The present invention relates to an apparatus in refrigerators and/or freezers for condensing a refrigerant, which comprises a condenser in the form of a pipe coil and a number of lamellae disposed on the pipe coil.

Known refrigerators and/or freezers have a static condenser which is placed on the rear side in a space intended therefor. This space encroaches considerably on the space available for the refrigerator and/or freezer compartment itself. In these known constructions the compressor or in many cases the compressors are moreover placed beneath the condenser space, whereby the condenser will be loaded with the working temperature from the compressor or the compressors. This gives rise to a chimney stack effect, whereby dust particles are transported past the compressor or the compressors up to the coil pipe of the condenser and the heat dissipation wires. These will thus be coated with dust particles and this leads to considerable deterioration of the efficiency of the condenser. The manufacture of known condensers is moreover extremely energy-demanding and it is int. al. required that nitrogen gas flows through the pipe coil while the heat dissipation wires are fixedly welded to the pipe walls in order to avoid soot formation during the spot welding itself.

Forming the basis of the present invention lies the task of eliminating or at least considerably reducing the inconveniences in known constructions in accordance with the above.

This task is solved according to the present invention in that the apparatus disclosed by way of introduction is characterized in that the condenser is mounted in a space under the refrigerator and/or freezer cabinet ahead of a compressor assembly. The pipe coil in the condenser is bent for forming a number of straight mutually parallel parts, between which the lamellae are placed. The lamellae have substantially the same length as the straight parts in the pipe coil

and display a U-shaped cross section with slight distance between the shanks, which substantially centrally are bent outwardly and on the outside of the outward bending display inward bulges for the placing— in of the pipe coil parts. The shank part on the one side of the inward bulge displays gills with openings aimed in the one direction, while the shank part on the other side of the outward bulge displays gills with openings aimed in the other direction. The shanks are resilient for clamping of the lamellae between the pipe coil parts. The condenser is mounted on the underside of a melt water collector, which is in communication with the refrigerator and/or freezer compartment. The melt water collector and the condenser slope in the one direction.

Through the apparatus according to the present invention the efficiency of the static condenser is considerably increased, whereby the compressor will have increased capacity because of the lower condensation temperature and as a result thereof a lower energy consumption. This is achieved through the condenser's placement in a space beneath the refrigerator and/or freezer compartment itself ahead of the compressor or the compressors. Through the apparatus according to the present invention there will moreover be. obtained larger refrigerated, interior gross volume in the refrigerator and/or freezer compartment. Through the present invention there is moreover made possible application of the lamellae on the condenser coil without the need of any welding. This moreover makes possible free choice of material, eg aluminium. The aiming of the gills on the lamella in the one direction and the other direction gives better through flow and better chimney stack effect. Through the condenser's placement according to the present invention it will moreover be easier to remove dust particles and other dirt which have attached to the same. The combination of the condenser with a melt water collector according to the present invention permits distribution of melt water from the defrosting over as large a surface as possible.

The present invention will in the following be described more closely with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig 1 schematically shows a cross section through an underpart of a refrigerator and freezer cabinet with one embodiment of an apparatus according to the present

invention. Fig 2 shows a pipe coil for a condenser according to the present invention. Fig 3 shows an end view of a lamella according to the present invention on a larger scale than the pipe coil in fig 2. Fig 4 shows a similar end view to fig 3 of a lamella according to another embodiment of the present invention. Fig 5 shows a view from the right in fig 4.

In fig 1 is shown the lower part of a refrigerator and freezer cabinet 1 which has a bottom plate 2 the bottom plate 2 and the bottom wall 3 defining a space 4 for a compressor 5, a condenser 6 and a melt water collector 7.

The melt water collector 7 is in communication with the refrigerator and freezer compartment via one or more holes 8 for leading off melt water from the refrigerator and freezer compartment to the melt water collector 7. The melt water collector 7 is advantageously manufactured of plastic, rectangular and has a triangular cross section. The bottom in the melt water vessel 7 consists of the hypotenuse and on the underside of same the condenser 6 is mounted with the help of suitable fixing members 9 at the upper end and 10 at the lower end. The melt water collector 7 is interiorly provided with step like rails which distribute the water transport over the whole of the vessel's surf ce. The water is vaporized by the heat transport from the condenser 7 under operation. The bottom of the melt water collector 7 is moreover designed so that it fits on the upper part of the condenser 6 and can extend partly down between parts of the condenser 6.

The condenser 6 comprises a pipe coil 11 according to fig 2. The one end of the pipe coil 11 is coupled to the hot gas outlet 12 of the compressor, while the other end of the pipe coil 11 is coupled to the condensate inlet 13 of the compressor 5. As is apparent in Fig. 2 the pipe coil 11 consists of a number of mutually parallel straight parts. Between these parallel, straight parts there are disposed lamellae 14 of the type shown in fig 3 and 4. These lamellae 14 are preferably manufactured from hard rolled sheet aluminium of a thickness of for example 0.2 mm. In fig 3 is illustrated one lamella 14 from the one end and it is clearly apparent that the lamella 14 has substantially ϋ-shape, the distance between the shanks being slight in relation to

the length of the shanks. Each shank is centrally bent outwardly and displays an inward bulge 15 whose shape corresponds partly with the cross sectional shape of the straight parts of the pipe coil 11. The upper part of the shanks in fig 3 displays gills 16 which are open in the one direction, while the lower parts display gills 17 which are open in the opposite direction. In the illustrated embodiment both of the shanks have gills 16, 17. In that the lamellae 14 are U-shaped, they can be placed between the straight parts in the pipe coil 11 by squeezing together of the shanks which are thereafter allowed to spring back into good contact with the mutually registering straight parts in the pipe coil 11.

In this way there will not be required any other fixing of the lamellae 14 on the pipe coil 11.

As a result of the chimney stack effect air will flow into the space 4 from the arrows 18 past the condenser 6 and the compressor and up on the back side of the refrigerator and freezer cabinet 1.

For space-saving purposes the lamella 14 can be modified in such a manner that the shanks are cut off after the inward bulges 15, whereby the lamella 14 will be substantially V-shaped with the exterior inward bulges on the end of the shanks.

It shall further be pointed out that in the refrigerator and freezer compartment there is disposed a per se known refrigerant battery which in a well-known manner is coupled to the compressor 5. At each end of the straight mutually parallel parts in the pipe coil 11 there are disposed spacer members in the form of for example a plastic strip with recesses for the pipes for maintaining the distance between the straight pipe parts.

Many modifications are naturally possible within the framework of the inventive concept as defined in the appended claims.