WO2016039637A1

WO2016039637A1 - A refrigeration cassette and refrigerator unit

Info

Publication number: WO2016039637A1
Application number: PCT/NZ2015/050131
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert Stewart
Original assignee: Skope Industries Limited
Priority date: 2014-09-09
Filing date: 2015-09-08
Publication date: 2016-03-17
Also published as: AU2017100278A4; NZ630526A; AU2015268678A1

Abstract

Described herein is a refrigeration cassette and refrigerator unit. The refrigeration cassette is capable of being mounted at the top or bottom of a refrigerator unit cabinet volume to be cooled without the need to alter the horizontal orientation of the cassette or parts inside the cassette when moved between mount positions.

Description

A REFRIGERATION CASSETTE AND REFRIGERATOR UNIT

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application derives priority from New Zealand patent application number 630526 incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Described herein is a refrigeration cassette and refrigerator unit. More specifically, a refrigeration cassette is described capable of being mounted at the top or bottom of a refrigerator unit cabinet volume to be cooled without the need to alter the orientation of the cassette or parts therein when moved between mount positions.

BACKGROUND ART

Refrigerated merchandisers have a refrigeration system engaged therewith for providing the cooled environment within a refrigerated interior product space defined within the cabinet of the refrigerated merchandiser. The refrigeration systems of such refrigerated merchandisers commonly employ a Carnot refrigeration cycle and include an evaporator and an evaporator fan operatively engaged with the refrigerated interior product space of the refrigerated cabinet, as well as a condenser, a condenser fan, and compressor. In stand alone cabinets, the compressor, condenser and condenser fan are housed in an equipment compartment separate from and insulated from the refrigerated interior product space of the refrigerated cabinet. Refrigerant lines connect the compressor, the condenser, and the evaporator in a conventional manner to form a closed circuit. The compressor circulates a refrigerant through the condenser and the evaporator before returning to the compressor. Air within the insulated refrigerated interior product space of the refrigerated cabinet is circulated by the evaporator fan through the evaporator in heat exchange relationship with the refrigerant so as to cool the air.

The evaporator and evaporator fan may be disposed within the cooled interior of the refrigerated cabinet, for example in the upper region thereof. Among other uses, refrigerated merchandisers of this type may be used as product display cabinets for refrigerated or frozen foods, as vending machines, and as cold beverage merchandisers in supermarkets, grocery stores, gas stations, convenience stores, and other retail establishments. For example, cold beverages, such as soft drinks, beer, wine coolers, etc. are commonly displayed in refrigerated merchandisers for self-service purchase by customers. Conventional beverage merchandisers of this type include an insulated cabinet defining a refrigerated interior product display space having one or more glass doors that provide access to that product display space.

The beverage product, typically in cans or bottles, single or in six-packs, is stored on shelves within the refrigerated display space of the cabinet. To purchase a beverage the customer opens one of the doors and reaches into the refrigerated cabinet to retrieve the desired product from the shelf

WO2006/101515 describes one cassette system where the primary aim of the cassette is to handle spilled liquids ad condensate without damage to refrigeration unit components or surfaces. The solution described in this patent publication is to use a cassette with partitioned sections, the first being in air flow communication with the refrigerated cabinet and the second section being isolated from the first section and being in fluid flow communication with the environment exterior of the cabinet. The aim of this design is to avoid spilled liquids damaging the evaporator module which are housed in the first section. The partition is a sloping plastic surface used to carry fluids away. The design described is only for bottom mounting of the cassette and no provision is described to mount the cassette above the cabinet area.

US5347827 describes a modular refrigeration apparatus containing a cabinet and a so called universal refrigeration unit. The refrigeration unit is positioned at the bottom of the unit and no provision is made for top mounting of the unit.

NZ217777 describes a modular refrigeration cassette that may be top or bottom mounted relative to the cabinet area which is to be cooled. An airflow operative relationship is described between the cassette and cabinet area but the patent specification is silent on means to achieve the desired swapping in orientation of the cassette above or below the cabinet. In addition the module described requires considerable changes to be made to the module in order to achieve top or bottom mounting - only two apertures are provided for in the module to draw in and blow out air from the unit from and to the cabinet area. In order to alter the orientation, it would be necessary to flip the module upside down or otherwise reorientate the housing in order to achieve the desired airflow direction change. This significant orientation change is undesirable as it means needing to tool for multiple cabinets (top or bottom specific mount) or it means considerable maintenance (labour and parts) to alter the orientation.

It should be appreciated that it may be useful to address the above problems or at least provide the public with a choice. Further aspects and advantages of the refrigeration cassette and unit incorporating the cassette will become apparent from the ensuing description that is given by way of example only.

SUMMARY Described herein is a refrigeration cassette and refrigerator unit incorporating the cassette. More specifically, a refrigeration cassette is described capable of being mounted at the top or bottom of a refrigerator unit cabinet volume to be cooled without the need to alter the orientation of the cassette or parts therein when changing mount positions.

In a first aspect there is provided a refrigeration unit comprising a cabinet which has a volume to be cooled ('cabinet volume') comprising: a modular refrigeration cassette comprising an enclosure at least partly surrounding refrigeration components; the cassette being shaped to be releasably engaged with a cabinet volume to be cooled via at least one aperture through which air circulates between the cassette and cabinet volume; and wherein the cassette is capable of being positioned above ('top mount') or below ('bottom mount') the cabinet volume to be cooled, with the cassette being able to be moved between mount positions without altering the orientation of the cassette.

In a second aspect, there is provided a modular refrigeration cassette able to be engaged with a volume to be cooled, the modular refrigeration cassette comprising: an enclosure at least partly surrounding refrigeration components; the cassette being shaped to be releasably engaged with the volume to be cooled indirectly or directly via at least one aperture through which air circulates between the cassette and volume; and wherein the modular refrigeration cassette can engage the volume either above or below the volume without altering the orientation of the cassette.

An advantage of the above refrigeration cassette and refrigerator unit incorporating the cassette includes greater versatility of use. The cassette also allows the ability to repair a fridge quickly by simply swapping out cassettes rather than having to remove parts and/or re-gassing the cassette as can be the case for many art designs. In addition, it is possible to produce a universal cassette for a variety of fridge configurations and a universal cabinet thereby reducing parts and inventory.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further aspects of the refrigeration cassette and refrigerator unit incorporating the cassette will become apparent from the following description that is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a first embodiment of a cassette in an assembled form;

Figure 2 illustrates the cassette in an exploded view with the piping and tubing removed for clarity. The enclosure is lifted free of the base plate to reveal the internal refrigeration components. In Figure 2, the electrical enclosure is removed for clarity and the controller is also shown separated. Other removable components such as the evaporator, compressor and fans are shown on their respective mounts to illustrate one configuration;

Figure 3 illustrates an exploded view of the cassette with the removable components

omitted to more clearly show the various parts that form the structure of the cassette. The base plate is clearly seen on which an evaporator tub is mounted.

Fan shroud assemblies are shown along with the enclosure, electrical assembly enclosure and controller housing;

Figure 4 illustrates the removable components according to one embodiment being the fans and fan motors, the compressor, the evaporator, the condenser and the electronic controller;

Figure 5 illustrates an image of the assembled cassette base plate showing the apertures where removable panels might be placed;

Figure 6 illustrates an image of a single door fridge side cross section showing the air flow direction and bottom mount alignment of the cassette and cabinet volume; Figure 7 illustrates an image of a double door fridge with the cassette in a bottom mount alignment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As noted above, described herein is a refrigeration cassette and refrigerator unit incorporating the cassette. More specifically, a refrigeration cassette is described capable of being mounted at the top or bottom of a refrigerator unit cabinet volume to be cooled without the need to alter the orientation of the cassette or parts therein when changing mount positions.

For the purposes of this specification, the term 'about' or 'approximately' and grammatical variations thereof mean a quantity, level, degree, value, number, frequency, percentage, dimension, size, amount, weight or length that varies by as much as 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1% to a reference quantity, level, degree, value, number, frequency, percentage, dimension, size, amount, weight or length.

The term 'substantially' or grammatical variations thereof refers to at least about 50%, for example 75%, 85%, 95% or 98%.

The term 'comprise' and grammatical variations thereof shall have an inclusive meaning - i.e. that it will be taken to mean an inclusion of not only the listed components it directly references, but also other non-specified components or elements.

The term 'cassette' and grammatical variations thereof in the context used herein refers to a module used to cool a separate volume and the cassette is releasably attached to the volume.

The term 'orientation' and grammatical variations thereof with respect to the cassette refers to the cassette remaining in a substantially constant horizontal plane relative to the cabinet volume when moved between mount positions but may move in a vertical plane.

The term 'enclosure' or grammatical variations thereof refers in a simplest form to a base on which parts are mounted.

Further, while terms such as cool/cooling, chill/chilling and refrigeration are used herein, as may be appreciated, the refrigeration cycle could be reversed causing heat/heating of the cabinet volume. For brevity, refrigeration is referred to in the description but heating is also encompassed unless otherwise stated.

As noted above, the cassette may be engaged with a volume such as a cabinet volume. The term 'engaged' or grammatical variations thereof refers to the cassette being able to circulate chilled air into and out of the volume to be cooled. By way of example, the engagement may be an outlet of the cassette abutting a complementary aperture in a cabinet volume.

Intermediate tubes, walls or other ducting may also be used between the cassette and volume.

The volume or cabinet volume may be a discrete volume within an enclosure. In one embodiment, the cabinet may comprise solid walls and a door or doors on at least one side that may be opened to access the volume inside the enclosure.

The cassette may be inserted as a single module into and out of a compartment in a refrigerator unit wherein, when inside the compartment, the cassette is engaged with the cabinet volume to be cooled. In one embodiment, the compartment in the refrigerator unit may be a cavity separate to and adjacent the cabinet volume to be cooled. Compartments of this nature are already common to many refrigerator designs, often hidden behind an advertising sign or signs.

As noted above, the cassette orientation is not substantially altered when changing between mount positions. Generally in the art, the whole cassette is completely redesigned or even flipped over for top or bottom mount positions. Alternatively, the cabinet volume may be flipped over. The above described cassette can be moved between positions without the need to alter the overall cassette orientation or the cabinet volume orientation. In addition, the refrigeration component orientation is not altered when the cassette is moved between mount positions. Art designs that contemplate changes in mount position require refrigeration component alteration to allow for continued operation. This involves breaking the refrigeration circuit meaning a loss in refrigerant gas and perhaps re-welding or fitting of components. The cassette described herein avoids the need altogether to break the refrigeration circuit when changing mount position and components remain in their set position. In addition, the cabinet volume orientation does not need to be altered (but can be flipped over 180 degrees if desired). As should be appreciated, this makes the cassette described more versatile than art designs.

The refrigeration components in the cassette form a refrigeration circuit including refrigerant. The refrigeration circuit does not need to be re-gassed when the cassette is moved between mount positions. Avoiding breaking into the refrigeration circuit is noted above. As should be appreciated, a refrigeration circuit is essentially a closed sealed series of operations acting on a refrigerant compound. Often, when parts are removed, the circuit is broken and refrigerant gas escapes. Before the cassette can be used again, the circuit needs to be re-connected and refrigerant gas re-charged into the circuit. This process takes time and carries an extra cost, both undesirable elements especially when a rapid repair is required. The cassette described herein avoids breaking the line, loss of refrigerant and re-charging.

The refrigeration components may comprise: at least one compressor for circulating refrigerant, at least one condenser fan for exhausting warm air to the outside of the cassette and drawing cool air from the outside of the cassette for cooling the condenser(s) also located in the cassette; at least one evaporator connected to the at least one condenser; at least one evaporator fan for exhausting cool air to the outside of the cassette and drawing warmed air from the inside of the cabinet back for cooling at the evaporator(s) also located in the cassette.

In essence, all of the normal components used in a refrigeration circuit are incorporated into the cassette described herein as a discrete module.

The enclosure may partly or fully surround the refrigeration components. The enclosure may include various apertures or slots for airflow. The enclosure provides both a solid base on which to fasten the refrigeration components. The enclosure may also comprise a cover to retain the components. In selected embodiments, the enclosure may comprise a base and top that completely cover the components and may take various shapes to suit the shape of the refrigerator unit to which the cassette is engaged with.

By way of example, the cassette enclosure in one embodiment may be further defined by a base plate on which the refrigeration components are mounted and a shroud, the shroud having a top and sides that mate with at least part of the base plate. The shroud may mate with the base plate about the perimeter of the base plate. The base plate may have a substantially oblong shape that, in use, lies in a substantially horizontal plane. The shroud may fit over all of the internal components of the cassette. The shroud may be linked to the base plate via one or more releasably attachable connections. The releasably attachable connections may be selected from: at least one snap fitting; at least one high friction surface; at least one fastener; and combinations thereof. The description of the shroud and base plate above is given to illustrate one means for achieving the design however it should be appreciated that other configurations may be possible.

The enclosure may comprise at least one component mount that releasably fixes in place at least one removable refrigeration component. As noted above, the refrigeration components are included within the cassette. The enclosure may include specific component mounts to retain selected components. The at least one component mount may be formed integral to the enclosure, that is the component mount may for example be a moulding that is formed as part of the enclosure and not a separate part attached to the enclosure. The at least one mount may be configured to allow varying sized refrigeration components to be releasably held by the mount in order to allow the cassette to have a range of operating parameters. In one embodiment, the component mount or mounts may be sized to allow varying size components to be added. By way of example, the component may be a heat exchanger of varying width depending on the output required and the component mount may be a rectangular cross section, the width of the cross section being wide enough to hold the widest envisaged heat exchanger yet also able to fit and retain smaller width heat exchangers. The use of universal component mounts described further increases the versatility of the cassette by allowing the use of one enclosure design that can be used in varied size refrigerator units with the refrigeration components able to be easily altered to change the cassette capacity. Permanent service connections may link the one or more mounts together thereby forming an operative relationship between the removable refrigeration components. The term 'service connections' includes, but is not limited to, tubing or piping for refrigerant and/or electrical cabling. Having the service connections in place means that it is simple to remove and replace refrigeration components without also having to alter service lines. The at least one removable refrigeration component may be removed and replaced without the need to break the refrigeration circuit and/or re-gas the refrigeration circuit.

The at least one removable refrigeration component may be selected from: an evaporator tub; a fan; an electronic controller; and combinations thereof. Other parts may be removable such as heat exchangers but it in one embodiment, the parts noted are the easiest to remove and replace without breaking into the refrigeration circuit. This statement should not be seen as limiting since other components could be removed albeit requiring re-gassing of the refrigeration circuit with refrigerant.

The cassette may comprise a controller housing moulded into the enclosure. The controller housing acts to retain at least one controller in or on the cassette. The cassette may comprise a controller housing operatively linked to the cassette and releasably attached to the cassette, allowing for mounting of the controller housing within, or separate to, the cassette. As should be appreciated, the controller and controller housing in this configuration may be seated on the cassette or may be seated at a point distal to the cassette yet still connected to the cassette. This option provides extra versatility allowing the controller and controller housing to be located on the refrigerator unit at various positions, not necessarily bound to where the cassette is placed. In one embodiment, attaching or detaching the controller and controller housing from the cassette may be completed toolessly.

Altering the airflow from the cassette to the refrigerator unit may be completed when the cassette mount position is changed. Airflow direction alteration may be completed by altering the at least one airflow aperture location to alter the air circulation direction. The inventor has found that it is not necessary to otherwise alter the cassette to change mount position, the only change needed being altering the airflow aperture or apertures. The cassette enclosure may comprise at least one removable panel that forms an airflow aperture or apertures. A removable panel or panels allows the cassette to be manufactured for one (or no) airflow direction and quickly altered to set or change the direction through removal of the removable panel or panels.

In one embodiment, the cassette may have at least one removable panel in the enclosure and at least one fixed opening in the enclosure; wherein the cassette, without alteration, is manufactured for a first mount position with at least one fixed opening and at least one removable panel; and by removal of the at least one panel and closure of the at least one fixed opening, the cassette is altered for use in a second mount position. Optionally, the first mount position noted above may be a bottom mount position and the second mount position may be a top mount position relative to a cabinet volume. As should be appreciated, the opposite arrangement of the first mount position noted above being a top mount position and the second mount position being a bottom mount position may also be manufactured.

The panel or panels may be replaced post removal allowing multiple reconfigurations throughout the life of the cassette.

The cassette may further include a resilient sealing member or members attached to the top and/or bottom of the refrigeration cassette. The resilient sealing member or members may be one or more strips of elastomer extrusion such as a rubber tube or similar shape that may be fastened to the cassette top or bottom or both. An aim of the resilient sealing member is to assist with sealing the region between the enclosure airflow aperture or apertures and the cabinet volume against which the cassette is engaged with. In one configuration the cassette abuts the cabinet volume. In this case, a seal about the air flow aperture or apertures may be used to ensure efficient air transfer. Other sealing members may be used such as conduit, piping, rubber tubing and the like to help form a seal between the cassette and cabinet volume.

Optionally, the cassette may comprise at least one conveying means. The conveying means may be attached to the enclosure to allow conveying of the cassette over a surface. The conveying means may a wheel or wheels or rollers. In an alternative embodiment, the cassette may have a skid or skids to allow sliding movement over a surface.

In a second aspect, there is provided a refrigerator unit comprising a cabinet volume to be cooled and a cassette holding compartment above ('top mount') or below ('bottom mount') the cabinet volume to be cooled, the unit including a modular refrigeration cassette substantially as described above mounted at the top or bottom of the refrigerator unit in the cassette holding compartment.

The unit described may include a lever member or members that engage the cassette with the cabinet volume, wherein the lever or levers apply force on the cassette forcing the cassette against the cabinet volume or a part thereof thereby sealing the at least one air circulation aperture between the cassette and volume. An aim of the lever or levers may be to form a tight seal between the cassette and the cabinet volume in use, but, when the lever or levers are disabled, the cassette moves away from the cabinet volume allowing for easy access to the cassette to facilitate removal. In one embodiment, the lever may be operated toolessly. This may be an advantage to ensure that the cassette can be installed and uninstalled quickly and minimises labour requirements. The lever or levers may alternatively apply an upward force against a gravitational force on the cassette in a bottom mount position. The lever or levers may apply a downward force in the direction of a gravitational force in a top mount position. Optionally, the lever or levers may apply a substantially even force across the width and depth of the cassette. Even application of force may be important to ensure that a firm seal is achieved between the cassette and cabinet volume.

Note that for brevity, a single cassette is described above engaging a single cabinet volume. As may be appreciated, the unit may be varied by use of one cassette cooling multiple cabinet volumes or multiple cassettes cooling a single cabinet volume.

Further, note that for brevity, cooling and refrigeration are referred to however, as may be appreciated, the refrigeration cycle may be reversed allowing heating of the cabinet volume to occur. In this embodiment, the terms noted above may be reversed.

Advantages of the above refrigeration cassette and refrigerator unit incorporating the cassette include greater versatility of use. The cassette also allows the ability to repair a fridge quickly by simply swapping out cassettes rather than having to remove parts and re-gassing the cassette as is the case for many art designs. In addition, it is possible to produce a universal cassette for a variety of fridge configurations thereby reducing parts and inventory.

The embodiments described above may also be said broadly to consist in the parts, elements and features referred to or indicated in the specification of the application, individually or collectively, and any or all combinations of any two or more said parts, elements or features.

Further, where specific integers are mentioned herein which have known equivalents in the art to which the embodiments relate, such known equivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as of individually set forth.

WORKING EXAMPLES

The above described refrigeration cassette and refrigerator unit incorporating the cassette are now described by reference to specific examples.

EXAMPLE 1

Figures 1 to 5 show one embodiment of a modular refrigeration cassette 1 comprising an enclosure 2 surrounding refrigeration components.

The cassette 1 is shaped to releasably engage with a cabinet volume 3 (see Figures 6 and 7) to be cooled via at least one air flow aperture 4A or 4B through which air circulates between the cassette 1 and cabinet volume 3. The cassette 1 is capable of being positioned above ('top mount') or below ('bottom mount') the cabinet volume 3 to be cooled, with the cassette 1 being able to be moved between mount positions without altering the orientation of the cassette 1. In addition, the refrigeration component orientation is not altered when the cassette 1 is moved between mount positions. Only the vertical height of the cassette 1 is changed. The cabinet volume 4 comprises solid walls and a door or doors 5 on at least one side that may be opened to access the volume inside the enclosure.

The cassette 1 may be inserted as a single module into and out of a compartment 6 in a refrigerator unit 7.

Airflow through the refrigerator unit 7 is shown using the arrows illustrated in Figure 6 where air is drawn in through the cassette 1 via arrow A, cooled and circulated into the cabinet volume 3 via arrows B and then exhausted via arrow C from the unit 7.

The cassette 1 described avoids the need to break the refrigeration circuit when changing mount position and components remain in their set position. There is also no need to alter the refrigerator unit 7 orientation although flipping of the unit could be completed if desired. The refrigeration components comprise a compressor 8 for circulating a refrigerant (not shown), the compressor 8 including at least one condenser 9 and fan 10 for exhausting warm air to the outside of the cassette 1 and drawing cool air from the outside of the cassette 1 for cooling a compressor 8 located in the cassette 1; and an evaporator 11 connected to a condenser 9 for cooling air flowing within the cabinet volume 3. The cassette 1 enclosure 2 is defined by a base plate 12 on which the refrigeration components are mounted and a shroud 13, the shroud 13 having a top and sides that mate with at least part of the base plate 12.

The refrigeration component mounts 14 are moulded with the base plate 12.

The mounts 14 may have a varying size to allow varying sized refrigeration components to be releasably held by the mount 14 in order to allow the cassette 1 to have a range of operating parameters. The use of universal component mounts 14 described further increases the versatility of the cassette 1 by allowing the use of one size of enclosure 2 that can be used in varied size refrigerator units 7 with the refrigeration components able to easily be altered to change the cassette 1 capacity - for example, one, two or three door refrigerator units 7. Alternatively, multiple cassettes 1 could be used for one refrigeration unit 7.

Permanent service connections 15 for refrigerant and power link the one or more mounts 14 together thereby forming an operative relationship between the removable refrigeration components.

The evaporator tub 16 fan(s) 10 and electronic controller 17 may be removed without needing the break into the refrigeration circuit thereby avoiding re-gassing and speeding maintenance.

The cassette 1 includes a controller 17 housing 18 moulded into the enclosure 2. The controller 17 housing 18 acts to retain the controller 17 in or on the cassette 1. The controller 17 housing 18 may be seated on the cassette 1 or may be seated at a point distal to the cassette 1 yet still connected to the cassette 1. This option provides extra versatility allowing the controller 17 to be located on the refrigerator unit 7 at various positions, not necessarily bound to where the cassette 1 is placed. For example, the controller 17 may be located on the refrigeration unit 7 door front.

Altering the airflow from the cassette 1 to the refrigerator unit 7 may be completed when the cassette 1 mount position is changed. Airflow direction alteration may be completed by altering the airflow aperture 4a,4b location to alter the air circulation direction. The cassette 1 may be manufactured for a first mount position with a fixed opening 4a on the top of the cassette 1 and a removable panel 4b (shown open in Figure 5) on the underside of the cassette 1. Removal of the removable panel and closure of the fixed opening allows the cassette 1 airflow direction to be changed altering the cassette 1 for use in a second mount position. As should be appreciated the opening 4a, 4b configuration (fixed or removable panel) positioning can be reversed at manufacture if so desired. Openings 4a, 4b may also be replaceable allowing for multiple cassette configuration changes over the life of the cassette.

The cassette 1 may include a resilient sealing member or members 19 attached to the top and/or bottom of the cassette 1. An aim of the resilient sealing member 19 is to assist with sealing the region between the enclosure airflow aperture or apertures 4a, 4b and the cabinet volume 3 against which the cassette 1 is engaged with. The unit 7 described may include a lever member or members (not shown) that engage the cassette 1 with the cabinet volume 3. The lever or levers apply force on the cassette 1 forcing the cassette 1 against the cabinet volume 3 thereby sealing the at least one air circulation aperture 4a, 4b depending on whether top or bottom mount between the cassette 1 and cabinet volume 3.

Aspects of the refrigeration cassette and refrigerator unit incorporating the cassette have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the claims herein.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A refrigeration unit comprising a cabinet volume to be cooled comprising: a modular refrigeration cassette comprising an enclosure at least partly surrounding refrigeration components; the cassette being shaped to be releasably engaged with the cabinet volume via at least one aperture through which air circulates between the cassette and cabinet volume; and wherein the cassette is capable of being positioned above in a top mount position or below in a bottom mount position, the cabinet volume, with the cassette being able to be moved between mount positions without altering the orientation of the cassette.

2. The refrigeration unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cassette is inserted as a single module into and out of a compartment in a refrigerator unit wherein, when inside the compartment, the cassette is engaged with the cabinet volume to be cooled.

3. The refrigeration unit as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the refrigeration component orientation is not altered when the cassette is moved between mount positions.

4. The refrigeration unit as claimed in any one of the above claims wherein the cassette refrigeration components form a refrigeration circuit including refrigerant and wherein the refrigeration circuit does not need to be re-gassed when the cassette is moved between mount positions.

5. The refrigeration unit as claimed in any one of the above claims wherein the refrigeration components comprise: at least one compressor for circulating refrigerant, at least one condenser fan for exhausting warm air to the outside of the cassette and drawing cool air from the outside of the cassette for cooling the condenser(s) also located in the cassette; at least one evaporator connected to the at least one condenser; at least one evaporator fan for exhausting cool air to the outside of the cassette and drawing warmed air from the inside of the cabinet back for cooling at the evaporator(s) also located in the cassette.

6. The refrigeration unit as claimed in any one of the above claims wherein the cassette enclosure is defined by a base plate on which the refrigeration components are mounted.

7. The refrigeration unit as claimed in claim 6 wherein the cassette enclosure further comprises a shroud, the shroud having a top and sides that mate with at least part of the base plate.

8. The refrigeration unit as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7 wherein the base plate comprises at least one mount that releasably fixes in place at least one removable refrigeration component.

9. The refrigeration unit as claimed in claim 8 wherein the at least one mount is formed integral to the base plate.

10. The refrigeration unit as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9 wherein the at least one mount is configured to allow varying sized refrigeration components to be releasably held by the mount in order to allow the cassette to have a range of operating parameters.

11. The refrigeration unit as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 10 wherein permanent service connections link the one or more mounts together thereby forming an operative relationship between the removable refrigeration components.

12. The refrigeration unit as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 11 wherein the at least one removable refrigeration component is selected from: an evaporator tub; a fan; an electronic controller; and combinations thereof.

13. The refrigeration unit as claimed in any one of the above claims wherein moving the cassette between mount positions is completed by altering the at least one air flow aperture location to alter the air circulation direction.

14. The refrigeration unit as claimed in any one of the above claims wherein the cassette enclosure comprises at least one removable panel that forms an airflow aperture or apertures.

15. The refrigeration unit as claimed in any one of the above claims wherein the cassette has at least one removable panel in the enclosure and at least one fixed opening in the enclosure; wherein the cassette, without alteration, is manufactured for a first mount position with at least one fixed opening and at least one removable panel; and by removal of the at least one panel and closure of the at least one fixed opening, the cassette is altered for use in a second mount position.

16. The refrigeration unit as claimed in claim 15 wherein the first mount position is a bottom mount position and the second mount position is a top mount position relative to a cabinet volume.

17. The refrigeration unit as claimed in any one of the above claims wherein the cassette includes a resilient sealing member or members attached to the top and/or bottom of the refrigeration cassette.

18. The refrigeration unit as claimed in any one of the above claims wherein the cassette comprises at least one conveying means.

19. The refrigeration unit as claimed in any one of the above claims wherein the refrigeration unit comprises a cassette holding compartment above in a top mount position or below in a bottom mount position, the cabinet volume, the modular refrigeration cassette being housed within the cassette holding compartment.

20. The refrigeration unit as claimed in claim 19 wherein the unit includes a lever member or members that engage the cassette with the volume, wherein the lever or levers apply force on the cassette forcing the cassette against the unit or a part thereof thereby sealing the at least one air circulation aperture between the cassette and unit.