JP7603453B2 - Insulated box and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an insulated box and a method for manufacturing an insulated box.

Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a heat exchanger is fitted from the rear into a recess formed on the rear side of an insulated box for a refrigeration unit. After the heat exchanger is fitted, the recess is covered with two rear panels. The recess is also formed by placing a jig in the insulated box when filling the space between the outer box and the inner box with foam material.

International Publication No. 2018/008446

When it comes to insulated boxes, there is a demand to improve productivity while ensuring ease of maintenance of the heat exchanger.

The present disclosure aims to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems and provide an insulated box that can improve productivity while ensuring maintainability of the heat exchanger.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned objective, the insulated box body of the present disclosure comprises an outer box having an opening in the bottom wall, an inner box accommodated at a distance inside the outer box, a heat exchanger arranged between the outer box and the inner box so as to be removable via the opening, and a first insulating member that is foam-filled between the outer box and the inner box with the heat exchanger arranged therebetween.
When implementing the above-described insulating box, the insulating box may preferably include a second insulating member covering the heat exchanger.

In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned objective, the manufacturing method of an insulated box in the present disclosure includes a step of accommodating an inner box with a gap inside an outer box having an opening in its bottom wall, a step of introducing a heat exchanger covered with a second insulating member between the outer box and the inner box through the opening, and a step of injecting a first insulating member between the outer box and the inner box and foaming and filling it.

The insulated box and the method for manufacturing the insulated box disclosed herein can provide an insulated box that can improve productivity while ensuring maintainability of the heat exchanger.

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a refrigeration device in which the insulated box of the present disclosure is used. Vertical cross-sectional view of a refrigeration unit Refrigeration circuit diagram Perspective view of a plate heat exchanger Heat exchange unit schematic Front view of the heat exchange unit Close-up of the opening of the insulated box Schematic diagram showing a modified example of the heat exchange unit Schematic diagram showing a modified example of the heat exchange unit Circuit diagram showing a modified example of the refrigeration circuit

A refrigeration device in which the insulated box of the present disclosure is used will be described below with reference to the drawings. For ease of explanation, the upper and lower sides in FIG. 1 will be referred to as the top and bottom of the refrigeration device 1, the upper left and lower right sides as the front and rear of the refrigeration device 1, and the lower left and upper right sides as the left and right of the refrigeration device 1.

The refrigeration device 1 is, for example, an ultra-low temperature freezer in which the temperature inside the storage chamber 2c1 (Fig. 2) is -80°C or lower. As shown in Fig. 1, the refrigeration device 1 includes an insulated box body 2 with an opening on the front side, a door 3 that opens and closes the opening of the insulated box body 2, a refrigeration circuit 4 (Fig. 3), and a machine room 5.

As shown in FIG. 2, the insulated box 2 has a storage chamber 2c1 that is open at the front. The insulated box 2 includes an outer box 2a made of steel plate, an insulating plate member 2b, an inner box 2c made of steel plate, and a first insulating member 2d.

The outer box 2a is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is open at the front. An opening 2a2 is formed in the bottom wall 2a1 of the outer box 2a (FIGS. 2 and 7). The opening 2a2 is formed to allow the heat exchange unit 40 and the second insulating member 50, which will be described later, to pass through, and to allow the mounting member 70 to be attached and detached (details will be described later).

The insulating plate member 2b is arranged on the inner surface of the rear wall 2a3 of the outer box 2a so as to cover almost the entire inner surface. The insulating plate member 2b is made of vacuum insulation material. The insulating plate member 2b, arranged so as to cover almost the entire inner surface of the rear wall 2a3, suppresses heat dissipation from almost the entire surface of the rear wall 2a3 of the insulating box 2, thereby reliably improving the insulating performance of the insulating box 2.

The inner box 2c is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape with an opening at the front. The inner box 2c is housed inside the outer box 2a with a gap between them. The inside of the inner box 2c forms a storage chamber 2c1. The low-temperature side evaporator 26, which will be described later, is disposed on the outer surface of the inner box 2c. The opening 2a2 in the bottom wall 2a1 of the outer box 2a is formed in a position facing between the rear wall 2a3 of the outer box 2a and the rear wall 2c2 of the inner box 2c.

The first insulating member 2d is foam-filled between the outer box 2a and the inner box 2c with the heat exchange unit 40, which includes a plate-type heat exchanger 30 (described later), placed therebetween. The first insulating member 2d is, for example, urethane foam.

The refrigeration circuit 4 is a dual refrigeration circuit. As shown in FIG. 3, the refrigeration circuit 4 includes a high-temperature side refrigeration circuit 10 and a low-temperature side refrigeration circuit 20.

The high-temperature side refrigeration circuit 10 includes a high-temperature side compressor 11, a high-temperature side condenser 12, a high-temperature side dryer 13, a high-temperature side pressure reducer 14, a high-temperature side evaporator 15, a receiver 16, and a high-temperature side heat exchanger 17.

The high-temperature side heat exchanger 17 is composed of a double tube. The inner tube of the high-temperature side heat exchanger 17 is the high-temperature side pressure reducer 14. The high-temperature side evaporator 15 constitutes the plate-type heat exchanger 30 described below. The receiver 16 is formed in a cylindrical shape.

The above-mentioned devices are connected by high-temperature side piping 18 so that the high-temperature side refrigerant discharged from the high-temperature side compressor 11 returns to the high-temperature side compressor 11.

The high-temperature side refrigerant circulates in the direction of the arrows shown in Figure 3. Specifically, the high-temperature side refrigerant flows through the high-temperature side compressor 11, the high-temperature side condenser 12, the high-temperature side dryer 13, the high-temperature side pressure reducer 14, the high-temperature side evaporator 15, the receiver 16, and the outer tube 17a of the high-temperature side heat exchanger 17, in that order, before returning to the high-temperature side compressor 11.

The low-temperature side refrigeration circuit 20 includes a low-temperature side compressor 21, a spiral heat exchanger 22, a low-temperature side condenser 23, a low-temperature side dryer 24, a low-temperature side pressure reducer 25, a low-temperature side evaporator 26, and a low-temperature side heat exchanger 27. The low-temperature side dryer 24 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The spiral heat exchanger 22 includes a main tube 22a and a spiral tube 22b.

The main tube 22a is formed in a cylindrical shape with the low-temperature refrigerant flowing inside. The spiral tube 22b is spirally wrapped around the main tube 22a.

The low-temperature side heat exchanger 27 is composed of a double tube. The inner tube of the low-temperature side heat exchanger 27 is the low-temperature side pressure reducer 25. In addition, the low-temperature side condenser 23 constitutes a plate-type heat exchanger 30, which will be described later.

The above-mentioned devices are connected by low-temperature side piping 28 so that the low-temperature side refrigerant discharged from the low-temperature side compressor 21 returns to the low-temperature side compressor 21.

The low-temperature side refrigerant circulates in the direction of the arrows shown in Figure 3. Specifically, the low-temperature side refrigerant flows through the low-temperature side compressor 21, the spiral tube 22b, the low-temperature side condenser 23, the low-temperature side dryer 24, the low-temperature side pressure reducer 25, the low-temperature side evaporator 26, the outer tube 27a of the low-temperature side heat exchanger 27, and the main tube 22a, in that order, before returning to the low-temperature side compressor 21. Note that the refrigeration cycle in the low-temperature side refrigeration circuit 20 provides an ultra-low temperature of -80°C or less in the low-temperature side evaporator 26.

The plate heat exchanger 30 exchanges heat between the high-temperature refrigerant flowing through the high-temperature evaporator 15 and the low-temperature refrigerant flowing through the low-temperature condenser 23. The plate heat exchanger 30 is an example of a "heat exchanger."

As shown in FIG. 4, the plate heat exchanger 30 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The plate heat exchanger 30 includes a plurality of heat transfer plates 31 and a cover plate 32. The heat transfer plates 31 and the cover plate 32 are plate members that are rectangular in front view. The heat transfer plate 31 is formed in a wavy cross section.

The multiple heat transfer plates 31 are stacked at a predetermined distance from each other so that a flow path for one of the high-temperature side refrigerant and the low-temperature side refrigerant is formed between adjacent heat transfer plates 31. A high-temperature side flow path (not shown) through which the high-temperature side refrigerant flows and a low-temperature side flow path (not shown) for the low-temperature side refrigerant are formed adjacent to each other with one heat transfer plate 31 in between. In other words, the high-temperature side flow path and the low-temperature side flow path are arranged alternately in the stacking direction of the multiple heat transfer plates 31. Furthermore, cover plates 32 are arranged on both ends of the multiple heat transfer plates 31 stacked together.

On the surface of one of the cover plates 32, there are a high temperature side inlet 33 through which the high temperature side refrigerant flows in, a high temperature side outlet 34 through which the high temperature side refrigerant flows out, a low temperature side inlet 35 through which the low temperature side refrigerant flows in, and a low temperature side outlet 36.

The high-temperature refrigerant that flows in from the high-temperature inlet 33 flows through the high-temperature flow path and flows out from the high-temperature outlet 34. The low-temperature refrigerant that flows in from the low-temperature inlet 35 flows through the low-temperature flow path and flows out from the low-temperature outlet 36. The high-temperature refrigerant and the low-temperature refrigerant exchange heat via the heat transfer plate 31.

Some of the devices that make up the refrigeration circuit 4 make up the heat exchange unit 40 shown in Figures 5 and 6. For ease of explanation, the upper and lower sides in Figure 6 will be referred to as the upper and lower sides of the heat exchange unit 40, respectively, the left and right sides will be referred to as the left and right sides of the heat exchange unit 40, respectively, and the rear and front sides of the paper will be referred to as the front and rear of the heat exchange unit 40, respectively.

The heat exchange unit 40 includes a plate heat exchanger 30, a high-temperature side heat exchanger 17, a receiver 16, a spiral heat exchanger 22, a low-temperature side dryer 24, and a low-temperature side heat exchanger 27.

The plate heat exchanger 30 is positioned so that its longitudinal direction is aligned with the vertical direction and the plate surface of the cover plate 32 is perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction.

The high-temperature side heat exchanger 17 is disposed to the left of the plate heat exchanger 30. The receiver 16 is disposed between the plate heat exchanger 30 and the high-temperature side heat exchanger 17 with its longitudinal direction aligned vertically.

The spiral heat exchanger 22 is disposed between the receiver 16 and the high-temperature side heat exchanger 17, with the axis of the main tube 22a aligned vertically. The low-temperature side dryer 24 is disposed to the right of the plate-type heat exchanger 30, with its longitudinal direction aligned vertically. The low-temperature side heat exchanger 27 is disposed to the right of the low-temperature side dryer 24. By arranging the components of the heat exchange unit 40 in this manner, the length of the heat exchange unit 40 in the direction perpendicular to the plate surface of the cover plate 32, i.e., the thickness in the front-to-rear direction, is reduced.

The heat exchange unit 40 also includes a portion of the high-temperature side piping 18 and a portion of the low-temperature side piping 28, which are each connected to the above-mentioned components.

Furthermore, the heat exchange unit 40 is covered with a second insulating member 50, as shown in FIG. 6.

The second insulating member 50 covers the heat exchange unit 40. The second insulating member 50 is, for example, urethane foam. The second insulating member 50 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape with the vertical direction of the heat exchange unit 40 as the longitudinal direction and the thickness of the heat exchange unit 40 in the front-to-rear direction being suppressed. The second insulating member 50 improves the thermal insulation of the heat exchange unit 40. The second insulating member 50 covers the heat exchange unit 40 so as to be inclined forward with respect to the heat exchange unit 40 (details will be described later). The second insulating member 50 has a recess 51 formed on the lower right side.

In the recess 51, the first low-temperature side pipe 28a and the second low-temperature side pipe 28b are exposed in a cut state. In addition, the first low-temperature side pipe 28a and the second low-temperature side pipe 28b are formed in an L-shape when viewed from the front so as not to protrude outside the recess 51 of the second insulating member 50.

The first low-temperature side pipe 28a is the section on the low-temperature side heat exchanger 27 side of the pipe connecting the low-temperature side pressure reducer 25, which is the inner pipe of the low-temperature side heat exchanger 27, and the low-temperature side evaporator 26. The second low-temperature side pipe 28b is the section on the low-temperature side heat exchanger 27 side of the pipe connecting the outer pipe 27a of the low-temperature side heat exchanger 27 and the low-temperature side evaporator 26.

In addition, a protective member 60 is placed in the recess 51.

The protective member 60 protects the exposed first low-temperature side pipe 28a and the second low-temperature side pipe 28b. The protective member 60 is made of a heat insulating material such as glass wool. The protective member 60 is arranged so as to be stuffed into the recess 51.

2, the heat exchange unit 40 is disposed between the rear wall 2a3 of the outer box 2a and the rear wall 2c2 of the inner box 2c such that the up-down direction and the front-rear direction of the heat exchange unit 40 approximately coincide with the up-down direction and the front-rear direction of the insulated box 2, respectively. The second insulating member 50 is disposed so as to be inclined with respect to a direction perpendicular to the bottom wall 2a1 of the outer box 2a. Specifically, the second insulating member 50 is disposed so as to be inclined toward the front. The heat exchange unit 40 is disposed in the insulated box 2 via the mounting member 70.

The mounting member 70 is disposed so as to close the opening 2a2 and to be detachable from the opening 2a2. The mounting member 70 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The mounting member 70 is attached to the second insulating member 50 so that the heat exchange unit 40 and the second insulating member 50 are in the above-mentioned position in the insulating box 2. In other words, the mounting member 70 is attached to the heat exchange unit 40 via the second insulating member 50 so that the front-rear direction of the heat exchange unit 40 and the upper and lower surfaces of the mounting member 70 are approximately perpendicular to each other, and the front-rear side surface of the second insulating member 50 and the upper and lower surfaces of the mounting member 70 are not perpendicular to each other. In other words, the mounting member 70 is attached to the plate-type heat exchanger 30 via the second insulating member 50 so that the front-rear side surface of the plate-type heat exchanger 30 and the upper and lower surfaces of the mounting member 70 are approximately perpendicular to each other. The mounting member 70 includes a first mounting member 71 and a second mounting member 72, as shown in FIG. 6.

The first mounting member 71 constitutes the left side portion of the mounting member 70 and is fixed to the bottom surface of the second insulating member 50. From the bottom surface of the first mounting member 71, the third low-temperature side pipe 28c, the fourth low-temperature side pipe 28d, the first high-temperature side pipe 18a, and the second high-temperature side pipe 18b of the heat exchange unit 40 are taken out.

The third low-temperature side pipe 28c is a pipe that connects the main pipe 22a and the low-temperature side compressor 21. The fourth low-temperature side pipe 28d is a pipe that connects the spiral pipe 22b and the low-temperature side compressor 21. The first high-temperature side pipe 18a is a pipe that connects the inner pipe of the high-temperature side heat exchanger 17 and the high-temperature side condenser 12. The second high-temperature side pipe 18b is a pipe that connects the outer pipe 17a of the high-temperature side heat exchanger 17 and the high-temperature side compressor 11.

The second mounting member 72 constitutes the right side of the mounting member 70 and is detachably arranged on the first mounting member 71. The second mounting member 72 is formed to cover the recess 51 when viewed from below the heat exchange unit 40.

The machine room 5 is arranged to support the insulated box body 2 (Figure 1). The machine room 5 contains compressors 11, 21, condensers 12, 23, etc., which constitute a part of the high-temperature side refrigeration circuit 10 and the low-temperature side refrigeration circuit 20 of the refrigeration device 1.

Next, a method for manufacturing the insulated box 2 will be described. The insulated box 2 is manufactured with the outer box 2a lying down so that the front surface of the outer box 2a faces downward and the bottom surface of the outer box 2a is perpendicular to the horizontal direction. When the manufacture of the insulated box 2 starts, the heat exchange unit 40 is covered with the second insulating member 50, but the protective member 60 and the second mounting member 72 are not yet attached.

First, the heat insulating plate member 2b is placed on the inner surface of the rear wall 2a3 of the outer box 2a. Next, the low-temperature side evaporator 26 is placed in the inner box 2c, and the inner box 2c is placed inside the outer box 2a.

The heat exchange unit 40 is then inserted into the opening 2a2 from the upper end side of the second insulating member 50, and is placed between the rear wall 2a3 of the outer box 2a and the rear wall 2c2 of the inner box 2c. Furthermore, the first mounting member 71 is fixed to the opening 2a2 so that the first mounting member 71 and the bottom wall 2a1 are parallel. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the second insulating member 50 is inclined forward. Furthermore, at this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the first low-temperature side pipe 28a and the second low-temperature side pipe 28b exposed in the recess 51 of the second insulating member 50 can be seen from the opening 2a2.

In this state, the first low-temperature side pipe 28a and the second low-temperature side pipe 28b exposed in the recess 51 are joined to the first low-temperature side pipe 28a and the second low-temperature side pipe 28b connected to the low-temperature side evaporator 26, for example, by brazing.

Then, the protective member 60 is placed in the recess 51. Furthermore, the second mounting member 72 is attached to the first mounting member 71. As a result, the opening 2a2 is blocked by the mounting member 70. Furthermore, the first insulating member 2d is foam-filled between the outer box 2a and the inner box 2c. At this time, the first insulating member 2d is in close contact with the second insulating member 50. This completes the manufacture of the insulating box body 2.

Next, a case where the heat exchange unit 40 is removed from the insulated box 2 during maintenance of the components of the heat exchange unit 40 will be described. During maintenance, the insulated box 2 is supported by the machine room 5 with its bottom surface facing downward.

First, the second mounting member 72 is removed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the protective member 60 is visible from the opening 2a2. The protective member 60 is then removed, and the first low-temperature side pipe 28a and the second low-temperature side pipe 28b are separated. Specifically, the first low-temperature side pipe 28a and the second low-temperature side pipe 28b are separated by the wax being heated and melted. Note that if the first insulating member 2d has entered the recess 51 and work such as removing the protective member 60 cannot be performed, the necessary amount of the first insulating member 2d is removed before the work is performed.

Then, the first mounting member 71 is removed downward from the opening 2a2. At this time, the heat exchange unit 40 together with the first mounting member 71 is taken out downward from the opening 2a2 into the machine room 5. At this time, the first insulating member 2d and the second insulating member 50 are in close contact with each other, but the heat exchange unit 40 can be easily moved downward by tearing off a part of the second insulating member 50 and a part of the first insulating member 2d around the second insulating member 50. Furthermore, the first insulating member 2d and the second insulating member 50 attached to the heat exchange unit 40 are peeled off to perform maintenance on the components of the heat exchange unit 40.

According to this embodiment, the insulating box 2 includes an outer box 2a having an opening 2a2 in the bottom wall 2a1, an inner box 2c accommodated inside the outer box 2a with a gap between them, a plate heat exchanger 30 arranged between the outer box 2a and the inner box 2c so as to be removable through the opening 2a2, and a first insulating member 2d that is foam-filled between the outer box 2a and the inner box 2c with the plate heat exchanger 30 arranged therebetween.

According to this, the heat exchange unit 40 and thus the plate heat exchanger 30 can be taken in and out from the opening 2a2 formed in the bottom wall 2a1 of the outer box 2a, ensuring maintainability. In addition, the first insulating member 2d is foam-filled with the heat exchange unit 40 including the plate heat exchanger 30 in the insulated box 2. Therefore, the manufacturing process is simplified and productivity is improved compared to the case where the plate heat exchanger 30 is assembled after the first insulating member 2d is foam-filled. Therefore, the insulated box 2 of this embodiment can improve productivity while ensuring maintainability of the heat exchange unit 40 and thus the plate heat exchanger 30.

The second insulating member 50 is disposed between the outer box 2a and the inner box 2c at an angle to the direction perpendicular to the bottom wall 2a1.

When the heat exchange unit 40 including the plate-type heat exchanger 30 is taken out downward, the first insulating member 2d around the second insulating member 50 is torn off because the first insulating member 2d and the second insulating member 50 are in close contact with each other as described above. The second insulating member 50 is disposed between the outer box 2a and the inner box 2c at an incline with respect to a direction perpendicular to the bottom wall 2a1, so the space formed by the first insulating member 2d being torn off is in a state of being approximately inclined along the outer peripheral surface of the second insulating member 50. This allows the heat exchange unit 40 to be taken out downward at an incline, using this space as a guide. In this embodiment, the heat exchange unit 40 is disposed at an incline toward the front, so the heat exchange unit 40 is taken out at an incline toward the lower rear.

Maintenance of the plate heat exchanger 30 is performed with the refrigeration system 1 installed (Figure 1). For this reason, the worker removes the heat exchange unit 40 downward from the opening 2a2 while positioned rearward of the insulating box 2 and the machine room 5. At this time, the worker is also positioned rearward of the opening 2a2. As described above, the heat exchange unit 40 is removed at an angle toward the lower rear, so that the heat exchange unit 40 approaches the worker. Therefore, it is easier for the worker to remove the heat exchange unit 40 than if the second insulating member 50 was not tilted. Therefore, by positioning the second insulating member 50 at an angle, workability during maintenance is improved.

The plate heat exchanger 30 also exchanges heat between the low-temperature refrigerant in the low-temperature refrigeration circuit 20 and the high-temperature refrigerant in the high-temperature refrigeration circuit 10 in the binary refrigeration circuit.

As a result, even when the plate heat exchanger 30 is a component part of a dual refrigeration circuit, it is possible to improve productivity while ensuring the maintainability of the plate heat exchanger 30.

The heat exchanger in which the high-temperature refrigerant and the low-temperature refrigerant exchange heat is a plate-type heat exchanger 30.

As a result, even when the heat exchanger in which the high-temperature refrigerant and the low-temperature refrigerant exchange heat is a plate-type heat exchanger 30, it is possible to improve productivity while ensuring the maintainability of the plate-type heat exchanger 30.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the manufacturing method of the insulating box 2 includes the steps of accommodating the inner box 2c at a distance inside the outer box 2a having an opening 2a2 in the bottom wall 2a1, inserting the plate heat exchanger 30 between the outer box 2a and the inner box 2c through the opening 2a2, and injecting and foaming the first insulating member 2d between the outer box 2a and the inner box 2c.

This makes it possible to manufacture an insulated box body 2 that can improve productivity while ensuring maintainability of the plate heat exchanger 30.

The above describes the insulated box according to one or more aspects based on the embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. As long as it does not deviate from the gist of the present invention, various modifications conceivable by a person skilled in the art to this embodiment, or a form constructed by combining components of different embodiments, may also be included within the scope of one or more aspects.

The heat exchange unit 40 described above may be further covered with a flexible sheet 151 as shown in FIG. 8. The sheet 151 is formed in a bag shape and covers the second insulating member 50. The sheet 151 is, for example, a polyethylene sheet. With this, the second insulating member 50 and the first insulating member 2d do not come into direct contact with each other, so that the heat exchange unit 40 can be more easily removed from the insulating box 2 than if the sheet 151 were not present.

The heat exchange unit 40 described above is covered by the second insulating member 50, but it does not have to be covered by the second insulating member 50. In this case, the heat exchange unit 40 is directly attached to the mounting member 70.

The heat exchange unit 40 described above may also be covered directly by the sheet 151 shown in FIG. 8 without being covered by the second insulating member 50.

The above-mentioned heat exchange unit 40 may be stored in the storage box 251 shown in FIG. 9 without being covered by the second insulating member 50. The storage box 251 is formed in a box shape using a metal mesh member and stores the heat exchange unit 40. According to this, when the first insulating member 2d is foam-filled, the first insulating member 2d flows into the inside of the storage box 251 through the mesh of the mesh member. Therefore, the heat exchange unit 40 is ensured to have thermal insulation even if it is not covered by the second insulating member 50. Furthermore, when the heat exchange unit 40 is removed from the insulating box 2, the storage box 251 applies a shear force to the first insulating member 2d between the inside and outside of the storage box 251. In other words, the presence of the storage box 251 makes it easy to tear off the first insulating member 2d, and thus the heat exchange unit 40 can be easily moved downward. Therefore, the maintainability of the plate-type heat exchanger 30 is improved. Additionally, the storage box 251 may be disposed between the outer box 2a and the inner box 2c at an angle relative to a direction perpendicular to the bottom wall 2a1.

In addition, in the heat exchange unit 40 described above, the second insulating member 50 covers all of the components of the heat exchange unit 40, but instead, it may cover only some of the components of the heat exchange unit 40. For example, the second insulating member 50 may not cover the low-temperature side heat exchanger 27.

The heat exchange unit 40 may be configured to include at least the plate heat exchanger 30. For example, the heat exchange unit 40 may include the plate heat exchanger 30 and the low-temperature heat exchanger 27.

The second insulating member 50 described above is arranged so as to be inclined forward within the insulating box 2, but may instead be inclined to one of the left, right, and rear. The heat exchange unit 40 and thus the plate heat exchanger 30 may be arranged so as to be inclined relative to a direction perpendicular to the bottom wall 2a1 within the insulating box 2.

In addition, in the above-mentioned heat exchange unit, a double-tube heat exchanger may be used instead of the plate heat exchanger 30.

In addition, the heat exchange unit 40 may be detachably arranged on the heat insulating box 2 without the mounting member 70 being provided on the heat insulating box 2.

The heat exchange unit 40, and therefore the plate heat exchanger 30, are disposed between the rear wall 2a3 of the outer box 2a and the rear wall 2c2 of the inner box 2c, but may be disposed anywhere between the outer box 2a and the inner box 2c.

The refrigeration circuit 4 may also be configured with one refrigeration circuit, rather than a dual refrigeration circuit. For example, if the refrigeration circuit 4 is configured with only the low-temperature side refrigeration circuit 20 described above, the refrigeration circuit 4 does not include a plate heat exchanger 30. In this case, the low-temperature side condenser 23, the spiral heat exchanger 22, or the low-temperature side heat exchanger 27 is an example of a "heat exchanger." Furthermore, in this case, the spiral heat exchanger 22 may be replaced with a plate heat exchanger.

The refrigeration circuit 4 may be replaced with one refrigeration circuit 6 shown in FIG. 10. The refrigeration circuit 6 includes a compressor 80, a condenser 81, a dryer 82, a gas-liquid separator 83, a plate-type heat exchanger 84, a pressure reducer 85, a double-tube heat exchanger 86, and an evaporator 87.

The gas-liquid separator 83 receives a two-phase refrigerant, which is a mixture of gas and liquid refrigerants, and separates the two-phase refrigerant into gas and liquid refrigerants. The gas refrigerant flows out from the top of the gas-liquid separator 83. The liquid refrigerant flows out from the bottom of the gas-liquid separator 83.

The plate-type heat exchanger 84 includes a first heat exchange section 84a and a second heat exchange section 84b. The first heat exchange section 84a exchanges heat between the gas-phase refrigerant flowing out of the gas-liquid separator 83 and a mixture of the liquid-phase refrigerant flowing out of the gas-liquid separator 83 and the return refrigerant. The return refrigerant is the refrigerant that flows out of the evaporator 87 and returns to the compressor 80.

The second heat exchange section 84b exchanges heat between the gas phase refrigerant flowing out of the first heat exchange section 84a and the return refrigerant flowing out of the evaporator 87.

The inner tube of the double-pipe heat exchanger 86 is the pressure reducer 85. The pressure reducer 85 is, for example, a capillary tube. The return refrigerant flowing out from the evaporator 87 flows through the outer tube 86a of the double-pipe heat exchanger 86. That is, in the double-pipe heat exchanger 86, heat is exchanged between the refrigerant flowing through the pressure reducer 85 and the return refrigerant.

The above-mentioned devices are connected by piping 88 so that the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 80 returns to the compressor 80.

The refrigerant circulates in the direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 10. Specifically, the refrigerant flows through the compressor 80, the condenser 81, and the dryer 82 in that order, and then flows into the gas-liquid separator 83. The refrigerant is separated into gas-phase refrigerant and liquid-phase refrigerant in the gas-liquid separator 83.

The gas-phase refrigerant flowing out of the gas-liquid separator 83 flows through the first heat exchange section 84a, the second heat exchange section 84b, the pressure reducer 85, and the evaporator 87, in that order. Furthermore, the return refrigerant flowing out of the evaporator 87 flows through the outer tube 86a of the double-tube heat exchanger 86 and the second heat exchange section 84b, in that order. The return refrigerant flowing out of the second heat exchange section 84b and the liquid-phase refrigerant flowing out of the gas-liquid separator 83 are joined at the joining section 88a, flow through the first heat exchange section 84a, and return to the compressor 80.

That is, in the first heat exchange section 84a, the gas-phase refrigerant flowing out from the gas-liquid separator 83 and the refrigerant mixed with the liquid-phase refrigerant flowing out from the gas-liquid separator 83 and the return refrigerant exchange heat through a plate (not shown). In the second heat exchange section 84b, the gas-phase refrigerant flowing out from the first heat exchange section 84a exchanges heat through a plate with the return refrigerant flowing out from the evaporator 87. Furthermore, in the double-pipe heat exchanger 86, the refrigerant flowing through the pressure reducer 85 exchanges heat with the return refrigerant.

When this refrigeration circuit 6 is used, the plate heat exchanger 84 and the double pipe heat exchanger 86 form the heat exchange unit 40. When this refrigeration circuit 6 is used, the refrigeration device 1 may use the two refrigeration circuits 6 as independent refrigeration circuits.

The insulated box body 2 described above is used in the refrigeration device 1, but it may also be used in freezers, thermal insulation containers, incubators, etc.

The insulated box of the present disclosure can be widely used in refrigeration devices such as ultra-low temperature freezers, freezers, thermal insulation containers, and incubators.

Reference Signs List 1 Refrigeration device 2 Insulated box 2a Outer box 2a1 Bottom wall 2a2 Opening 2c Inner box 2c1 Storage chamber 2d First insulating member 4 Refrigeration circuit 10 High-temperature side refrigeration circuit 20 Low-temperature side refrigeration circuit 30 Plate-type heat exchanger (heat exchanger)
40 Heat exchange unit 50 Second heat insulating member 70 Mounting member 151 Sheet 251 Storage box

Claims (14)

an outer box having an opening in a bottom wall;
an inner box accommodated inside the outer box with a gap therebetween;
a heat exchanger disposed between the outer box and the inner box and removable through the opening;
A first insulating member that is foam-filled between the outer box and the inner box with the heat exchanger disposed therebetween;
and a second insulating member covering the heat exchanger . an outer box having an opening in a bottom wall;
an inner box accommodated inside the outer box with a gap therebetween;
a heat exchanger disposed between the outer box and the inner box and removable through the opening;
A first insulating member that is foam-filled between the outer box and the inner box with the heat exchanger disposed therebetween;
and a flexible sheet covering the heat exchanger .
Insulated box. an outer box having an opening in a bottom wall;
an inner box accommodated inside the outer box with a gap therebetween;
a heat exchanger disposed between the outer box and the inner box and removable through the opening;
A first insulating member that is foam-filled between the outer box and the inner box with the heat exchanger disposed therebetween;
and a storage box configured of a mesh member for storing the heat exchanger .
Insulated box. an outer box having an opening in a bottom wall;
an inner box accommodated inside the outer box with a gap therebetween;
a heat exchanger disposed between the outer box and the inner box and removable through the opening;
A first insulating member is foam-filled between the outer box and the inner box with the heat exchanger disposed therebetween ,
The heat exchanger exchanges heat between a low-temperature side refrigerant of a low-temperature side refrigeration circuit and a high-temperature side refrigerant of a high-temperature side refrigeration circuit in a two-stage refrigeration circuit.
Insulated box. an outer box having an opening in a bottom wall;
an inner box accommodated inside the outer box with a gap therebetween;
a heat exchanger disposed between the outer box and the inner box and removable through the opening;
A first insulating member is foam-filled between the outer box and the inner box with the heat exchanger disposed therebetween ,
The heat exchanger includes:
The present invention is applied to a refrigerant circuit having a gas-liquid separator into which a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing out from a condenser flows and which separates the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant into a gas phase refrigerant and a liquid phase refrigerant,
The refrigerant exchanger includes a first heat exchange section in which the gas phase refrigerant flowing out of the gas-liquid separator exchanges heat with the liquid phase refrigerant flowing out of the gas-liquid separator, and a second heat exchange section in which the gas phase refrigerant flowing out of the first heat exchange section exchanges heat with a return refrigerant flowing out of an evaporator.
Insulated box. and a flexible sheet covering the second insulating member.
The heat-insulating box according to claim 1 . The second insulating member is disposed between the outer box and the inner box and is inclined with respect to a direction perpendicular to the bottom wall.
The heat-insulating box according to claim 1 . The heat exchanger further includes a mounting member attached to the heat exchanger and removably disposed in the opening.
The heat-insulating box according to any one of claims 1 to 7 . The heat exchanger is a plate heat exchanger.
The heat-insulating box according to any one of claims 1 to 8 . The heat exchanger exchanges heat between a low-temperature side refrigerant of a low-temperature side refrigeration circuit and a high-temperature side refrigerant of a high-temperature side refrigeration circuit in a two-stage refrigeration circuit.
The heat-insulating box according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The heat exchanger includes:
The present invention is applied to a refrigerant circuit having a gas-liquid separator into which a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing out from a condenser flows and which separates the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant into a gas phase refrigerant and a liquid phase refrigerant,
The refrigerant exchanger includes a first heat exchange section in which the gas phase refrigerant flowing out of the gas-liquid separator exchanges heat with the liquid phase refrigerant flowing out of the gas-liquid separator, and a second heat exchange section in which the gas phase refrigerant flowing out of the first heat exchange section exchanges heat with a return refrigerant flowing out of an evaporator.
The heat-insulating box according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . A step of housing the inner box at a distance inside an outer box having an opening in a bottom wall;
A step of inserting a heat exchanger covered with a second insulating member between the outer box and the inner box through the opening;
A step of injecting a first insulating material between the outer box and the inner box and foaming and filling the space between the outer box and the inner box.
A method for manufacturing an insulated box. A step of housing the inner box at a distance inside an outer box having an opening in a bottom wall;
Introducing a heat exchanger between the outer box and the inner box through the opening;
and injecting a first insulating material between the outer box and the inner box to foam fill the space between the outer box and the inner box.
The heat exchanger is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between a low-temperature side refrigerant of a low-temperature side refrigeration circuit and a high-temperature side refrigerant of a high-temperature side refrigeration circuit in a two-stage refrigeration circuit.
A method for manufacturing an insulated box. A step of housing the inner box at a distance inside an outer box having an opening in a bottom wall;
Introducing a heat exchanger between the outer box and the inner box through the opening;
and injecting a first insulating material between the outer box and the inner box to foam fill the space between the outer box and the inner box .
The heat exchanger includes:
A heat exchanger applied to a refrigerant circuit having a gas-liquid separator into which a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing out of a condenser flows and which separates the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant into a gas phase refrigerant and a liquid phase refrigerant,
The refrigerant exchanger includes a first heat exchange section in which the gas phase refrigerant flowing out of the gas-liquid separator exchanges heat with the liquid phase refrigerant flowing out of the gas-liquid separator, and a second heat exchange section in which the gas phase refrigerant flowing out of the first heat exchange section exchanges heat with a return refrigerant flowing out of an evaporator.
A method for manufacturing an insulated box.

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