Refrigerator appliance having a sealed system with supplemental heat features and methods of operation

Abstract

A refrigerator appliance may include a cabinet, a fresh food door, a freezer doo, a sealed refrigerant system, and a controller. The sealed refrigerant system may include a refrigerant loop, a compressor disposed along the refrigerant loop, a condenser disposed along the refrigerant loop downstream from the compressor, a freezer evaporator mounted at the freezer chamber in fluid communication between the condenser and the compressor, and a fresh food evaporator mounted at the fresh food chamber between the condenser and the compressor. The controller may be in operable communication with the sealed refrigerant system. The controller may be configured to direct an operation routine. The operation routine may include halting refrigerant flow through the freezer evaporator, directing a supplemental heat to the refrigerant loop between the condenser and the compressor, and directing refrigerant through the fresh food evaporator for a fresh food cooling cycle while directing supplemental heat.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A refrigerator appliance comprising:
 a cabinet comprising an internal liner defining a freezer chamber and a fresh food chamber;   a fresh food door attached to the cabinet to selectively restrict access to the fresh food chamber;   a freezer door attached to the cabinet to selectively restrict access to the freezer chamber;   a sealed refrigerant system comprising
 a refrigerant loop, 
 a compressor disposed along the refrigerant loop, 
 a condenser disposed along the refrigerant loop downstream from the compressor, 
 a freezer evaporator mounted at the freezer chamber in fluid communication between the condenser and the compressor, and 
 a fresh food evaporator mounted at the fresh food chamber in fluid communication between the condenser and the compressor; and 
   a controller in operable communication with the sealed refrigerant system, the controller being configured to direct an operation routine comprising
 halting refrigerant flow through the freezer evaporator, 
 directing a supplemental heat to the refrigerant loop between the condenser and the compressor, and 
 directing refrigerant through the fresh food evaporator for a fresh food cooling cycle while directing supplemental heat. 
   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the operation routine further comprising
 directing, prior to halting refrigerant flow through the freezer evaporator, refrigerant through the freezer evaporator for a freezer cooling cycle.   
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 2 , wherein the operation routine further comprises
 directing a freezer-chamber airflow across the freezer evaporator following the freezer cooling cycle and halting refrigerant flow through the freezer evaporator.   
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 3 , wherein directing the freezer-chamber airflow across the freezer evaporator is prior to directing the supplemental heat. 
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 3 , wherein the operation routine further comprises
 determining a freezer-evaporator temperature matches a freezer-chamber temperature, and   halting the freezer-chamber airflow in response to determining the freezer-evaporator temperature matches the freezer-chamber temperature.   
     
     
         6 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein directing the supplemental heat comprises directing a volume of refrigerant through a bypass line of the sealed refrigerant system to bypass the condenser. 
     
     
         7 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 6 , wherein the bypass line comprises a bypass inlet mounted upstream of the condenser and a bypass outlet mounted upstream of the fresh food evaporator. 
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 6 , wherein the bypass line comprises a bypass inlet mounted upstream of the condenser and a bypass outlet mounted downstream of the freezer evaporator. 
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein directing the supplemental heat comprises activating an electric heating element mounted at the freezer evaporator to heat the same, the freezer evaporator being upstream of an outlet of the fresh food evaporator. 
     
     
         10 . A method of operating a refrigerator appliance comprising a sealed refrigerant system comprising a compressor, a condenser, a freezer evaporator mounted at a freezer chamber, and a fresh food evaporator mounted at a fresh food chamber, the method comprising:
 halting refrigerant flow through the freezer evaporator;   directing a supplemental heat to a refrigerant loop between the condenser and the compressor; and   directing refrigerant through the fresh food evaporator for a fresh food cooling cycle while directing supplemental heat.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 directing, prior to halting refrigerant flow through the freezer evaporator, refrigerant through the freezer evaporator for a freezer cooling cycle.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 directing a freezer-chamber airflow across the freezer evaporator following the freezer cooling cycle and halting refrigerant flow through the freezer evaporator.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein directing the freezer-chamber airflow across the freezer evaporator is prior to directing the supplemental heat. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 determining a freezer-evaporator temperature matches a freezer-chamber temperature; and   halting the freezer-chamber airflow in response to determining the freezer-evaporator temperature matches the freezer-chamber temperature.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein directing the supplemental heat comprises directing a volume of refrigerant through a bypass line of the sealed refrigerant system to bypass the condenser. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the bypass line comprises a bypass inlet mounted upstream of the condenser and a bypass outlet mounted upstream of the fresh food evaporator. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the bypass line comprises a bypass inlet mounted upstream of the condenser and a bypass outlet mounted downstream of the freezer evaporator. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein directing the supplemental heat comprises activating an electric heating element mounted at the freezer evaporator to heat the same, the freezer evaporator being upstream of an outlet of the fresh food evaporator.