Thermally conductive ice-forming surfaces incorporating short-duration electro-thermal deicing

Abstract

An ice making machine comprising: a thermally conductive plastic or aluminum evaporator assembly comprising an array of ice forming surfaces; a water supply, a refrigerant supply and an electrical energy source; and a controller that during a freeze mode operates the water supply and the refrigerant supply to form ice on the ice forming surfaces and during a harvest mode operates the electrical energy source to apply electrical resistance energy (e.g., pulsed energy) to the evaporator assembly to melt an interfacial layer of the ice such that it is freed from the surfaces. Alternatively, the thermally conductive plastic or aluminum evaporator can include freezing tubes with resistance energy deicing (e.g., pulsed energy) or shell and tube type evaporators with pulsed energy deicing.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application, Ser. No. 60 / 724,223, filed Oct. 6, 2005, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, U.S. Provisional Patent Application, Ser. No. 60 / 724,243, filed Oct. 6, 2005, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application, Ser. No. 60 / 724,254, filed Oct. 6, 2005, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present disclosure relates to an ice making machine and, more particularly, to various ice making machines comprising a thermally conductive plastic or aluminum evaporator that harvests ice with electrical energy, e.g., PETD. The evaporator can be of a variety of types, such as, cube, shell and tube, freezing tube, etc. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Conventional ice makers have an ice making compartment located in proximity to, for example above, an ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0038] The present disclosure provides for modifying the interface between ice and the structure in which it is formed, by melting the interfacial layer that binds ice and the structure on which it is formed, thereby enhancing ice release and harvest. It also includes a method of applying an electrical conductive pathway to an ice forming structure at the interfacial layer of the structure. More preferably, the present disclosure provides a method of applying a resistance heater to an ice forming structure that (a) maintains thermal conductivity between the ice forming structure and the ice; and (b) electrically isolates (PETD) energy charge from the ice forming structure. The present disclosure also provides various methods for isolating the electrical charge from the ice forming structure, thereby minimizing energy consumption and time needed to melt the interfacial boundary. It also provides a method for applying an electrical conductive pathway incorporating (a) and (b), above, to an ice forming structure that is inexpensive and readily manufacturable. According to the present disclosure the ice forming structure (i.e., evaporator) is formed using thermally conductive materials, including, but not limited to, thermally conductive plastics.

[0042] Furthermore, the ice forming structure may be formed such that it is made of individual modules or segments, that when combined, provide scalable ice making capacities. The ice forming structure having ice forming regions on both sides of the structure (i.e., evaporator), thereby increasing the ice making capacity.

Problems solved by technology

This results in a slight melting of each ice cube that allows the ice cube to loosen from its ice cell and fall into the storage compartment or bin.

This prior art method of harvesting the ice represents a loss in ice making efficiency due to: (a) the amount of ice that is melted during the harvesting operation caused by the excess heat provided by the hot gas in the evaporator, (b) the time it takes to perform the harvest operation—such time not being available to make ice, and (c) the excess heating of the evaporator—such heat having to be removed from the evaporator during the subsequent ice making cycle.

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