section and having an outlet for exhausting air from said compartment;
said condenser extending generally horizontally within a substantial portion of said forward section;
means for directing air entering said forward section to be distributed substantially evenly over the surface of said condenser;
and
a fan positioned at said inlet of said duct;
said motor-compressor unit being positioned in said duct with the compressor portion thereof adjacent said fan;
said fan drawing air over said condenser to said inlet of said duct and directing substantially all of the discharged air over said compressor portion, thereby maximizing heat transferred from the compressor by the flow of air through said compartment.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.