Thermal cascade system for distributed household refrigeration system

Abstract

A distributed refrigeration appliance system in a residential kitchen and other locations in a dwelling including multiple separate refrigeration appliance modules, a central cooling system and a cooling circuit. The system can also include one or more satellite stations having a heat exchanger and arranged for supplying chilled air to one or more refrigeration appliance modules. One or more refrigeration appliance modules can include a thermal cascade cooling device to cool the module to lower temperatures than the cooling circuit can attain. One or more refrigeration appliance modules can be refrigeration/storage modules that can provide refrigerated, unconditioned or heated storage space. The central cooling system can be a vapor compression system having a refrigerant circuit connecting the modules. Alternately, the central cooling system can cool a secondary cooling medium circuit. The refrigeration system can also have more than one refrigeration machine providing cooling to the secondary refrigeration loop.

1 . A distributed refrigeration appliance system constructed and arranged for use in a residential kitchen and other locations associated with a residential dwelling comprising:
 a plurality of separate refrigeration appliance modules each having:
 an insulated compartment comprising a cabinet and at least one insulated door for covering and uncovering an opening in the insulated cabinet; and 
 an apparatus for receiving a cooling medium for primary stage cooling of the interior of the insulated compartment; 
   a central cooling unit for removing heat from the cooling medium comprising:
 a vapor compression condensing unit having a compressor, condenser and an evaporator, the cooling medium comprising chilled air; 
   a cooling medium circuit comprising:
 insulated ducts connecting the central cooling unit evaporator and the plurality of refrigerating modules for supplying chilled air to the plurality of refrigerating modules and returning air from the refrigerating modules to the central cooling unit; the apparatus for receiving a cooling medium comprising air inlets from the insulated ducts leading to the respective refrigeration appliance modules and air outlets leading from the respective refrigeration appliance modules to the insulated ducts; 
   a plurality of cooling medium flow control devices connected in the cooling medium circuit comprising baffles for the respective refrigeration appliance modules for controlling the flow of chilled air flowing into the respective refrigeration appliance modules through the air inlets; and   wherein at least one of the refrigeration appliance modules further comprises a thermal cascade cooling system to cool at least a portion of the at least one refrigeration appliance module to a lower temperature than can be achieved in the primary stage cooling of the at least one refrigeration appliance module.   
     
     
         2 . The distributed refrigeration appliance system according to  claim 1 , wherein the thermal cascade cooling system is selected from the group consisting of a vapor compression cooling system, a thermoelectric cooling system, an adsorption cooling system, and a Stirling cycle cooling system. 
     
     
         3 . The distributed refrigeration appliance system according to  claim 2 , wherein the thermal electric cooling system comprises a thermoelectric cooling system. 
     
     
         4 . The distributed refrigeration appliance system according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one refrigeration appliance module comprises two compartments and the thermal cascade cooling system is arranged to cool one of the compartments to a temperature than can be achieved in the primary stage cooling of the at least one refrigeration appliance module. 
     
     
         5 . The distributed refrigeration appliance system according to  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of separate refrigeration appliance modules further comprise:
 a temperature selector arranged to set the desired temperature in the insulated compartment; and   a temperature sensor arranged for sensing the temperature in the insulated compartment.   
     
     
         6 . The distributed refrigeration appliance system according to  claim 5 , further comprising a controller connected to the central cooling unit, the temperature selectors and the temperature sensors to control the temperatures in the respective refrigeration appliance module insulated compartments. 
     
     
         7 . A distributed refrigeration appliance system in at least a kitchen in a residential dwelling comprising:
 a plurality of separate refrigeration appliance modules each having:
 an insulated compartment comprising cabinet and at least one insulated door for covering and uncovering an opening in the cabinet; 
 a temperature selector arranged to set the desired temperature in the insulated compartment, 
 a temperature sensor arranged for sensing the temperature in the insulated compartment, 
 a heat exchanger for receiving liquid coolant, and 
 a liquid coolant control valve connected to the heat exchanger; 
   a central cooling unit for chilling liquid coolant;   a system controller connected to the cooling unit, the temperature selector, the temperature sensor and the control valve of the respective refrigeration appliance modules;   a liquid coolant circuit connecting the central cooling unit with the plurality of refrigeration appliance module heat exchangers and a pump to supply chilled liquid coolant from the central cooling unit to the plurality of refrigeration appliance module heat exchangers and to return liquid coolant to the central cooling unit for cooling of the refrigeration appliance modules; the coolant control valves of the respective refrigeration appliance modules being connected in the liquid coolant circuit for controlling flow of liquid coolant to the respective refrigeration appliance module heat exchangers to control the temperature in the respective refrigeration appliance module insulated compartments; and   an additional refrigeration appliance comprising:
 an insulated refrigeration cabinet and at least one insulated door for covering and uncovering an opening in the cabinet defining an insulated refrigeration compartment; 
 a temperature selector arranged to set the desired temperature in the insulated refrigeration compartment; 
 a temperature sensor arranged for sensing the temperature in the insulated refrigeration compartment; 
 a vapor compression cooling system having a compressor, a liquid cooled condenser connected to the liquid coolant circuit to reject heat to the liquid coolant, an evaporator to selectively cool the insulated refrigeration compartment, and an expansion device connected to the evaporator and liquid cooled condenser; and 
 a refrigeration appliance controller connected to the temperature selector, the temperature sensor and the compressor to operate the vapor compression cooling system to provide a selected temperature in the refrigeration compartment that can be lower than the temperature than can be achieved in the plurality of refrigeration appliance modules connected in the liquid coolant circuit. 
   
     
     
         8 . The distributed refrigeration appliance system according to  claim 7 , wherein the central cooling unit is selected from the group consisting of a vapor compression system including a compressor, an evaporator and a secondary loop heat exchanger to chill the liquid coolant, a Stirling cycle cooler including a secondary loop heat exchanger to chill the liquid coolant and an absorption system cooler including a secondary loop heat exchanger to chill the liquid coolant. 
     
     
         9 . The distributed refrigeration appliance system according to  claim 7 , wherein the additional refrigeration appliance controller is connected to the system controller.