Patent Application
20220034569
Present disclosure in general relates to a field of refrigeration. Particularly, but not exclusively, the present disclosure relates to an ice making machine. Further embodiments of the present disclosure disclose an evaporator assembly for a vertical flow type ice making machine, to produce ice cubes.
Ice is formed by exposing water to sub-zero temperatures. When water is exposed to freezing temperatures, water turns from a liquid state to a solid state. Ice of different shapes and sizes may be produced by moulds of predetermined shapes. Initially, water that is to be frozen poured into a mould of predetermined shape. The mould is then exposed to sub-zero temperatures which causes the water in the mould to freeze. As the water turns into a solid state, the water acquires the shape of the mould and thus ice blocks in the shape of the mould are obtained. Generally, household refrigerators use ice trays with a cubical shape, wherein the refrigerators and the ice trays are suitable to produce a small amount of ice. However, certain sectors such as the food sector, the beverage sector, the cold storage sectors etc. use large quantities of ice with specific requirement in shape and size. Ice of smaller sizes are generally used in the food/beverage sectors such as restaurants and hotels. In recent times, the food and beverage industries have had an increased demand for ice. Hence, there exists a need in the food/beverage sector to manufacture ice in large quantities in a shorter period of time. The different shapes of ice that may be served in the food and the beverage industries also seems to be aesthetically pleasing to the consumers.
Typically, ice blocks may be created by pouring water or liquid into mould of predetermined shape and these moulds would be subjected to sub-zero temperatures to form ice. However, such process is time consuming and tedious and thus production of large quantities of ice becomes difficult. Also, the ice blocks that are produced conventionally may break during harvest.
With advancements in the technology, automatic ice making machines have been developed and used in many sectors. These automatic ice making machines minimize human intervention by making ice in required shape and size. Ice making machines are often adapted in sectors which require ice in bulk quantities such as food or beverage sectors. Ice making machines comprise of a large water tank which stores the water that is to be frozen. The water from the water tank may be fed by a pump to a water flow line. The water from the water flow line further flows onto a plurality of cooling surfaces on an evaporator frame. The evaporator frame may comprise a plurality of rectangular ice forming blocks or ice forming blocks of any other suitable shape may be configured onto the evaporator frame. One end of the plurality of rectangular ice forming blocks are fixedly connected to one end of a backplate. The other end of the backplate is provided with a refrigerant tube. As the refrigerant flows through the refrigerant tubes, the water that flows on the cooling surfaces turns into ice since the heat from the water is absorbed by the refrigerant tubes through the backplate of the evaporator frame. The backplate forms the cooling surface which cools and solidifies the water that flows through it. As the water solidifies on the cooling surface, the ice that is being formed takes the shape of the ice forming blocks that are provided on the backplate of the evaporator frame.
In configurations of the evaporator assemblies as mentioned above, heat from the flowing water is often absorbed by the refrigerant in the refrigerant tubes through an intermediate surface such as the backplate. Hence, the overall efficiency of the evaporator assembly may be significantly low. Thus, the overall cold storage energy of the refrigerant that is required to cool the stream of flowing water, significantly increases. Also, since the heat transfer between the refrigerant tubes and the stream of flowing water takes place by an intermediate backplate, the operational temperature at which the refrigerant flows through the refrigerant tubes has to be significantly decreased or the duration for which the refrigerant is circulated through the refrigerant tubes has to be significantly increased for the ice to be formed in the ice forming blocks of the evaporator assembly. Hence the conventional evaporator assemblies often require more time for the ice to be produced and the subsequent operational temperature of the refrigerant must be significantly low. Consequently, the overall operational costs of the evaporator assembly increase significantly.
Further, the evaporators include multiple surfaces which are often not accessible by hand to the user and therefore the cleaning of these parts is often not possible. Due to constant flow of water through theses evaporators, bacteria may be formed on the surfaces and ice cubes obtained are often very un-hygienic. Further, assembling of conventional evaporators is complex and involves multiple parts which are often not accessible for disassembling. Consequently, cleaning of the evaporator assemblies by disassembling the evaporators becomes complex and a skilled technician is required for disassembling and cleaning the evaporators. Further, conventional evaporators include hidden areas of the evaporator which are mostly not accessible for cleaning. Consequently, any formation of bacteria or other impurities goes un-noticed. These impurities become a part of the water which flows through theses surfaces and ultimately ice is formed with these impurities.
The“U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,410A” discloses an apparatus for making ice product that has a vertically arranged refrigerating plate having a freezing surface and a refrigerant pipe on the side of the plate, opposite to said freezing surface. A flushing water spray pipe is arranged on the upper portion of the aforementioned side of the refrigerating plate, with the ice-making water flowing down along the freezing surface for formation of ice products. The above application discloses a configuration where the refrigerant plate is provided for ice formation and the refrigerant pipe is configured behind the refrigerant plate, due to which the refrigerant has to absorb the heat of multiple surfaces i.e. the refrigerant tube and the refrigerant plate. Consequently, multiple surfaces results in lower operational efficiency.
Further, the “U.S. Pat. No. 8,677,774B2” discloses ice making machine where ice making portion is configured to dispose a pair of ice making plates having back faces facing each other and sandwiching the evaporation tube. The above patent also discloses a configuration where evaporator tube along with two plates are used for making ice. As a result of multiple conductive surfaces (i.e. the surface of evaporation tubes and the surface of the ice making plates) the refrigerant has to absorb heat from multiple surfaces before absorbing the heat from the water flowing on the ice making plates. Consequently, the refrigerant has to be circulated inside the evaporation tube for a longer period of time for ice to be formed on the ice making plates which reduces the operational efficiency of the ice making machine and increases the time required for forming an ice block.
The patent publication no. “US20110005263A1” also discloses a configuration where ice the making plates are disposed facing each other approximately vertically sandwiching an evaporation tube. This configuration also comprises of plurality of surfaces due to which the heat loss increases and the overall operational efficiency of the ice making machine is reduced. The time required for forming an ice block is consequently increased. Also, the evaporators of the above-mentioned documents include multiple hidden surfaces which makes it difficult for the user to detect and clean any impurities.
The present disclosure is directed to overcome one or more limitations stated above or any other limitation associated with the conventional arts.
One or more shortcomings of the conventional processes are overcome by providing plurality of channels that are defined by a conductive wall. The conductive wall is defined by a first and a second surface, where the first surface comes in contact with water and the second surface of the same conductive wall comes in contact with a refrigerant. Consequently, the ice to be formed at a faster rate and increases the overall operational efficiency of the evaporator assembly.
In a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, an evaporator assembly for a vertical flow type ice making machine is disclosed. The evaporator assembly includes a frame and a plurality of first cooling surfaces. The plurality of first cooling surfaces is each spaced at a distance and extend in a first direction within the frame. Further, a plurality of second cooling surfaces are spaced at a distance and extend in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction within the frame. An intersection of the plurality of first and second cooling surfaces defines a plurality of ice forming blocks. At least one conductive wall having a first surface and a second surface is provided where, the first surface of the conductive wall is configured to accommodate the plurality of ice forming blocks and the second surface of the conductive wall is configured to come in contact with at least one of refrigerant and defrost fluid.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the second surface of each of the at least one conductive wall is defined with a plurality of channels.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, each of the plurality of the channels is formed by configuring two of the at least one conductive walls, such that second surface of the at least one conductive walls face each other.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the frame is made of a non-conductive material.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the plurality of first direction is a vertical direction and the second direction is the horizontal direction.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the second cooling surfaces are defined with a plurality of slots for accommodating the plurality of first cooling surfaces.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, each of the plurality of channels are configured vertically one above the other.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the plurality of channels is defined by a plurality of rectangular tubes positioned one above the other.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, a top end of each conductive wall is fixedly connected to the horizontal cooling surface.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, at least one conductive strip extending from a plurality of channels to a fluid tank provided below the evaporator assembly.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, at least one pivotable flap is connected to the frame.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the frame houses at least one water flow line and at least one defrost fluid spray line.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, at least one side plate arranged parallel to the plurality of vertical cooling surfaces and is configured to enclose the plurality of ice forming blocks.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the plurality of ice forming blocks come in direct contact with conductive walls of the refrigerant tubes.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the conductive walls, and the horizontal cooling surfaces at the top end of the conductive walls are formed from a single metallic sheet.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the conductive walls are of a curled profile.
In a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, a vertical flow type ice making machine is disclosed. The machine includes one or more evaporator assemblies. Each of the one or more evaporator assemblies include a frame and a plurality of first cooling surfaces. The plurality of first cooling surfaces are each spaced at a distance and extend in a first direction within the frame. Further, a plurality of second cooling surfaces are spaced at a distance and extend in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction within the frame. An intersection of the plurality of first and second cooling surfaces defines a plurality of ice forming blocks. At least one fluid flow line is positioned at upstream side of each of the one or more evaporator assemblies for supplying liquid onto the plurality of ice forming blocks.
Further, at least one conductive wall having a first surface and a second surface is provided where, the first surface of the conductive wall is configured to accommodate the plurality of ice forming blocks and the second surface of the conductive wall is configured to come in contact with at least one of refrigerant and defrost fluid. At least one defrost fluid tube is positioned in upstream side of the plurality of conductive walls for selectively supplying the defrost fluid onto the plurality of conductive walls.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following description.
The novel features and characteristic of the disclosure are set forth in the appended description.
The disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives, and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:
The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the system illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
The foregoing has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the disclosure. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other devices for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the disclosure, as to its organization, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure.
In the present document, the word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.
While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the scope of the disclosure.
The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that an assembly that comprises a list of components does not include only those components but may include other components not expressly listed or inherent to such assembly. In other words, one or more elements in the device or assembly proceeded by “comprises . . . a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the assembly.
Embodiments of the present disclosure discloses an evaporator assembly for a vertical flow type ice machine. In conventional evaporator assemblies, the heat from the flowing water is often absorbed by the refrigerant in the refrigerant tubes through an intermediate surface such as backplate. Since the heat transfer between the refrigerant tubes and the stream of flowing water takes place through the intermediate backplate, the operational temperature at which the refrigerant flows through the refrigerant tubes has to be significantly decreased or the duration for which the refrigerant should be circulated through the refrigerant tubes has to be significantly increased. Hence the conventional evaporator assemblies often require more time to form the ice. Consequently, reducing the efficiency of the ice making machine and the overall operational costs of the evaporator assembly increases significantly.
Therefore, the present disclosure discloses an evaporator assembly for a vertical flow type ice making machine to overcome the limitations of the conventional assemblies.
The evaporator assembly of the present disclosure comprises of a plurality of evaporator frames. Each of the plurality of evaporator frames may include a plurality of cooling surfaces, wherein the cooling surfaces may be configured to form a number of ice forming blocks. Further, a plurality of channels defined by multiple conductive walls is provided between the evaporator frames, such that the plurality of ice forming blocks come in direct contact with the plurality of conductive walls. Each conductive wall of the plurality of conductive walls may be defined with a first surface and a second surface and the conductive walls may be configured parallel to each other such that a channel is defined between the conductive walls. The second surfaces of the parallel conductive walls may face each other to define a channel. The first surface acts as the base surface for the plurality of ice forming blocks. The ice forming blocks are sealed at one end by the first surface of the conductive wall whereas the other end of the ice forming blocks remain open for the flow of fluid. Further, during a cooling cycle, the fluid flows on the cooling surfaces and comes in direct contact with the first surface of the conductive walls, where the refrigerant in the channel defined by the conductive walls causes the fluid to solidify and form ice. Thus, ice may be formed layer by layer inside each of the ice blocks and the ice gradually takes the shape of the ice forming blocks. Further, during a harvest cycle, a heated defrost fluid may be sprayed onto the plurality of refrigerant tubes. The heated defrost fluid causes the ice in the plurality of ice forming blocks to partially melt. The ice gets detached from the surface of the refrigerant tube and falls onto the flap. The flap further directs the ice blocks onto an ice storage container.
The following paragraphs describe the present disclosure with reference to
Each of the plurality of channels (C) may be defined by configuring a single metallic component into two parallel conductive walls (15) as seen from
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the evaporator frame (3) may be made of plastic or other suitable polymeric material.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, an elongated cut-out section may be provided on the bottom of the fluid flow lines (4) for a continuous supply of fluid throughout the evaporator frame (3).
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the plurality of cooling surfaces (1) may be configured in different shapes, so as to form circular and/or oval and/or triangular shaped ice forming blocks (A). The person skilled in the art may also configure the cooling surface (A) to form other random or fixed geometrical shapes as per desired shape of ice blocks (8).
Referring now to
Further,
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the defrost fluid may be directly circulated through the plurality of channels (C) during the harvest cycle.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, coolant may be circulated through the channels (C), wherein the coolant may act as a refrigerant and a defrost fluid. The coolant initially cools the water flowing through the plurality of cooling surfaces (1) to form ice. Further, during the harvest cycle, the coolant may be externally heated by the defrost fluid spray which causes the ice blocks (8) to be detached from the plurality of ice forming blocks (A).
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the defrost fluid tube (5) may be provided with a plurality of sprays, wherein the heated defrost fluid may be sprayed throughout the overall length of the conductive walls (15).
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the cooling cycle and the harvest cycle may operate for a predetermined amount of time, wherein the predetermined amount of time may be the minimum time required for the ice to be formed during the cooling cycle and the minimum amount of time required for the ice to be detached from the first surface (15a) of the conductive walls (15) during the harvest cycle.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, a plurality of thermal sensors or an optical identification device, or an image capturing devices (E.g. Camera) may be provided on the evaporator assembly (12) to detect the formation of ice. Accordingly, when the sensors detect that the ice blocks (8) are ready to be harvested, the harvest cycle in the evaporator assembly (12) may be initiated.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the horizontal cooling surfaces (1b) may be joined to the conductive walls (15) by fastening or other suitable means.
Now referring to,
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the overall heat transfer between the conductive walls (15) and the fluid that is to be converted to ice is improved since the fluid comes in direct contact with the conductive walls (15).
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the rate at which the fluid converts to ice is improved and ice blocks (8) of required shape and size may be produced in a short span of time.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the overall operational efficiency of the evaporator assembly (12) is improved by enabling the ice to be directly formed on the first surface (15a) of the conductive walls (15).
Referring to
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the inner surface of the plurality of refrigerant tubes (2) may be internally finned for increasing the rate of heat transfer between the refrigerant tube and the water that comes in contact with the plurality of refrigerant tubes (2).
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the first surface (15a) of the conductive wall (15) of the plurality of refrigerant tubes (2) may be stamped with indentations of various shapes such that the ice formed on the plurality of refrigerant tubes (2) takes the shape or the pattern that has been depressed onto the refrigerant tubes (2).
In an embodiment, as seen in
Further,
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the overall heat transfer between the conductive walls (15) defining the channel (C) and the fluid that is to be converted to ice is improved since the fluid comes in direct contact with the conductive walls (15).
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the rate at which the fluid converts to ice is improved and ice blocks (8) of required shape and size may be produced in a short span of time.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the overall operational efficiency of the evaporator assembly (12) is improved by enabling the ice to be directly formed on the conductive wall (15). The ice is formed on first surface (15a) of the wall (15) and the refrigerant flows on the second surface (15b) of the same wall (15). Since, there are no additional surfaces between the refrigerant and the ice forming surface, the operational efficiency is improved as the ice forms at a quicker rate. Consequently, there no heat loss as the ice is formed on the same wall (15) on which the refrigerant flow.
In an embodiment, the disassembling and cleaning of the evaporator assembly (12) is easy due to the configuration of the side plates (19) and the frame (3) in the evaporator assembly (12).
With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.
It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding the description may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”
While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated in the description.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201911038514 | Sep 2019 | IN | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2020/058938 | 9/24/2020 | WO | 00 |
