Cold-water generating tank, and water cooler equipped with same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10266385-B2
Application number	US-201515532786-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2015
Priority date	Dec 5, 2014
Publication date	Apr 23, 2019
Grant date	Apr 23, 2019

Abstract

A cold-water generating tank is provided for generating cold water by using the ice thermal storage method and a water cooler equipped with same. The cold-water generating tank includes a tank body which houses, on the inside thereof, an ice storage liquid cooled by means of a cooling unit; a cooling tube provided on the inside of the tank body in order to cool the ice storage liquid housed inside the tank body; and a cold-water generating unit which has a heat exchange tube forming a flow pathway where inflowing water becomes cold water through heat exchange with the ice storage liquid, and has an extension member positioned on the outer circumferential surface of the heat exchange tube in order to widen the area of contact with the ice storage liquid.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cold water generating tank comprising:
a tank body accommodating an ice storage liquid cooled by a cooling unit;
a cooling tube included in the tank body and configured to cool the ice storage liquid accommodated in the tank body;
a cold water generating unit including a heat exchange tube configured to form a flow path on which inflowing water becomes cold water by heat exchange with the ice storage liquid and an extension member located in an outer circumferential surface of the heat exchange tube and configured to increase a contact area with the ice storage liquid; and
a circulation unit configured to circulate the ice storage liquid accommodated in the tank body,
wherein the cold water generating unit is installed inside the tank body to surround a circumference of the cooling tube,
wherein the cooling tube and the heat exchange tube each have a three-dimensional spiral shape, and the heat exchange tube surrounds the cooling tube,
wherein the circulation unit jets the ice storage liquid in a direction from the cooling tube toward the cold water generating unit,
wherein the circulation unit comprises a jetting member and a circulating pump,
wherein the jetting member is arranged in a center portion of the spiral shape of the cooling tube in a longitudinal direction of the cooling tube and is configured to jet the ice storage liquid to the cooling tube,
wherein the circulating pump is configured to intake the ice storage liquid in the tank body to supply the jetting member, and
wherein a space is provided between each turn of the cooling tube and the heat exchange tube in the longitudinal direction, and the jetting member is configured to circulate the ice storage liquid in a radial direction from a center portion of the cooling tube to the cold water generating unit.

2. The cold water generating tank of claim 1 , wherein the circulation unit further includes an intake member configured to supply the ice storage liquid in the tank body to the circulating pump, and
the intake member is disposed in a space between a circumference of the cold water generating unit and the tank body.

3. The cold water generating tank of claim 1 , wherein the jetting member extends in the longitudinal direction of the cooling tube and includes a plurality of injection holes.

4. The cold water generating tank of claim 1 , wherein the circulating pump is disposed inside the tank body.

5. The cold water generating tank of claim 1 , wherein the circulation unit includes a blocking member configured to restrict flow between the jetting member and the circulating pump to prevent the ice storage liquid jetted from the jetting member from directly flowing into the circulating pump.

6. The cold water generating tank of claim 1 , wherein the cooling tube and the cold water generating unit form circular spiral shapes and maintain a constant distance therebetween.

7. The cold water generating tank of claim 1 , wherein the extension member has a shape protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the heat exchange tube, and consist of an ice contact member configured to be in contact with ice formed on a circumference of the cooling tube.

8. The cold water generating tank of claim 7 , wherein the cold water generating unit includes a first portion surrounding the circumference of the cooling tube and a second portion arranged in a center portion of the spiral shape of the cooling tube, and
the ice contact member located at the first portion and the second portion, respectively, is in contact with the ice formed on the circumference of the cooling tube.

9. The cold water generating tank of claim 7 , wherein a portion of the ice contact member facing the cooling tube has a length protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the heat exchange tube greater than an outer diameter of the heat exchange tube.

10. The cold water generating tank of claim 7 , wherein the ice contact member has a structure in which a width in a direction toward the cooling tube is greater than a width perpendicular to the direction toward the cooling tube.

11. The cold water generating tank of claim 1 , wherein the extension member includes a plurality of fin members formed integrally with the outer circumferential surface of the heat exchange tube around the heat exchange tube or installed on the outer circumferential surface of the heat exchange tube, and
the fin members have a structure in which a portion adjacent to the cooling tube has a width greater than a height and extends toward the cooling tube.

12. A cold water generating tank comprising:
a tank body accommodating an ice storage liquid cooled by a cooling unit;
a cooling tube included in the tank body and configured to cool the ice storage liquid accommodated in the tank body;
a cold water generating unit including a heat exchange tube configured to form a flow path on which inflowing water becomes cold water by heat exchange with the ice storage liquid and an extension member located in an outer circumferential surface of the heat exchange tube and configured to increase a contact area with the ice storage liquid; and
a circulation unit comprising a jetting member, a circulating pump and a blocking member, configured to circulate the ice storage liquid accommodated in the tank body,
wherein the blocking member is configured to restrict flow between the jetting member and the circulating pump to prevent the ice storage liquid jetted from the jetting member from directly flowing into the circulating pump, and
wherein the blocking member has a diameter greater than a diameter of the spiral formed by the cooling tube.

13. The cold water generating tank of claim 12 , wherein the cold water generating unit is installed inside the tank body to surround a circumference of the cooling tube.

14. The cold water generating tank of claim 12 , wherein the cooling tube and the heat exchange tube each have a three-dimensional spiral shape, and the heat exchange tube surrounds the cooling tube.

15. The cold water generating tank of claim 12 , wherein the circulation unit jets the ice storage liquid from the cooling tube toward the cold water generating unit.

16. The cold water generating tank of claim 12 , wherein the jetting member is arranged in a center portion of the spiral shape of the cooling tube in a longitudinal direction of the cooling tube and is configured to circulate the ice storage liquid to the cooling tube, and the circulating pump is configured to intake the ice storage liquid in the tank body to supply the jetting member.

Assignees

• Coway Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Soo-Young
• Lee Gyeong-Min
• Kim Kyu-Jun

Classifications

• F25D2400/00

  General features of, or devices for refrigerators, cold rooms, ice-boxes, or for cooling or freezing apparatus not covered by any other subclass · CPC title

• F25D11/00 Primary

  Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators · CPC title

• F25D31/003

  with immersed cooling element · CPC title

• F25D2303/0841

  external to the container for a beverage, e.g. a bottle, can, drinking glass or pitcher · CPC title

• F28D7/087

  assembled in arrays, each array being arranged in the same plane · CPC title