Hitachi, Ltd.

Takahiro Kaneko

Hiroaki Hata

Masahiko Gommori

Akihiko Ishiyama

Katsutoshi Shinohara

A refrigerator comprises a compressor for compressing and discharging a coolant, a first heat exchanger which performs heat exchange between the compressed coolant from the compressor and the atmosphere to cool the compressed coolant, an adiabatic expansion orifice where the compressed and cooled coolant after passing the first heat exchanger is adiabatically expanded, and a second heat exchanger which performs heat exchange between the adiabatically expanded coolant and the air in refrigerating chambers so as to cool the air in the refrigerating chambers by the coolant and to heat the coolant by the air in the refrigerating chambers. The refrigerator further includes a third heat exchanger which performs heat exchange between water produced when frost attached on the refrigerating chambers is melted and the compressed coolant discharged from the compressor so as to heat and evaporate the water, and a fourth heat exchanger which performs heat exchange between the compressed coolant and the atmosphere so as to cool the compressed coolant. The third heat exchanger and the fourth heat exchanger are connected in series so that the compressed coolant discharged from the compressor is supplied to the first heat exchanger after it passes and is cooled by both the third and fourth heat exchangers.

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Imaichi, Japan

Takahiro Kaneko