FLAKE ICE MAKING MACHINE

Abstract

A flake ice making machine comprising: - a cylindrical evaporator (19), - a jacket (10) externally coupled to the evaporator (19), - a refrigeration unit with a refrigerant located inside the evaporator (19), - a scraper blade (8), - a water sprayer (9), - a geared motor (1), - a pipette (17) for the entry of water from the outside, the machine being characterized in that it further comprises: - an upper sleeve (7) fixed to the evaporator (19) at one end - a lower sleeve (12) fixed to the evaporator (19) at the other end, wherein: - the outer surface of the evaporator (19) comprises projections (21) forming a closed circuit (20) comprising an inlet (23) and an outlet (24) for the circulation of the refrigerant, - the jacket (10) seals the circuit (20) of the evaporator (19), - the upper sleeve (7) and the lower bushing (12) are fixed to the rotatable evaporator (19), - the upper bushing (7) is mechanically connected to the geared motor (1), - the scraper blade (8) is fixed to the upper bushing (7) and the lower bushing (12), and - the sprayer (9) is fixed to the upper bushing (7) and hydraulically connected to the lower bushing (12).

Description

FLAKE ICE MAKING MACHINE OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a flake ice making machine in which the rotational movement is not performed by the evaporator, but by the water sprayer and the scraper blade. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Flake ice making machines produce dry ice at a very cold temperature, around -7 or -8°C. The resulting flakes are 1.5 to 3 mm thick and are ideal for transporting and preserving food. This ice is especially suitable for chilling fresh fish and is highly valued by seafood professionals and bakery workers. It helps maintain optimal fish quality throughout the entire production and storage chain. The ice produced is of impeccable purity, meeting food safety requirements in fish markets and the food industry. Document EP1782004 relates to a cooling cylinder for the formation of ice flakes comprising a side wall having, on its outer surface, a flow channel for a refrigerant fluid, which comprises a plurality of coil-like sections. The cylinder according to the invention can be used in all granulated ice-making machines in which a wall is cooled to freeze the water that comes into contact with it. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The flake ice production machine comprises a fixed evaporator body (19), made of aluminum, on which a cylindrical stainless steel sleeve is mounted. At the top is an upper bushing (7), which incorporates a bearing and seal. A geared motor (1) drives the water spray ring (9), which is fed by a water pump (not shown in the figures). The system of the invention has the advantage of reducing evaporator rotations by using a worm gear and minimizing stress on the evaporator, as it is the spray ring (9) that rotates. A scraper blade (8), anchored to the upper bushing (7) by screws and to the lower bushing (12) by a support rod (11), ensures that the ice scraper blade rotates simultaneously with the water sprayer. The present invention improves upon similar known methods in that it comprises an evaporator jacket through identical helical channels where the refrigerant circulates through a helical channel that runs through the primary fluid chamber and in its journey exchanges heat, evaporates and at the end of the circuit has been completely transformed into gas. The present invention improves upon devices known in the prior art. Inside the evaporator (19), as shown in Figure 2, spiral channels are arranged, and these channels have been enlarged, creating greater turbulence through which the refrigerant flows. This increases the heat exchange for cooling the evaporator jacket (10), thus improving its efficiency. Thus, the present invention relates to a flake ice making machine comprising a cylindrical evaporator, a jacket externally coupled to the evaporator, a refrigeration unit with a refrigerant located inside the evaporator, a scraper blade, a water sprayer, a geared motor intended to provide movement to the elements intended for the formation and removal of ice, a pipette for the entry of water from the outside, an upper sleeve fixed to the evaporator at one end, and a lower sleeve fixed to the evaporator at the other end. The outer surface of the evaporator comprises projections forming a closed circuit with an inlet and an outlet for refrigerant circulation. Additionally, the circuit may include a separator positioned parallel to the projections to reduce the circuit's width. The projections may also incorporate ridges distributed along the circuit to reduce the refrigerant flow velocity, thereby improving cold transfer to the jacket and, consequently, minimizing ice formation. This configuration, as well as the scraping of the ice formed on the surface of the shirt, generates the flake ice, the object of the invention. For its part, the jacket seals the evaporator circuit once it is attached to it, pressing against the elements that make up the refrigerant circuit to provide a seal. The upper and lower bushings are fixed to the rotating evaporator. The upper bushing is mechanically connected to the geared motor, transmitting the rotational motion. The scraper blade is fixed to the upper and lower bushings, while the sprayer is fixed to the upper bushing and hydraulically connected to the lower bushing so that it transmits the water received through the pipette. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS To complement the description being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to a preferred embodiment thereof, a set of drawings is included as an integral part of said description, in which, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, the following has been represented: Figure 1.- Shows an exploded perspective view with the most representative elements of the flake ice making machine according to the invention. Figure 2.- Shows a perspective view of the jacket and evaporator before coupling with an enlargement of the outer wall of the evaporator to better appreciate the protrusions and separators that make up the refrigeration circuit. Figure 3.- Shows a cross-sectional view of the evaporator and jacket already coupled. The following is a list of the different elements represented in the figures with their associated numerical references: 1. Gearmotor. 2. Key. 3. Pinion. 4. Top nut. 5. Crown. 6. Top plate. 7. Upper bushing. 8. Scraper blade. 9. Sprayer. 10. Shirt. 11. Support rod. 12. Lower bushing. 13. Lower plate. 14. Lower nut. 15. Separator bushing. 16. Water storage tray. 17. Water inlet pipette. 18. O-rings. 19. Evaporator. 20. Circuit. 21. Projections. 22. Separators. 23. Entrance hole. 24. Exit hole. PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION A preferred embodiment of the flake ice making machine according to the present invention is described below with the help of figures. It should be noted that the machine of the invention comprises a refrigeration unit, known in the prior art, whose components, including the hydraulic conduits, have not been represented in the figures. Referring to Figure 1, the machine comprises a geared motor (1) responsible for activating the movement necessary for ice formation, as described below. The geared motor (1) is preferably electric, although it can be powered by any type of energy. It incorporates the corresponding keys (2) for solid mounting and is connected to a pinion (3) that meshes with a ring gear (5) secured by an upper nut (4) and connected to an upper bushing (7) to transmit the rotational movement. The assembly is protected by an upper plate (6). The upper bushing (7) is fixed, with the possibility of rotation, to the evaporator (19) of the cylindrical refrigeration unit, at the top. The evaporator (19) is also attached to a lower bushing (12) on the underside. The lower bushing (12) is housed in a lower plate (13) which, via a spacer bushing (15), is connected to a water reservoir plate (16), the assembly being secured by a lower nut (14). It is hydraulically connected to a water inlet pipe (17) and has a water outlet. The water inlet pipette (17) incorporates an access for hydraulic connection from the outside and another outlet access that passes through the water reservoir plate (16). Two O-rings (18) seal the internal volume of the pipette (17) to prevent water leakage from the inlet access to the outlet access into the lower sleeve (12). Both the upper bushing (7) and the lower bushing (12) also incorporate O-rings (18) to prevent water leaks. On the other hand, the machine also comprises a sprayer (9) and a scraper blade (8). The sprinkler (9) is fixed at one end to the upper sleeve (7) and hydraulically connected, at the other end, to the water outlet of the lower sleeve (12). The scraper blade (8) has an elongated configuration and is fixed at the ends to the upper bushing (7) and the lower bushing (12). Regarding the refrigeration system, the evaporator (19) has an outer surface configured with longitudinal and parallel protrusions (21) that create a closed circuit (20) through which the refrigerant from the refrigeration unit circulates. To reduce the width of this circuit, the evaporator (19) also incorporates separators (22) that divide the circuit width in two. On the other hand, the protrusions (21) that form the circuit (20) also incorporate a series of raised sections, spaced apart, with the aim of causing turbulence in the path of the refrigerant and thus making ice formation more effective. Thus, the refrigeration unit is located inside the evaporator (19) and the refrigerant enters the circuit (20) through an inlet hole (23) located at one end of the circuit (20) and leaves it through an outlet hole (24) located at the other end of the circuit (20). Figure 2 shows that the jacket (10) is configured to be externally attached to the evaporator (19) to leave the circuit (20) completely sealed. This fact can be seen more clearly in Figure 3, where you can see the jacket (10) already attached to the evaporator (19) and the refrigerant inlet and outlet holes (23, 24) in the circuit (20), which is now closed by the jacket (10) and delimited by the protrusions (21) and the separators (22). In this way, water enters the machine through the water pipe (17) and is directed to the lower sleeve (12) to reach the water sprayer (9), which then sprays the outer surface of the evaporator jacket (10). The evaporator (19) has a circuit (20) containing sufficiently cold refrigerant in contact with the inner surface of the jacket (10) to freeze the sprayed water on the other side. The scraper blade (8) then separates the resulting ice flakes. Therefore, it is the upper bushing (7) that carries out the rotation of the machine, driven by the geared motor (1), along with the scraper blade (8) and the water sprayer (9), while the evaporator (19) remains static. This simplifies the machine's construction, requiring less energy to achieve the same objective.

Claims

1. A flake ice making machine comprising: - a cylindrical evaporator (19), - a jacket (10) externally coupled to the evaporator (19), - a refrigeration unit with a refrigerant located inside the evaporator (19), - a scraper blade (8), - a water sprayer (9), - a geared motor (1), - a pipette (17) for the entry of water from the outside, the machine being characterized in that it further comprises: - an upper sleeve (7) fixed to the evaporator (19) at one end - a lower sleeve (12) fixed to the evaporator (19) at the other end, where: - the outer surface of the evaporator (19) comprises projections (21) forming a closed circuit (20) comprising an inlet hole (23) and an outlet hole (24) for the circulation of the refrigerant, - the jacket (10) seals the circuit (20) of the evaporator (19),- the upper bushing (7) and the lower bushing (12) are fixed to the rotatable evaporator (19), - the upper bushing (7) is mechanically connected to the geared motor (1), - the scraper blade (8) is fixed to the upper bushing (7) and the lower bushing (12), and - the sprayer (9) is fixed to the upper bushing (7) and hydraulically connected to the lower bushing (12).

2. The flake ice making machine of claim 1, wherein the circuit (20) comprises a separator (22) located parallel to the projections (21).

3. The flake ice making machine of claim 1 or 2, wherein the projections (21) comprise protrusions.