RU2840876C2 - Vacuum adiabatic body and refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: refrigerating equipment.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to refrigerators. Vacuum adiabatic body comprises a first plate for a first space, a second plate for a second space, a third space provided between the first plate and the second plate and configured as a vacuum space, and a heat exchange pipeline comprising a first pipeline and a second pipeline. First pipeline has a diameter exceeding the diameter of the second pipeline, and the second pipeline is located inside the first pipeline or the first pipeline and the second pipeline are surrounded by a tube connected to at least one of the first plate or the second plate.

EFFECT: increased service life of the product.

15 cl, 20 dwg

Description

Cross-reference to related applications

[1] This application is a national stage application under 35 U.S.C §371 of U.S. PCT Application No. PCT/KR2019/007678, filed on June 25, 2019, which claims priority benefit from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2018-0074172, filed on June 27, 2018, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Field of technology

[2] The present disclosure relates to a vacuum adiabatic body and a refrigerator.

State of the art

[3] A vacuum adiabatic body is an article for suppressing heat transfer by evacuating the inside of its body. The vacuum adiabatic body can reduce heat transfer by convection and conduction, and therefore is applicable to heating devices and cooling devices. In a typical adiabatic method applicable to a refrigerator, although it is applied differently in cooling and freezing, a urethane foam adiabatic wall having a thickness of about 30 cm or more is usually provided. However, the internal volume of the refrigerator is reduced as a result.

[4] To increase the internal volume of the refrigerator, attempts are being made to apply a vacuum adiabatic body to the refrigerator.

[5] Korean Patent No. 10-0343719 (Reference Document 1) of the present applicant discloses a method in which a vacuum adiabatic panel is prepared and then embedded in the walls of a refrigerator, and the outer portion of the vacuum adiabatic panel is finished with a separate molding material such as expanded polystyrene. According to this method, additional foaming is not required, and the adiabatic performance of the refrigerator is improved. However, the manufacturing cost increases and the manufacturing method becomes complicated. As another example, a technology of providing walls using a vacuum adiabatic material and, further, providing adiabatic walls using a foamed filler has been disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0012712 (Reference Document 2). According to Reference Document 2, the manufacturing cost increases and the manufacturing method becomes complicated.

[6] In order to solve this problem, the present applicant filed Korean Patent Application No. 10-2013-0049495 (Reference Document 3). This technology provides a vacuum adiabatic body in an empty vacuum state without providing a separate adiabatic material therein. Additionally, this technology provides a technology in which a heat exchange pipe is provided in the vacuum adiabatic body. The heat exchange pipe is a pipe in which two pipes, i.e., an evaporator inlet pipe and an evaporator outlet pipe, are in contact with each other. The heat exchange pipe is a pipe in which refrigerants flowing through the insides of the two pipes exchange heat with each other to improve the refrigeration cycle performance.

[7] The heat exchange pipe passes through the inside of the vacuum space portion to continue to the outside and inside of the refrigerator. Therefore, in order to maintain the vacuum state of the vacuum space portion, the position in which the heat exchange pipe passes through the vacuum space portion and the plate to the inside of the refrigerator and the position in which the heat exchange pipe passes through the vacuum space portion and the plate to the outside of the refrigerator need to be sealed. In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, this applicant disclosed a structure for sealing an individual pipe of a branched heat exchange pipe in Fig. 17 and 18, which is disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0171596 (Reference Document 4).

[8] According to Reference Document 4, in order to maintain the seal, two heat exchange pipe lines may be branched to pass through the vacuum spatial portion to provide four through-passage sections. However, when the number of through-passage sections increases, heat loss may occur. Also, if a seal problem occurs at any one section, it will be undesirable because it will be difficult to maintain a vacuum in the vacuum spatial portion. Also, the welded portion of the two pipes may be exposed to the vacuum spatial portion, and thus the gas generated from the welded portion may disturb the vacuum state of the vacuum spatial portion.

[9] Additionally, a drop in refrigerant pressure may occur due to the acute bending angle at the branching point of each of the two pipes forming the heat exchange pipes. The bending angle of the heat exchange pipe is further increased due to the step interval (about 200 mm) of the rod forming the support block. Also, since a non-uniform connection is realized between the stainless material forming the vacuum spatial part and the copper material forming the heat exchange pipe in the through-through section, this work is difficult to perform.

Technical task

[10] Embodiments provide a vacuum adiabatic body in which difficulties in operation at the section in which the heat exchange pipeline passes through the vacuum spatial part are eliminated and the number of through-passable sections is reduced.

[11] Embodiments also provide a vacuum adiabatic body in which gas generated from a welded portion of two pipes forming a heat exchange pipe does not affect the interior space of the vacuum spatial portion.

[12] Embodiments also provide a vacuum adiabatic body in which the pressure drop of the refrigerant due to a sharp bend in the heat exchange pipe is reduced.

[13] Embodiments also provide a vacuum adiabatic body that solves the problems of leaks and operational difficulties that arise due to a non-uniform welded joint between the heat exchange pipe and the vacuum spatial portion.

Solution to the problem

[14] In one embodiment, the refrigerator may include a heat exchange pipe that is located in the inner wall of the vacuum adiabatic body and in which heat exchange of the refrigerant is performed, a through portion or an opening through which the refrigerant pipe passes, provided in at least one of the first plate element or the second plate element, to provide the heat exchange pipe, and a sealing element configured to receive the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe and connected to at least one of the first plate element or the second plate element, to limit the transmission of gas between the refrigerant pipe and the vacuum spatial portion.

[15] The sealing element can be used to reduce the number of welded parts or individual welding cases so that the work is convenient, reduce adiabatic losses, reduce the pressure drop of the refrigerant flowing through the heat exchange pipe, and reduce the difficulty in work due to welding of dissimilar materials.

[16] A filler may be added inside the sealing element to prevent the refrigerant line from coming into contact with the plate element, thereby reducing adiabatic losses.

[17] In another embodiment, the vacuum adiabatic body may include a first plate element configured to define at least a wall section for a first space, a second plate element configured to define at least a wall section for a second space having a temperature different from the temperature of the first space, a heat exchange conduit including at least two conduits arranged in a third space and exchanging heat with each other, and a single through portion or opening that is provided in at least one of the first plate element or the second plate element and through which said at least two conduits pass together.

[18] The number of welded joints can be reduced to prevent leakage of the vacuum space part and ensure convenient operation.

[19] In another embodiment, the vacuum adiabatic body may include a first plate element configured to define at least a wall portion for a first space, a second plate element configured to define at least a wall portion for a second space having a temperature different from the temperature of the first space, a heat exchange pipe provided in a third space such that at least two refrigerant pipes through which different fluids flow contact each other for heat exchange, a through portion through which a refrigerant pipe passes, provided in each of the first plate element and the second plate element, to provide the heat exchange pipe, and a sealing element configured to receive the at least two refrigerant pipes and welded to connect with at least one of the first plate element or the second plate element to restrict gas transmission between the refrigerant pipe and the third space.

[20] The refrigerant pipeline of the vacuum spatial part can be supported by uniform welding to prevent leakage and ensure more convenient operation.

Preferred effects of the invention

[21] According to embodiments, the number of through-passage sections through which the heat exchange pipe passes through the vacuum spatial part can be reduced to reduce the inconvenience of operation and reduce heat loss by half. In addition, the advantage can be provided that the disturbance or deterioration of the vacuum of the vacuum spatial part is also reduced.

[22] According to embodiments, a welded portion that is a contact portion of two pipes forming a heat exchange pipe may not be exposed to the vacuum space portion to prevent an increase in the amount of gas inside the vacuum space portion, thereby increasing the service life of the product.

[23] According to embodiments, since a separate branching of the pipeline in the through-passable section is not required and the necessary bending section is smoothly bent, the pressure drop of the refrigerant can be reduced.

[24] Since the heat exchange pipe and the vacuum space part and/or plate elements are connected to each other by a uniform welded joint, this work can be convenient, and the reliability of the connection and seal maintenance can be increased.

Brief description of the drawings

[25] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment.

[26] Fig. 2 is a view schematically showing a vacuum adiabatic body used in the main body and door of the refrigerator.

[27] Fig. 3A-3C are views showing various embodiments of the internal configuration of the vacuum spatial portion.

[28] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the results obtained from testing the polymers.

[29] Fig. 5 shows the results obtained from performing an experiment on the vacuum retention characteristics of polymers.

[30] Figs. 6A-6C show the results obtained by analyzing the components of gases released from PPS and PC with low outgassing.

[31] Fig. 7 shows the results obtained by measuring the maximum deformation temperatures at which polymers are damaged by atmospheric pressure under high-temperature vacuum.

[32] Fig. 8 are views showing various embodiments of thermal resistance sheets and their peripheral portions.

[33] Fig. 9 is a partial cutaway view of a vacuum adiabatic body.

[34] Fig. 10 is a view showing a state in which a heat exchange pipe is provided in a vacuum space portion.

[35] Fig. 11 is a partial cutaway view of a heat exchange piping according to one embodiment.

[36] Fig. 12 is a view showing a state in which the heat exchange pipe is placed in the vacuum space portion.

[37] Fig. 13A and 13B are views showing a section of the heat exchange pipe that extends into the interior of the refrigerator.

[38] Fig. 14A and 14B are views showing a section of the heat exchange pipe that extends to the outside of the refrigerator.

[39] Fig. 15 is a cross-section of a heat exchange pipe according to another embodiment.

[40] Fig. 16 is a cross-section of a heat exchange pipeline according to another embodiment.

[41] Fig. 17 is a cross-section of a heat exchange pipeline according to another embodiment.

[42] Fig. 18 is a cross-section taken along line A-A’ of Fig. 17.

[43] Fig. 19 is a cross-section taken along line B-B’ of Fig. 17.

[44] Fig. 20 is a cross-sectional view of a position in which the heat exchange pipe passes through the second plate element.

Embodiment of the invention

[45] Next, illustrative embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention, however, can be implemented in many other forms and should not be construed as an invention limited to the embodiments set forth herein, and a person skilled in the art who understands the essence of the present invention can easily implement other embodiments contained within the scope of the same inventive idea by adding, changing, deleting, and adding components; in other words, it should be understood that they are also contained within the scope of the present disclosure.

[46] The drawings shown below may be shown with differences from the actual product or exaggerated, or simple or detailed parts may be deleted, but this is intended to facilitate the understanding of the technical idea of the present disclosure. This should not be construed as limiting.

[47] Also, the number of each of the components shown together in the drawings facilitates the understanding of the idea of the invention by assigning the same or similar numbers to components that are the same or similar in function. Likewise, in the case of performing the same or similar functions, even if the embodiments are different, the same or similar numbers are assigned to facilitate the understanding of the invention.

[48] In the following description, vacuum pressure means any state of pressure less than atmospheric pressure. Additionally, the expression "the degree of vacuum at A is greater than the degree of vacuum at B" means that the vacuum pressure at A is less than the vacuum pressure at B.

[49] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment.

[50] With reference to Fig. 1, a refrigerator 1 may include a main body 2 provided with a cavity 9 capable of storing stored goods, and a door 3 provided for opening or closing the main body 2. The door 3 may be movably arranged to rotate or slide for opening or closing the cavity 9. The cavity 9 may provide at least one of a cooling compartment and a freezing compartment.

[51] The cavity 9 may be provided with parts or devices of a freezing cycle in which cold air is supplied to the cavity 9. For example, said parts may include a compressor 4 for compressing a refrigerant, a condenser 5 for condensing the compressed refrigerant, an expander 6 for expanding the condensed refrigerant, and an evaporator 7 for evaporating the expanded refrigerant to extract heat. As a typical structure, a fan may be installed in a position adjacent to the evaporator 7, and the fluid blown from the fan may pass through the evaporator 7 and then be blown into the cavity 9. The freezing heat load is controlled by adjusting the blowing intensity and blowing direction of the fan, adjusting the amount of circulating refrigerant, or adjusting the compression ratio of the compressor so that the refrigeration space or the freezing space can be controlled.

[52] Fig. 2 is a view schematically showing a vacuum adiabatic body used in a main body 2 and a door 3 of a refrigerator 1. In Fig. 2, the vacuum adiabatic body of the main body side is shown in a state in which the upper and side walls are removed, and the vacuum adiabatic body of the door side is shown in a state in which a portion of the front wall is removed. In addition, for convenience of understanding, sectional views of portions of the provided thermal conductivity resistance sheets 60 or 63 are schematically shown.

[53] With reference to Fig. 2, the vacuum adiabatic body may include a first plate member 10 for providing a wall of a low-temperature space or a first space, a second plate member 20 for providing a wall of a high-temperature space or a second space, a vacuum spatial portion or a third space 50 defined as a gap between the first and second plate members 10 and 20. Also, the vacuum adiabatic body includes thermal conductivity resistance sheets 60 and 63 for preventing thermal conductivity between the first and second plate members 10 and 20. A sealing or welding portion 61 may seal the thermal conductivity resistance sheets 60 and 63 with the first and second plate members 10 and 20 so that the vacuum spatial portion 50 is in a sealed state or a vacuum state.

[54] When a vacuum adiabatic body is applied to a refrigerator or a heating device, the first plate member 10 providing a wall of the inner space of the refrigerator may be called an inner body, and the second plate member 20 providing a wall of the outer space of the refrigerator may be called an outer body.

[55] The machine room 8 may include parts that provide a refrigeration or freezing cycle. The machine room may be located on the lower rear side of the vacuum adiabatic body of the main body side, and a vacuum port 40 for forming a vacuum state by vacuuming air from the vacuum spatial part 50 is provided on each side of the vacuum adiabatic body. In addition, a pipeline 64 passing through the vacuum spatial part 50 may be additionally installed for installing a melt water line and electric lines.

[56] The first plate element 10 may define at least one wall portion for the first space provided thereby. The second plate element 20 may define at least one wall portion for the second space provided thereby. The first space and the second space may be defined as spaces having different temperatures. Here, the wall for each space may serve not only as a wall directly in contact with this space, but also as a wall not in contact with this space. For example, the vacuum adiabatic body of this embodiment may also be applied to an article further having a separate wall in contact with each space.

[57] The heat transfer factors that cause the losses of the adiabatic effect of the vacuum adiabatic body are: thermal conductivity between the first and second plate elements 10 and 20, heat radiation between the first and second plate elements 10 and 20, and thermal conductivity of the gas of the vacuum spatial part 50.

[58] Further, a thermal resistance unit or module will be provided, provided for reducing adiabatic losses associated with heat transfer factors. The vacuum adiabatic body and the refrigerator of this embodiment do not exclude that another adiabatic means can be additionally provided on at least one side of the vacuum adiabatic body. Thus, an adiabatic means using foaming and the like can be additionally provided for the other side of the vacuum adiabatic body.

[59] The thermal resistance unit may include a thermal resistance sheet 60 or 63 that resists the conduction of heat transmitted along the wall of the third space 50, and may further include a side frame connected to the thermal resistance sheet. The thermal resistance sheet 60 or 63 and the side frame will be described below.

[60] Also, the heat resistance unit may include at least one radiation resistance sheet 32, which is provided in the form of a plate inside the third space 50, or may include a porous material that resists radiative heat transfer between the second plate element 20 and the first plate element 10 inside the third space 50. The radiation resistance sheet 32 and the porous material will be described below.

[61] Figs. 3A-3B are views showing various embodiments of the internal configuration of the vacuum spatial portion or third space 50.

[62] First of all, with reference to Fig. 3A, the vacuum spatial portion 50 may have a pressure different from the pressure in each of the first and second spaces, preferably a vacuum state, whereby adiabatic losses are reduced. The vacuum spatial portion 50 may be provided with a temperature between the temperature of the first space and the temperature of the second space. Since the vacuum spatial portion 50 is provided as a space in a vacuum state, the first and second plate members 10 and 20 are under the action of a compression force in the direction in which they approach each other due to the force corresponding to the pressure difference between the first and second spaces. Thus, the vacuum spatial portion 50 can be deformed in the direction in which the distance between the plate members decreases. In this case, the adiabatic losses may be caused by an increase in the amount of heat radiation caused by the compression of the vacuum spatial portion 50 and an increase in the amount of heat conduction caused by the contact between the plate members 10 and 20.

[63] A support block or support 30 may be provided to reduce the deformation of the vacuum space portion 50. The support block 30 includes a rod or post 31. The rod 31 may extend substantially in a vertical direction relative to the plate members 10 and 20 to maintain a distance between the first plate member 10 and the second plate member 20. A support plate 35 may be further provided at least at any end of the rod 31. The support plate 35 may connect at least two or more rods 31 to each other and extend in a horizontal direction relative to the first and second plate members 10 and 20. The support plate 35 may be provided in the form of a plate or may be provided in the form of a grid so that the area of the support plate in contact with the first and second plate members 10 and 20 is reduced, whereby heat transfer is reduced. The rods 31 and the support plate 35 are attached to each other at least at one section for insertion together between the first and second plate members 10 and 20. The support plate 35 contacts at least one of the first and second plate members 10 and 20, whereby deformation of the first and second plate members 10 and 20 is prevented. Additionally, based on the direction of extension of the rods 31, the total cross-sectional area of the support plate 35 is provided in such a way that it is larger than the cross-sectional area of the rods 31, so that the heat transmitted through the rods 31 can be dissipated through the support plate 35.

[64] The material of the support block 30 will now be described.

[65] The support block 30 may have high compressive strength to withstand vacuum pressure, low degassing rate and low water absorption rate to maintain vacuum state, low thermal conductivity to reduce thermal conductivity between the plate members 10 and 20. Also, the support block 30 may have high compressive strength at high temperature to withstand high temperature vacuum process, excellent workability to be moldable and have low molding cost. Here, the time required to perform vacuum process is about several days. Accordingly, if this time is reduced, it will significantly reduce manufacturing cost and increase productivity. Therefore, compressive strength must be ensured for high temperature since vacuum rate increases when the temperature at which vacuum process is performed becomes higher. The inventor conducted various tests under the above-described conditions.

[66] First of all, ceramics or glass have a low degassing rate and a low water absorption rate, but their workability is very poor. Therefore, ceramics and glass cannot be used as the material of the support block 30. A polymer can be considered as the material of the support block 30.

[67] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the results obtained from testing the polymers.

[68] Referring to Fig. 4, the present inventor tested various polymers, and it turned out that most of the polymers cannot be used because their degassing rates and water absorption rates are very high. Accordingly, the present inventor tested polymers that approximately satisfy the conditions in the degassing rate and the water absorption rate. As a result, polyethylene (PE) can not be used because of its high degassing rate and its low compressive strength. Polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE) can not be used because of its very high cost. Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) can not be used because of its high degassing rate. A polymer selected from the group consisting of polycarbonate (PC), glass fiber PC, low degassing PC, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), and liquid crystal polymer (LCP) can be used as the material of the support block 30. However, the degassing rate of PC is 0.19, which is low. Therefore, by increasing to a certain level the time required to perform the heat treatment in which the vacuum is performed while applying heat, PC can be used as the material of the support block 30.

[69] The author of the present invention has discovered an optimum material by conducting various studies of polymers that could be expected to be used inside the vacuum spatial portion 50. Hereinafter, the results of the studies conducted will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[70] Fig. 5 is a graph showing the results obtained from performing an experiment on the vacuum retention characteristics of polymers.

[71] Referring to Fig. 5, a graph is shown showing the results obtained by producing a support block 30 using the respective polymers and then testing the vacuum maintaining characteristics of the polymers. First, the support block 30 produced using the selected material was cleaned using ethanol, kept under low pressure for 48 hours, exposed to air for 2.5 hours, and then subjected to a vacuum process at 90°C for about 50 hours in a state in which the support block 30 was placed in a vacuum adiabatic body, and the vacuum maintaining characteristic of the support block 30 was measured.

[72] The initial vacuum performance of LCP is the best, but its vacuum maintaining performance is poor. This may be caused by the temperature sensitivity of LCP. Also, based on the characteristics of the graph, it can be expected that if the final allowable pressure is 5*10 ^-3 Torr, its vacuum performance will be maintained for a period of about 0.5 years. Therefore, LCP cannot be used as the material of the support block 30.

[73] As for the glass fiber PC (G/F PC), its vacuum rate is high, but its vacuum retention performance is low. It was determined that this would be affected by the additive. Also, based on the characteristics of the graph, it can be expected that the glass fiber PC will maintain its vacuum performance under the same conditions for a period of about 8.2 years. Therefore, the PC (G/F PC) cannot be used as the material of the support block 30.

[74] As can be expected in the case of low outgassing PC (O/G PC), its vacuum retention performance is excellent, and its vacuum performance will be maintained under the same conditions for a period of about 34 years, unlike the two materials described above. However, it can be seen that the initial vacuum performance of low outgassing PC is low, and thus the manufacturing efficiency of low outgassing PC is low.

[75] It can be seen that in the case of PPS, its vacuum maintaining performance is extremely excellent, and its vacuum release performance is also excellent. Based on the vacuum maintaining performance, PPS can be used as a support block material.

[76] Figs. 6A to 6C show the results obtained by analyzing the components of the gases exiting the PPS and the PC with low outgassing, wherein the horizontal axis represents the mass numbers of the gases and the vertical axis represents the concentrations of the gases. Fig. 6a shows the result obtained by analyzing the gas exiting the PC with low outgassing. In Fig. 6a, it can be seen that the hydrogen series or H ₂ -series (I), the water series or H ₂ O -series (II), the nitrogen/carbon monoxide/carbon dioxide/oxygen series or N ₂ /CO/CO ₂ /O ₂ -series (III), and the hydrocarbon series (IV) are exited equally. Fig. 6b shows the result obtained by analyzing the gas exiting the PPS. In Fig. 6b, it can be seen that the H ₂ -series (I), the H ₂ O -series (II), and the N ₂ /CO/CO ₂ /O ₂ -series (III) are exited to a small extent. Fig. 6c is the result obtained by analyzing the gas coming out of stainless steel. In Fig. 6c, it can be seen that the gas coming out of stainless steel is similar to the gas coming out of PPS. Therefore, it can be seen that the gas coming out of PPS is similar to the gas coming out of stainless steel.

[77] As a result of the analysis, it can be once again confirmed that PPS is excellent as a material for the support block 30.

[78] In order to further enhance the strength of the support block 30, a material to which several tens of % of glass fiber (G/F), preferably 40% G/F, has been added may be used together with the PPS. In order to further increase the strength of the PPS+G/F 40% material used in the support block, the PPS+G/F 40% material may be further subjected to a crystallization process (keeping in an atmosphere of 150°C or more for about 1 hour) as a post-treatment process after injection.

[79] Fig. 7 shows the results obtained by measuring the maximum deformation temperatures at which the polymers are damaged by atmospheric pressure under high-temperature vacuum. In this case, the rods 31 were provided with a diameter of 2 mm at a distance of 30 mm. Referring to Fig. 7, it can be seen that failure occurs at 60°C in the case of PE, failure occurs at 90°C in the case of low-outgassing PC, and failure occurs at 125°C in the case of PPS.

[80] As a result of the analysis, it can be seen that PPS can be used as the polymer used inside the vacuum space portion 50. However, PC with low outgassing can be used taking into account the manufacturing cost.

[81] Referring again to Fig. 3A, a radiation-resistant sheet 32 for reducing heat radiation, located between the first and second plate members 10 and 20 along the vacuum space portion 50, will be described. The first and second plate members 10 and 20 may be made of a stainless material capable of preventing corrosion and providing sufficient strength. The stainless material has a relatively high emissivity of 0.16, and therefore a large amount of radiated heat can be transmitted. In addition, the support block 30 made of a polymer has a lower emissivity than the plate members and is not completely provided on the inner surfaces of the first and second plate members 10 and 20. Therefore, the support block 30 does not have a large effect on the radiated heat. Thus, the radiation resistance sheet 32 can be provided in the form of a plate over a large part of the area of the vacuum space portion 50 for the purpose of reducing the radiant heat transmitted between the first and second plate members 10 and 20. An article having a low emissivity can be used as the material of the radiation resistance sheet 32. In one embodiment, an aluminum foil having an emissivity of 0.02 can be used as the radiation resistance sheet 32. Also, since the transmission of radiant heat may not be sufficiently blocked using one radiation resistance sheet 32, at least two radiation resistance sheets 32 can be provided at a certain distance from each other so that they do not contact each other. Also, at least one radiation resistance sheet 32 can be provided in a state in which it contacts the inner surface of the first or second plate members 10 and 20.

[82] Referring to Fig. 3B, the distance between the plate members 10 and 20 is maintained by the support block 30, and the porous material 33 can fill the vacuum space portion 50. The porous material 33 can have a higher emissivity than the stainless material of the first and second plate members 10 and 20. However, since the porous material 33 fills the vacuum space portion 50, the porous material 33 has a high efficiency for resisting radiation heat transfer.

[83] In the present embodiment, the vacuum adiabatic body can be manufactured without the radiation resistance sheet 32.

[84] Referring to Fig. 3C, the support block 30 for maintaining the vacuum spatial portion 50 may not be provided. The porous material 33 may be provided so as to be surrounded by the film 34 instead of the support block 30. Here, the porous material 33 may be provided in a state in which it is compressed such that the gap of the vacuum spatial portion 50 is maintained. The film 34 made of, for example, a PE material is provided in a state in which a hole is punched in the film 34.

[85] In the present embodiment, the vacuum adiabatic body can be manufactured without the support block 30. In other words, the porous material 33 can perform the function of the radiation resistance sheet 32 and the function of the support block 30.

[86] Fig. 8A-8C are views showing various embodiments of the thermal conductivity resistance sheets 60 or 63 and peripheral portions thereof. The structures of the thermal conductivity resistance sheets 60 or 63 are briefly shown in Fig. 2, but will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings.

[87] First of all, the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 proposed in Fig. 8A can be applied to a vacuum adiabatic body of the main body side. Specifically, the first and second plate members 10 and 20 can be sealed so that the inside of the vacuum adiabatic body is evacuated. In this case, since the first and second plate members 10 and 20 have temperatures different from each other, heat transfer can occur between the first and second plate members 10 and 20. The thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 is provided to prevent heat conduction between two different kinds of plate members 10 and 20.

[88] The thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 may be provided with sealing or welding portions 61, on which both ends of the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 are sealed, to define at least one wall portion for the third space or vacuum spatial portion 50 and maintain a vacuum state. The thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 may be provided in the form of a thin foil of micron thickness to reduce the amount of heat conducted along the wall for the vacuum spatial portion 50. The sealing portions 61 may be provided in the form of welded portions, and the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 and the plate members 10 and 20 may be fused to each other. In order to cause a fusion effect between the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 and the first and second plate members 10 and 20, the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 and the first and second plate members 10 and 20 may be made of the same material (for example, a stainless material). The sealing portions 61 are not limited to welded portions and may be provided by a process such as a skew connection. The thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 may be provided in a curved shape. In this way, the thermal conductivity distance of the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 is provided to be greater than the linear distance of each plate element 10 and 20, so that the thermal conductivity value can be further reduced.

[89] The temperature change occurs along the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60. Thus, in order to block the heat transfer to the outer portion of the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60, the shielding portion or coating 62 can be provided at the outer portion of the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 so that an adiabatic effect occurs. In other words, in the refrigerator 1, the second plate element 20 has a high temperature, and the first plate element 10 has a low temperature. In addition, heat conduction from a high temperature to a low temperature occurs in the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60, and therefore the temperature of the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 changes rapidly. Thus, when the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 is open with respect to its outer portion, heat transfer through the open space can actually occur. In order to reduce heat loss, the shielding portion 62 is provided at the outer portion of the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60. For example, when the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 is exposed in any of the low-temperature space and the high-temperature space, the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 cannot serve as a thermal conductivity resistance device in the exposed portion.

[90] The shielding portion 62 may be provided in the form of a porous material in contact with the outer surface of the heat-conducting resistance sheet 60. The shielding portion 62 may be provided in the form of an adiabatic structure, for example, a separate gasket, which is arranged at the outer portion of the heat-conducting resistance sheet 60. The shielding portion 62 may be provided in the form of a section of a vacuum adiabatic body, which is provided in a position facing the corresponding heat-conducting resistance sheet 60 when the vacuum adiabatic body of the main body side is closed relative to the vacuum adiabatic body of the door side. In order to reduce heat loss even when the main body and the door are open, the shielding portion 62 may be provided in the form of a porous material or a separate adiabatic structure.

[91] The thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 proposed in Fig. 8B can be applied to the door side vacuum adiabatic body. In Fig. 8B, portions other than those of Fig. 8A are described in detail, and the same description applies to portions identical to those of Fig. 8a. A side frame 70 is further provided at the outer side of the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60. A portion or seal for sealing between the door 3 and the main body 2, a vacuum port necessary for the vacuum process, a getter port for maintaining a vacuum, and the like can be provided on the side frame 70. This is because the installation of the portions is convenient in the main body side vacuum adiabatic body, and the installation positions of the portions in the door side vacuum adiabatic body are limited.

[92] In the door side vacuum adiabatic body, it is difficult to arrange the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 on the front end portion of the vacuum spatial portion 50, i.e., the corner edge portion of the vacuum spatial portion 50. This is because, unlike the main body 2, the corner edge portion of the door 3 is exposed to the outside. More specifically, if the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 is arranged on the front end portion of the vacuum spatial portion 50, the corner edge portion of the door 3 will be exposed to the outside, and therefore, a disadvantage will arise in that a separate adiabatic portion must be configured to provide thermal insulation of the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60.

[93] The thermal conductivity resistance sheet 63 proposed in Fig. 8C can be installed in the pipeline 64 passing through the vacuum space portion 50. In Fig. 8C, portions other than the portions of Figs. 8A and 8B are described in detail, and the same description applies to portions identical to the portions of Figs. 8A and 8B. The thermal conductivity resistance sheet 63 having a shape similar to the shape of the thermal conductivity resistance sheet of Fig. 8A, for example, a folded or zigzag thermal conductivity resistance sheet 63, can be provided in a peripheral portion of the pipeline 64. Accordingly, the heat transfer path can be extended, and deformation caused by a pressure difference can be prevented. Further, a separate shielding portion can be provided to improve the adiabatic characteristic of the thermal conductivity resistance sheet.

[94] The heat transfer path between the first and second plate elements 10 and 20 will be described with reference again to Fig. 8A. The heat passing through the vacuum adiabatic body can be divided into heat surface thermal conductivity, conducted along the surface of a vacuum adiabatic body, more specifically, sheet 60 thermal conductivity resistance, heat thermal conductivity of the support, conducted along the support block 30, provided inside the vacuum adiabatic body, heat thermal conductivity of gas, conducted through the internal gas in the vacuum spatial part, and heat radiative transmission, transmitted through a vacuum spatial part.

[95] The transferred heat may vary depending on different design dimensions. For example, the support block may be changed so that the first and second plate members 10 and 20 can withstand the vacuum pressure without deformation, the vacuum pressure may be changed, the distance between the first and second plate members 10 and 20 may be changed, and the length of the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 or 63 may be changed. The transferred heat may vary depending on the temperature difference between the spaces (the first and second spaces) respectively provided by the plate members 10 and 20. In this embodiment, the configuration of the vacuum adiabatic body was found taking into account that its total heat transfer value is less than the total heat transfer value of a typical adiabatic structure formed by foaming polyurethane. It can be assumed that in a typical refrigerator, which includes an adiabatic structure formed by foaming polyurethane, the effective heat transfer coefficient is 19.6 mW/(m*K).

[96] When performing a comparative analysis of the heat transfer values of the vacuum adiabatic body of this embodiment, the heat transfer value by heat thermal conductivity of gas can become the smallest. For example, the value of heat transfer by means of heat thermal conductivity of a gas can be controlled to be less than or equal to 4% of the total heat transfer. The amount of heat transfer by means of the thermal conductivity of a solid, defined as the sum of the heat surface thermal conductivity and heat thermal conductivity of the support, is the greatest. For example, the amount of heat transfer through the heat of thermal conductivity of a solid can reach 75% of the total amount of heat transfer. The amount of heat transfer through heat radiative heat transfer is less than the heat transfer by conduction of a solid, but greater than the heat transfer by conduction of a gas. For example, the heat transfer by conduction of a gas Radiative transfer can account for about 20% of the total heat transfer.

[97] According to this heat transfer distribution, the effective heat transfer coefficients (eK: effective K) (W/(m*K)) of heat surface thermal conductivity, heat thermal conductivity of the support, heat thermal conductivity of gas and heat radiative transmission can have the order specified in the mathematical Inequality 1.

Inequality 1:

[98] eK _{heat of thermal conductivity of a solid} >eK _{heat of radiation transfer} >eK _{heat of thermal conductivity of a gas}

[99] Here, the effective heat transfer coefficient (eK) is a value that can be measured using the differences in the shape and temperature of the target article. The effective heat transfer coefficient (eK) is a value that can be obtained by measuring the total heat transfer amount and the temperature of at least one portion where the heat is transferred. For example, the calorific value (W) is measured using a heating source that can be quantitatively measured in a refrigerator, the temperature distribution (K) of the door is measured using the heat respectively transferred through the main body and the edge of the door of the refrigerator, and the path through which the heat is transferred is calculated as a conversion value (m), whereby the effective heat transfer coefficient is calculated.

[100] The effective heat transfer coefficient (eK) of the entire vacuum adiabatic body is the value given by the expression k=QL/AΔT. Here, Q denotes the caloric value (W) and can be obtained using the caloric value of the heater. A denotes the cross-sectional area (m ² ) of the vacuum adiabatic body, L denotes the thickness (m) of the vacuum adiabatic body, and ΔT denotes the temperature difference.

[101] For the heat of the surface thermal conductivity, the caloric value of the thermal conductivity can be obtained by the temperature difference (ΔT) between the inlet and outlet of the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 or 63, the cross-sectional area (A) of the thermal conductivity resistance sheet, the length (L) of the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 or 63, and the specific thermal conductivity (k) of the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 or 63 (the specific thermal conductivity of the thermal conductivity resistance sheet is a property of the material and can be obtained in advance). For the heat of the support thermal conductivity, the caloric value of the thermal conductivity can be obtained by the temperature difference (ΔT) between the inlet and outlet of the support block 30, the cross-sectional area (A) of the support block 30, the length (L) of the support block 30, and the specific thermal conductivity (k) of the support block 30. Here, the specific thermal conductivity of the support block 30 is a property of the material and can be obtained in advance. The sum of the heat thermal conductivity of gas and heat radiative transfer can be obtained by subtracting the heat of surface conduction and the heat of support conduction from the heat transfer of the entire vacuum adiabatic body. The heat ratio thermal conductivity of gas and heat radiative transfer can be obtained by calculating the heat of radiative transfer when no heat of gas conduction exists, by significantly reducing the degree of vacuum of the vacuum spatial part 50.

[102] When the porous material is provided inside the vacuum spatial portion 50, heat thermal conductivity of a porous material can be the sum of the heat thermal conductivity of the support and heat radiative transfer. The thermal conductivity of a porous material can vary depending on various variables including the type, amount, etc. of the porous material.

[103] According to one embodiment, the temperature difference, ΔT ₁ , between the geometric center formed by the adjacent rods 31 and the point at which each of the rods 31 is located may be preferably provided to be less than 0.5°C. Also, the temperature difference, ΔT ₂ , between the geometric center formed by the adjacent rods 31 and the edge portion of the vacuum adiabatic body may be preferably provided to be less than 0.5°C. In the second plate element 20, the temperature difference between the average temperature of the second plate element 20 and the temperature at the point at which the heat transfer path passing through the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 or 63 intersects with the second plate element 20 may be the greatest. For example, when the second space is a region hotter than the first space, the temperature at the point where the heat transfer path passing through the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 or 63 intersects with the second plate element 20 becomes the smallest. Similarly, when the second space is a region colder than the first space, the temperature at the point where the heat transfer path passing through the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 or 63 intersects with the second plate element 20 becomes the largest.

[104] This means that the amount of heat transferred through other points than the heat of surface conduction passing through the sheet 60 or 63 of thermal conductivity resistance should be controlled, and the full amount of heat transfer acceptable for a vacuum adiabatic body can be ensured only when the heat of surface conduction occupies the largest amount in the heat transfer. For this purpose, the change in temperature of the sheet 60 or 63 of thermal conductivity resistance can be controlled so that it is greater than the change in temperature of the plate elements 10 and 20.

[105] The physical characteristics of the parts forming the vacuum adiabatic body will now be described. In a vacuum adiabatic body, the force due to the vacuum pressure is applied to all parts. Thus, a material having a strength (N/m ² ) of a certain level can be preferably used.

[106] Under such conditions, the plate members 10 and 20 and the side frame 70 may be made of a material having sufficient strength that they will not be damaged even by a vacuum pressure. For example, when the number of the rods 31 is reduced to limit the heat conduction of the support, deformation of the plate members 10 and 20 may occur due to the vacuum pressure, which may adversely affect the appearance of the refrigerator. The radiation resistance sheet 32 may be made of a material that has a low emissivity and can be easily subjected to thin-film processing. Also, the radiation resistance sheet 32 must provide strength sufficient so that it is not deformed by an external impact. The support block 30 is provided with strength sufficient to withstand the force due to the vacuum pressure and to withstand the external impact, and must also provide workability. The thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 may be made of a material that has the shape of a thin plate and can withstand the vacuum pressure.

[107] In one embodiment, the plate members 10 and 20, the side frame 70, and the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 or 63 may be made of stainless materials having the same strength. The radiation resistance sheet 32 may be made of aluminum having a lower strength than the stainless materials. The support block 30 may be made of a polymer having a lower strength than aluminum.

[108] In addition to the strength from the viewpoint of materials, an analysis from the viewpoint of rigidity is required. Rigidity (N/m) is a property that does not allow easy deformation. Although the same material may be used, its rigidity may vary depending on its shape. The thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 or 63 may be made of a material having a high or specified strength, but the rigidity of this material may be low in order to increase the thermal resistance and minimize the radiated heat when the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 or 63 is uniformly distributed without any unevenness when a vacuum pressure is applied. The radiation resistance sheet 32 requires a certain level of rigidity so that it does not contact with another part due to deformation. In particular, the edge portion of the radiation resistance sheet 32 may generate conductive heat due to the sag caused by the self-weight of the radiation resistance sheet 32. Thus, a certain level of rigidity is required. The support block 30 may require a rigidity sufficient to withstand the compressive stress from the plate members 10 and 20 and the external impact.

[109] In one embodiment, the plate members 10 and 20 and the side frame 70 may have the greatest rigidity to prevent deformation caused by vacuum pressure. The support block 30, in particular the rod 31, may have the second greatest rigidity. The radiation resistance sheet 32 may have a rigidity that is less than the rigidity of the support block 30, but greater than the rigidity of the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 or 63. Finally, the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 or 63 may be made of a material that is easily deformed by vacuum pressure and has the lowest rigidity.

[110] Even when the porous material 33 fills the vacuum space portion 50, the thermal conductivity resistance sheet 60 or 63 may preferably have the smallest rigidity, and the plate members 10 and 20 and the side frame 70 may have the largest rigidity.

[111] The vacuum space portion 50 can resist heat transfer by means of only the support block 30. Here, the porous material 33 can be filled with the support block 30 inside the vacuum space portion 50 to resist heat transfer. Heat transfer to the porous material 33 can be resisted without using the support block 30.

[112] In the above description, PPS resin was proposed as a material suitable for the support block 30. The rod 31 is provided on the support plate 35 at intervals of 2-3 cm, and the rod 31 has a height of 1-2 cm. These resins often have poor polymer flowability during molding. In many cases, the molded product does not have the designed size. In particular, the shape of the molded product such as the rod 31 having a short length is often not properly ensured due to non-uniform injection of the resin in a part far from the liquid injection port.

[113] This may later cause damage to the support block 30 or defects in the vacuum adiabatic body.

[114] The support block 30 may be essentially a two-dimensional structure, but its area is very large. Thus, if a defect occurs in one of the areas, it is difficult to reject the entire structure. This limitation becomes even more pronounced when refrigerators and heating devices become larger in size in accordance with the needs of consumers.

[115] Referring to Fig. 9, a heat exchange pipe is provided in the inner space of the vacuum adiabatic body, i.e., the vacuum space portion 50. The heat exchange pipe 117 may be provided by connecting an inlet pipe 171 through which a refrigerant is introduced into the evaporator provided in the refrigerator 1, to an outlet pipe 172 through which the refrigerant is discharged from the evaporator. The two pipes, which are the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172, may be connected or linked to each other by welding to form the heat exchange pipe 117. The inlet pipe 171 may be provided inside the outlet pipe 172. The refrigerants flowing through the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 can exchange heat with each other to improve the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle.

[116] Next, a technology for maintaining the position of the heat exchange pipeline 117 in the vacuum spatial part 50 will be described.

[117] Fig. 9 is a partial cutaway view of a vacuum adiabatic body, and Fig. 10 is a view showing a state in which a heat exchange pipe is provided in a vacuum spatial portion.

[118] Referring to Figs. 9 and 10, a support block 30 is provided between the plate members 10 and 20. The support block 30 includes a support panel or plate 35 contacting the plate members 10 or 20, and at least two or more rods 31, preferably a plurality of rods 31, maintaining a gap between the plate members 10 and 20.

[119] Each of the rods 31 may have a conical or tapered shape so that the lower portion may have a larger cross-sectional area A1 than the cross-sectional area A2 of its upper portion in the drawing. As a result, good molding workability can be ensured.

[120] The heat exchange pipe 117 may prevent contact with other elements in the vacuum space portion 50 as much as possible. When a pipe made of a metal such as copper contacts another element, the heat exchange efficiency may be deteriorated due to heat conduction, and thus adiabatic characteristics may not be realized. For example, when the rod 31 and the heat exchange pipe 117 contact each other, heat loss or heat transfer may occur. Alternatively, when the plate element 10 and/or 20 and the heat exchange pipe contact each other, the connection between the metals may cause rapid heat loss or heat transfer.

[121] As shown in the drawing, the heat exchange pipe 117 is provided in the inner space of the vacuum spatial portion 50. The section of the heat exchange pipe 117 that extends from the inside to the outside of the vacuum spatial portion 50 passes through the first plate element 10 and the second plate element 20.

[122] In the vacuum adiabatic body according to one embodiment, the inlet/outlet end portions of the heat exchange pipe 117 may pass through one portion of the first plate element 10 and one portion of the second plate element 20. Namely, only one point or region of each of the plate elements 10 and 20 may be open for penetration. In this way, the inconvenience of the work of providing a plurality of through portions or openings can be eliminated, and heat loss through the through portion can be reduced. In addition, since the number of through portions that must be sealed separately can be reduced, the probability of disturbance or deterioration of the vacuum of the vacuum spatial portion 50 can be reduced.

[123] Fig. 11 is a partial cutaway view of a heat exchange piping according to one embodiment.

[124] Referring to Fig. 11, in the heat exchange pipe 117, the inlet pipe 171 having a smaller diameter may be provided in the outlet pipe 172 having a larger diameter. As described above, the refrigerant discharged after passing through the evaporator may flow through the outlet pipe 172, and the refrigerant to be introduced into the evaporator may flow through the inlet pipe 171.

[125] The heat exchange region of the heat exchange pipe 117, in which the heat exchange of the refrigerant is performed, may be the inside of the outlet pipe 172. In this way, since it is not necessary to perform a separate operation such as welding to promote heat exchange between the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172, the manufacturing process can be convenient. In addition, since the gas generated in the welded portion is generated first, the gas introduced into the vacuum space portion 50 can be removed.

[126] The heat exchange pipe 117 according to one embodiment is in a state in which the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 do not branch or separate from the through portion or opening of each of the plate members 10 and 20. Namely, the only pipe 117 can pass through the plate members 10 and 20. Thus, since a separate or additional branch of the pipe 117 in the through portion is not necessary, a bent portion for preventing interference associated with the rod 31 may not be provided, and the pressure drop of the refrigerant flowing through the pipe 117 can be reduced.

[127] The section in which the heat exchange pipeline 117 passes through each of the plate elements 10 and 20 will now be described in more detail.

[128] Fig. 12 is a view showing a state in which the heat exchange pipe 117 is disposed in the vacuum space portion 50.

[129] Referring to Figs. 9 and 12, a heat exchange pipe 117 is provided in the inner space of the vacuum space portion 50 provided on the rear surface of the refrigerator 1. The heat exchange pipe 117 may pass through the first plate member 10 via a single through portion or opening and pass through the second plate member 20 via a single through portion or opening.

[130] The heat exchange pipe 117 may have a first section passing through the second plate element 20 for directing it into the machine room 8 (Fig. 2), and a second section passing through the first plate element 10 for directing it into the evaporator inside the refrigerator. The heat exchange pipe 117 may pass through each of the plate elements 10 and 20 by means of a single through part.

[131] The first section of the heat exchange pipe 117 may extend linearly without bending in the direction of its continuation. On the other hand, the second section of the heat exchange pipe 117 may extend at an angle of about 90 degrees toward the inside of the refrigerator.

[132] Fig. 13A and 13B are views showing a second portion of the heat exchange pipe 117 that opens into the interior of the refrigerator, and Fig. 14A and 14B are views showing a first portion of the heat exchange pipe that opens into the exterior of the refrigerator, i.e., into the machine room 8. Fig. 13A-B and 14A-B show an advantage according to one embodiment over the prior art in that the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 are welded to each other.

[133] Referring to Fig. 13A, each of the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172, which are branched into two parts according to the prior art, can pass through the first plate member 10 via the through part or the through module 201. The pipes 171 and 172, which separately pass through the two through parts 201, are directed to the evaporator inside the refrigerator. Thus, since the area of the pipe in which heat exchange occurs is reduced if the branched inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 are not connected to each other, there is a disadvantage that the heat exchange pipe provided in the vacuum space part 50 must increase in length in order to perform sufficient heat exchange.

[134] Referring to Fig. 13B, in this embodiment, the inlet pipe 171 can pass through the first plate member 10 when it is in the state in which it is provided in the outlet pipe 172, without branching. In this way, the heat exchange pipe 117 can be directed to the evaporator inside the refrigerator by passing through a single through portion or passage module 201. In this way, since the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 are maintained in a connected or linked state, the heat exchange operation of the heat exchange pipe 117 can be continuously performed even after exiting to the inside of the refrigerator, and thus the heat exchange pipe 117 can be reduced in length.

[135] According to the comparative drawings of Fig. 13A-B, the number of through portions 201 through which the heat exchange pipe 117 passes through the vacuum spatial portion 50 may be reduced in order to reduce the amount of inconvenient work and heat loss or heat transfer, and to reduce the possibility of disruption or interference with the vacuum state of the vacuum spatial portion 50. The welded portion, which is a contact portion of the two pipes 171 and 172 forming the heat exchange pipe 117, may not be exposed to the vacuum spatial portion 50 in order to prevent an increase in the amount of gas inside the vacuum spatial portion 50, thereby increasing the service life of the product.

[136] Referring to Fig. 14A, each of the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172, which are branched into two parts according to the prior art, can pass through the second plate member 20 via the through part 201. The pipes 171 and 172, which separately pass through the two through parts 201, are directed to the machine room 8 from the outside of the refrigerator. Thus, since the area of the pipe in which heat exchange occurs is reduced if the branched inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 are not connected to each other, there is a disadvantage that the heat exchange pipe provided in the vacuum space part 50 must increase in length in order to perform sufficient heat exchange.

[137] Additionally, the inlet pipe 171 should be branched to separate from the outlet pipe 172 so that the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 pass through the through parts 201 different from each other. In this region, since the inlet pipe 171 is strongly bent to prevent contact with the rod 31, the pipe 171 may be narrowed, which may cause an unexpected drop in pressure.

[138] Referring to Fig. 14B, in this embodiment, the inlet pipe 171 can pass through the second plate member 20 when it is in the state in which it is provided in the outlet pipe 172, without branching. In this way, the heat exchange pipe 117 can be directed to the machine room 8 from the outside of the refrigerator by passing through the only through portion 201. In this way, since the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 are maintained in the state in which they are connected to each other, the heat exchange operation of the heat exchange pipe 117 can be continuously performed even after it is discharged to the inside of the refrigerator, and thus the heat exchange pipe 117 can be reduced in length.

[139] According to the comparative drawings of Fig. 14A-B, the number of through portions 201 through which the heat exchange pipe 117 passes through the vacuum spatial portion 50 can be reduced to reduce the amount of inconvenient work, heat loss or heat transfer can be reduced, and the possibility of breaking the vacuum state of the vacuum spatial portion 50 can be reduced. Also, the weld portion, which is a contact portion of the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172, may not be exposed to the vacuum spatial portion 50 to prevent an increase in the amount of gas inside the vacuum spatial portion 50, thereby increasing the service life of the product. Also, since the only piping body, i.e., the inlet and outlet pipes 171 and 172, directly exits to the outside without branching the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 from each other, the pressure drop of the refrigerant flowing through the inlet pipe 171 can be reduced.

[140] Fig. 15 is a cross-section of a heat exchange pipeline according to another embodiment.

[141] Referring to Fig. 15, the inlet pipe 171 provided in the inner space of the outlet pipe 172 may be folded or may have a folded or ribbed shape of the cross-sectional area. The folded inlet pipe 171 can exchange heat with the refrigerant inside the outlet pipe 172 over a larger area. Thus, higher heat exchange efficiency can be obtained by the heat exchange pipe 117 having a larger area.

[142] In this embodiment, the inlet pipe 172 and the through portion 201 may be connected to each other by non-uniform welding or a gasket connection. Non-uniform welding may provide an advantage in that the contact surface can be completely or better sealed by welding. However, the inlet pipe 172 is made of copper, and each of the plate members 10 and 20 is made of stainless steel. Thus, since different materials are connected to each other by welding, welding may be difficult to perform, and the stability after welding may be deteriorated.

[143] Another embodiment will be described below in which the above-described limitation of non-uniform welding is eliminated and the above-described advantage of the heat exchange pipeline is actually realized.

[144] Fig. 16 is a cross-section of a heat exchange pipeline according to another embodiment.

[145] Referring to Fig. 16, in the heat exchange pipe 117 according to this embodiment, the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 are in contact with each other, for example, by welding. The inlet pipe 171 may be adjacent to the outlet pipe 172, but not inside it. In this way, the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 can uniformly exchange heat with each other. The inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 may be accommodated in a sealing member or material 173 in a state in which they are connected or bonded to each other. The sealing member 173 may have a predetermined strength and may be made of stainless steel, which is the same material as the material of each of the plate members 10 and 20.

[146] The sealing member 173 can be connected to each of the plate members 10 and 20 by uniform welding. As described above, since the same metals are connected to each other by welding, the strength of the connection of the two members can be increased since the same metals are connected to each other by welding. In this way, the manufacturing work can be convenient, and the connection of the heat exchange pipe and the reliability of the seal between the plate members can be improved.

[147] Also, it is possible to prevent the welding of the plate members 10 and 20 made of stainless steel and the refrigerant pipeline made of copper or aluminum material to each other, so as to make it possible to use the plate members 10 and 20 made of stainless steel to obtain sufficient rigidity. In other words, the non-uniform welding according to the prior art can be replaced by uniform welding between the sealing member 173 and the plate members 10 and 20.

[148] According to the sealing element 173, the number of positions in which welding is required can be reduced to further reduce leakage.

[149] A filler or spacer 220 fills the sealing member 173. The filler 220 may fill an intermediate portion between the outer surface of each of the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 and the inner surface of the sealing member 173. The filler 220 may include a porous material such as polyurethane foam, fiberglass, and the like. The outer surface of each of the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 may indirectly contact the inner surface of the sealing member 173 by means of the filler 220. In this case, heat exchange losses that are dissipated to the outside, in particular by the sealing member 173 itself, can be reduced. In addition, since the intake pipe 171 and the exhaust pipe 172 do not contact with the outer outer members, such as the plate members 10 and 20, the heat of the intake pipe 171 and the exhaust pipe 172 may not be transmitted to the outside. Thus, the efficiency of each of the intake pipe 171 and the exhaust pipe 172 can be improved.

[150] The filler 220 may not be provided as a separate material, but may be provided by means of thermal insulation using air or vacuum.

[151] The insulation effect by means of vacuum insulation and air insulation may be smaller than the insulation effect in the above-mentioned embodiment in which the filler 220 is separately provided. Also, it may be difficult to fix the positions of the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172.

[152] According to this embodiment, similar to the embodiment described with reference to Fig. 11, the number of through parts through which the pipe passes through the vacuum space portion 50 can be reduced to reduce the inconvenience of operation and reduce the heat loss by half, thereby reducing the likelihood of breaking the vacuum state of the vacuum space portion. Also, the welded part, which is a contact part of the two pipes 171 and 172 forming the heat exchange pipe 117, may not be exposed to the vacuum space portion 50 to prevent an increase in the amount of gas inside the vacuum space portion 50. Also, since it is not necessary to branch the inlet and outlet pipes 171 and 172 to pass through separate through parts, the pressure drop of the refrigerant can be reduced.

[153] According to this embodiment, since the heat exchange pipe 117 and the plate members 10 and 20 are connected to each other by uniform welding, when the heat exchange pipe 117 and the plate members 10 and 20 are connected to each other, the operation can be convenient, and the reliability of the connection and the seal maintenance can be improved.

[154] In this embodiment, since the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 are sealed inside the sealing member 173, the entire bending process of the heat exchange pipe 117 may be difficult. For example, when the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 are provided inside and outside the center of curvature of the bent portion on the bent portion of the heat exchange pipe 117 inside the vacuum space portion 50, that is, when the centers of curvature of the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 are the same, but the radii of curvature are different from each other, a large load may be applied to the pipe or the sealing member 173 provided outside the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172.

[155] In this case, a large load applied to the pipeline provided outside the inlet pipeline 171 and the outlet pipeline 172 may cause damage to the corresponding pipeline and damage to the welded portion. This limitation may be more pronounced due to different diameters of the inlet pipeline 171 and the outlet pipeline 172, which are suitable for flowing the refrigerant.

[156] In this embodiment, in order to eliminate the above-mentioned limitation arising from the radii of curvature of different pipes, the relative positional relationship between the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 can be provided within the sealing member 173. The positional relationship between the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 will be described in more detail after changing the drawing.

[157] Fig. 17 is a view of a heat exchange pipeline according to another embodiment.

[158] With reference to Fig. 17, the general direction of continuation of the heat exchange pipe 117 is similar to the direction of continuation in Fig. 12.

[159] The heat exchange pipe 117 may pass through the first plate element 10 via a single through portion and pass through the second plate element 20 via a single through portion.

[160] The section passing through the second plate element 20 may extend linearly without bending in the direction in which the heat exchange pipe 117 continues. The section passing through the first plate element 10 may extend at an angle of about 90 degrees in the direction in which the heat exchange pipe 117 is directed toward the inside of the refrigerator.

[161] As described above, according to the continuation direction of the heat exchange pipe 117, the heat exchange pipe 117 may have a three-dimensional continuation direction inside the vacuum spatial portion 50. More specifically, the three continuation directions or portions 231, 232, and 233 may be defined in the same plane, which is the same as the continuation direction of the plane by which the vacuum spatial portion 50 is provided. The fourth continuation direction or portion 241, continuing from the third continuation direction 233 to the inside of the refrigerator, that is, the direction passing through the first plate member 10, continues in a direction intersecting this plane or perpendicular to it, but does not continue to the inside of the two-dimensional plane by which the vacuum spatial portion 50 is provided. The fourth continuation direction 241 may not be provided on the same plane as the plane of the first, second, and third directions 231, 232, and 233 continuation.

[162] In order to prevent damage to the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 in the direction of continuation of the heat exchange pipe 117, the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 may have the same radius of curvature in the bending portion or section of the heat exchange pipe 117. In Fig. 17, the bending portions are represented by reference symbols A, B, and C, respectively.

[163] The bending parts A, B, and C will be described in more detail with reference to Figs. 18 and 19.

[164] Fig. 18 is a cross-section taken along the line A-A' of Fig. 17, and Fig. 19 is a cross-section taken along the line B-B' of Fig. 17.

[165] With reference to Fig. 17 and 18, the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 may be provided vertically in the sealing element 173. This arrangement may be maintained until passing through the bending parts A, B, and C. The bend may occur at least to the right side relative to Fig. 18.

[166] According to the arrangement of the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172, since the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 have the same radius of curvature in the bending portion A, B, and C, damage to the bending portions A, B, and C of each of the pipes 171 and 172 and the connected portions of the pipes 171 and 172 can be prevented.

[167] However, when the arrangement of the pipelines of Fig. 18 is maintained up to the bending portion C, the radii of curvature of the inlet pipeline 171 and the outlet pipeline 172 may be different from each other. In other words, one of the pipelines, which is provided on the far side with respect to the radius of curvature of the bending portion, is bent with a large radius of curvature. One of the pipelines, which is provided on the near side with respect to the radius of curvature, is bent with a small radius of curvature. Thus, the pipeline itself or the connected portions of the pipeline may be damaged.

[168] Referring to Fig. 17 and 19, the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 are respectively arranged in a horizontal direction. The arrangement of the pipes 171 and 172 can be understood as an arrangement made earlier before reaching the bending portion C. In other words, the arrangement of the pipes 171 and 172 can turn at an angle of about 90 degrees before reaching the bending portion C from the bending portion B. For example, the inlet pipe 171 can be configured to turn at an angle of about 90 degrees in a clockwise direction, as shown in Fig. 19.

[169] When the pipes are provided horizontally as shown in Fig. 19, even when the heat exchange pipe 117 is bent from the third direction 233 to the fourth direction 241, the radii of curvature of the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 can be uniformly maintained. In this way, the radii of curvature can be the same to prevent damage to the pipes 171 and 172 and the connected portion of the pipes 171 and 172, even when bending portions are provided.

[170] Fig. 20 is a cross-sectional view of a position in which the heat exchange pipe passes through the second plate element 20.

[171] Referring to Fig. 20, the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 may be provided in the sealing member 173, and the filler 220 fills the sealing member 173 such that the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172 do not contact the inner surface of the sealing member 173. Alternatively, although a vacuum and air may be used instead of the filler 220, filling with the filler may be provided to prevent heat transfer between the inlet pipe 171 and the outlet pipe 172, prevent cold air from leaking, and prevent vibrations and noise from spreading through the pipe 117.

[172] The through part 201 will be described below.

[173] The second plate member 20 and the sealing member 173 may be welded to each other. More specifically, the inner surface of the through-penetrating portion of the second plate member 20 and the outer surface of the sealing member 173, which extends to the outside of the refrigerator by passing through the second plate member 20, may be welded to each other. In this case, since the second plate member 20 and the sealing member 173 are made of the same material, such as stainless steel, and are thus welded to each other by uniform welding, reliability and service life can be increased. In the drawing, reference numeral 210 represents a uniform welded portion.

[174] Heat can be generated from the homogeneous welded portion 210. This heat can be conducted along the sealing element 173 and burn the filler 220. In order to eliminate this limitation, a predetermined width L1 can be provided between the end portion, on which the filler 220 is provided, and the homogeneous welded portion 210. This width can have an extension of about 5 cm. Thus, when welding is performed, the combustion of the filler 220 due to heat transfer can be prevented.

[175] In order to increase the reliability of the contact of the welded portion 210, a protruding end portion 21 protruding from the second plate member 20 may be provided with a predetermined length. In order to provide the protruding end portion 21, the shape of the second plate member 20 may be deformed in width or thickness.

[176] After performing homogeneous welding, the homogeneous welded portion 210 may be covered with a finishing element or coating 230. The finishing element 230 may not perform such a function as maintaining a vacuum, but may only be needed to prevent moisture penetration. Thus, the finishing element 230 may be made of rubber or a sealing material that is resistant to moisture.

[177] The structure shown in Fig. 20 can be applied in a similar configuration even in a position in which the heat exchange pipe 117 passes through the first plate element 10.

Industrial applicability

[178] According to the embodiments, since the heat exchange pipe provided in the vacuum space portion is discharged to the outside of the vacuum space portion without heat loss and the possibility of vacuum breakdown is reduced, a significant industrial effect can be expected due to rapid application.

[179] More specifically, the effects of reducing heat loss or heat transfer are achieved due to the reduction of the number of through parts or holes, which improves the convenience of operation and reduces the possibility of breaking the vacuum. Also, since gas generation due to the welding material used for welding two pipes of the heat exchange pipe can be prevented, the effect of maintaining the vacuum can be achieved.

[180] Also, by reducing the number of bending parts of the pipeline, the pressure drop of the refrigerant can be prevented or reduced. Also, uniform welding can be performed, thereby increasing the reliability of the inlet and outlet pipelines of the heat exchange pipeline.

Claims (15)

1. A vacuum adiabatic body comprising: a first plate for a first space; a second plate for a second space; a third space provided between the first plate and the second plate and configured as a vacuum space; and a heat exchange pipeline comprising a first pipeline and a second pipeline; wherein the first pipeline has a diameter greater than the diameter of the second pipeline, and the second pipeline is located inside the first pipeline, or the first pipeline and the second pipeline are surrounded by a tube connected to at least one of the first plate or the second plate. 2. A vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 1, wherein the first and second pipelines perform heat exchange with each other in a third space. 3. A vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 1, in which the heat exchange pipeline is straightly branched from the first part without bending in the direction of passage of the heat exchanger, while the second part is adjacent to the evaporator of the first space. 4. A vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 1, in which the heat exchange pipeline is diverted from the second part at an angle of about 90 degrees in the direction of passage of the heat exchanger, wherein the second part adjoins the compressor in the second space. 5. A vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 1, comprising one first opening made in the first plate, through which a heat exchange pipeline passes from the first space to the third space. 6. A vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 1, containing one second opening made in the second plate, through which a heat exchange pipeline passes from the second space to the third space. 7. A vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchange pipeline passes through the first plate or the second plate through a through part. 8. A vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 7, in which the through part is made in the form of a joint or weld. 9. A refrigerator containing a vacuum adiabatic body according to any one of paragraphs 1-8, wherein the heat exchange pipeline is located in the internal space of a part of the vacuum space located on the rear wall of the refrigerator. 10. A vacuum adiabatic body comprising: a first plate for a first space; a second plate for a second space; a third space provided between the first plate and the second plate and configured as a vacuum space; and a heat exchange pipeline comprising the first pipeline and the second pipeline; wherein the heat exchange pipeline has a structure with a three-dimensional direction of continuation inside the vacuum space, wherein the structure with a three-dimensional direction of continuation has a first end extension extending vertically to the first space, and a second end extension extending horizontally to the second space. 11. A vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 10, wherein the structure with a three-dimensional direction of continuation has at least a first, second and third extensions in one plane. 12. A vacuum adiabatic body comprising: a first plate for a first space; a second plate for a second space; a third space provided between the first plate and the second plate and configured as a vacuum space; and a heat exchange pipeline comprising the first pipeline and the second pipeline; wherein the heat exchange pipeline has a first part in which the cross-section of the first pipeline and the second pipeline is aligned in a first direction, and a second part in which the cross-section of the first pipeline and the second pipeline is aligned in a second direction different from the direction of the first part. 13. A vacuum adiabatic body comprising: a first plate for a first space; a second plate for a second space; a third space provided between the first plate and the second plate and configured as a vacuum space; and a heat exchange pipeline comprising the first pipeline and the second pipeline; wherein the first pipeline and the second pipeline are arranged in a vertical direction of the direction of extension of the vacuum space, in the vacuum space. 14. A vacuum adiabatic body comprising: a first plate for a first space; a second plate for a second space; a third space provided between the first plate and the second plate and configured as a vacuum space; and at least one sealing element including a first pipeline or a second pipeline, wherein the sealing element is connected to the first plate or the second plate by means of a welded portion. 15. A vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 14, in which the welded part is covered by a finishing element.