Tube ice making device

Abstract

The present invention discloses a tube ice making device. High-pressure gaseous refrigerant discharged from a compressor flows into a condenser, where it undergoes condensation and heat exchange with a brine. The condensed liquid refrigerant is throttled by a throttling device and flows into an evaporator, where it undergoes evaporation and heat exchange with the brine. It then flows into the compressor, performing a cycle of compression and refrigeration. The brine flowing in the condenser absorbs heat and becomes high-temperature brine, which flows into a first brine reservoir. The brine flowing in the evaporator absorbs heat and becomes low-temperature brine, which flows into a second brine reservoir. The brine then enters an ice maker to make ice. The high-temperature brine is then used to remove ice. During ice making, the space in the ice maker where the low-temperature brine flows is under negative pressure, while during ice removal, it is under positive pressure, allowing for rapid removal of brine liquid. This technical solution allows the ice maker to maintain both negative and positive pressures, preventing galvanic corrosion caused by air action. It also utilizes a pressure differential to rapidly remove ice, thus preventing excessive ice loss, uneven thickness, and unsightly tube ice.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of refrigeration, and in particular relates to an ice-making device for making tube ice. Background Art

[0002] At present, the ice-making device for making tube ice generally adopts the method of directly flowing the refrigerant into the ice maker during use, directly evaporating and absorbing the heat of the water flowing into the ice maker, making the water into ice, and then using the room temperature gas refrigerant stored at the top of the liquid storage tank to flow into the ice maker to melt the ice to make tube ice.

[0003] In this way, due to the frequent changes in refrigerant flow direction and pressure fluctuations during the ice making and ice removing processes, the reliable operation of the ice making system, especially the reliable use of the compressor, is affected.

[0004] Later, an improved method emerged, which used refrigerants such as sodium chloride, calcium chloride or ethylene glycol to make ice. That is, under normal pressure, ice was made using a pre-cooled low-temperature refrigerant and ice was defrosted using a pre-heated high-temperature refrigerant. Although this solved the problem of reliable operation of the above-mentioned ice-making system, especially the reliable use of the compressor, there was a defect that the refrigerant would be used for a long time due to the presence of air. First, the oxygen component in the refrigerant would cause electrochemical corrosion of the ice maker, and the ice maker would leak, thereby affecting the operational reliability of the ice maker. Second, after long-term use, the moisture in the air would dilute the refrigerant, causing the refrigerant concentration to decrease, and the lowest temperature could not be reduced to the temperature corresponding to the original concentration, requiring regular replenishment of the refrigerant. At the same time, during the defrosting process, the defrosting time and defrosting temperature were not easy to control, and the defrosted tube ice would melt excessively, causing unnecessary loss of tube ice, making the tube ice thickness inconsistent, and affecting the appearance. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to overcome the above defects, solve the problems of electrochemical corrosion of the ice-making device caused by the presence of air due to long-term use of the refrigerant, the dilution of the refrigerant, the need for regular replenishment, the loss caused by excessive melting of the tube ice during de-icing, the inconsistent thickness of the tube ice, and the impact on the appearance of the tube ice, the present invention proposes a tube ice making device, including a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, a throttling device, a first refrigerant storage device, a second refrigerant storage device, and an ice maker. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor flows into the condenser heat exchange tube through a pipeline, and condenses and exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing outside the condenser heat exchange tube. The condensed liquid refrigerant flows into the throttling device through a connecting pipeline for throttling, and then flows into the evaporator heat exchange tube, and evaporates and exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing outside the evaporator heat exchange tube. The refrigerant that absorbs the heat of the refrigerant becomes gaseous and then circulates through the pipeline into the compressor for cyclic compression; the refrigerant flowing outside the condenser The condenser tubes are then heated and cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are then cooled, and the condenser tubes are cooled, and the condenser tubes are cooled,

[0006] Furthermore, when making ice, the absolute pressure value of the space where the low-temperature coolant flows in the ice maker is 100 to 500 Pa.

[0007] The absolute pressure of the space where the low-temperature refrigerant flows in the ice maker is controlled to be 100-500 Pa, that is, in a negative pressure vacuum state. The air in the space where the low-temperature refrigerant flows in the ice maker is extracted to prevent the oxygen and moisture in the air from dissolving in the refrigerant and causing electrochemical corrosion in contact with the ice maker, resulting in ice maker leakage, thereby improving the operating reliability of the ice making device.

[0008] Furthermore, during ice removal, the absolute pressure value of the space in which the high-temperature coolant flows in the ice maker is 0.25-1 MPa.

[0009] Furthermore, during ice removal, the time for draining the brine stored in the ice maker to the outside is 5 to 10 seconds per time.

[0010] The absolute pressure value of the space where the high-temperature refrigerant flows in the ice maker is controlled to be 0.25-1Mpa. By utilizing a pressure difference greater than that of the outside, after opening the refrigerant outlet valve of the ice maker, the high-temperature refrigerant used for de-icing and the refrigerant liquid stored in the ice maker can be quickly discharged within a short period of 5-10 seconds each time, so that the melting temperature of the ice on the upper and lower heat exchange tubes of the ice maker is evenly distributed, and the thickness of the de-iced tube ice can be uniform and beautiful, with less tube ice loss.

[0011] Furthermore, the temperature of the low-temperature coolant is -10 to -25°C.

[0012] Furthermore, the temperature of the high-temperature coolant is 10-50°C.

[0013] Furthermore, an air extraction device is provided, wherein the air extraction port of the air extraction device is connected to the space where the low-temperature refrigerant flows in the ice maker, and extracts air from the space where the low-temperature refrigerant flows in the ice maker.

[0014] Furthermore, a pressurizing device is provided, wherein a pressurizing port of the pressurizing device is communicated with the first brine reservoir, and the pressure of the first brine reservoir is pressurized by the operation of the pressurizing device.

[0015] Furthermore, the pressurizing device is an air compressor.

[0016] Furthermore, the pressurizing device is a high-pressure nitrogen storage tank.

[0017] The above technical solution, on the one hand, maintains a negative pressure vacuum state in the space where the low-temperature brine flows inside the ice maker during ice making, and thereby removes the air from the space where the low-temperature brine flows. This prevents oxygen and moisture in the air from dissolving in the brine, causing contact with the ice maker and electrochemical corrosion, which could lead to ice maker leakage, thereby improving the operational reliability of the ice making device. Furthermore, this solution prevents the brine concentration from being reduced due to water in the air diluting the brine, resulting in failure to reach the minimum temperature required by the original concentration and the need for regular brine replenishment. On the other hand, during ice removal, the pressure in the space where the high-temperature brine flows inside the ice maker is controlled to be greater than the external pressure. By utilizing this pressure difference, the brine outlet valve of the ice maker is opened, allowing the high-temperature brine used for ice removal and the accumulated brine stored in the ice maker to be quickly discharged in a relatively short period of time. This ensures that the melting temperature of the ice is evenly distributed along the upper and lower portions of the heat exchange tubes of the ice maker, resulting in uniform and beautiful ice being removed from the tubes, and reducing tube ice loss. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a working principle diagram of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a working principle diagram of the ice maker of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The present invention provides a tube ice making device, such as Figure 1 As shown, it includes a compressor 1, a first condenser 7, a second condenser 8, an evaporator 32, a throttling device 30, a first refrigerant storage 12, a second refrigerant storage 34, and an ice maker 17. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 1 flows into the heat exchange tube of the first condenser 7 through the exhaust pipe, and is condensed and heat-exchanged with the refrigerant flowing outside the heat exchange tube of the first condenser 7. The condensed liquid refrigerant continues to flow into the second condenser 8 through the connecting pipe. The liquid refrigerant after final condensation flows into the throttling device 30 through the pipe 33 for throttling, and then flows into the heat exchange tube of the evaporator 32, and is evaporated and heat-exchanged with the refrigerant flowing outside the heat exchange tube of the evaporator 32. The refrigerant that absorbs the heat of the refrigerant becomes gaseous and then circulates into the compressor 1 through the pipe 31 for cyclic compression refrigeration.

[0022] The refrigerant flowing outside the first condenser 7 absorbs the heat released by the condensation of the refrigerant and becomes a high-temperature refrigerant. It enters the first refrigerant storage 12 through the connected pipe 9 for storage. The high-temperature refrigerant stored in the first refrigerant storage 12 is pumped into the condenser 7 through the pipe 13 connected to the first condenser 7 for circulation heating by opening the fourth solenoid valve 14 and the third refrigerant pump 15 connected to the first solenoid valve 14. The temperature of the heated high-temperature refrigerant is controlled at 10-50°C. The refrigerant flowing outside the evaporator 32 absorbs heat from the evaporated refrigerant and becomes a low-temperature refrigerant. It flows into the second refrigerant reservoir 34 through the connected pipe 29 for storage. The low-temperature refrigerant stored in the second refrigerant reservoir 34 is pumped into the evaporator 32 through the fourth refrigerant pump 27 and the pipe 28 connected to the evaporator 32 for circulation, cooling and freezing. The temperature of the frozen low-temperature refrigerant is controlled at -10 to -25°C.

[0023] The high-temperature and low-temperature refrigerants used in the refrigeration device are of the same type of substance. Conventional refrigerants such as sodium chloride, calcium chloride or ethylene glycol can be used, or other new refrigerants can be used.

[0024] When the refrigerant device is in ice-making state, the specific operation is as follows.

[0025] Step 1: Open the first solenoid valve 2 and the sixth solenoid valve 23. At this time, the second solenoid valve 5, the third solenoid valve 11, the fourth solenoid valve 14, and the fifth solenoid valve 22 are in the closed state.

[0026] In the second step, the exhaust device 3 is started, and the air in the evaporator 32, the second refrigerant reservoir 34, and the ice maker 17, which are interconnected, is extracted through the pipe 35 connected to the exhaust port of the exhaust device 3, so that the absolute pressure value of the space where the refrigerant flows in the evaporator 32, the second refrigerant reservoir 34, and the ice maker 17 and the connected pipes is lower than the external atmospheric pressure, and is in a negative pressure vacuum state, and the absolute pressure value is controlled at 100-500 Pa.

[0027] Step 3: Start the first refrigerant pump 26 and pump the low-temperature refrigerant into the ice maker 17 through pipes 24 and 25 to exchange heat with the water flowing in the inner cavity of the heat exchange tube of the ice maker, so that this part of the water freezes and turns into tube ice.

[0028] In step 4, the low-temperature coolant that has absorbed the heat in the ice maker 17 increases in temperature and flows out of the ice maker 17 through pipe 4, then flows through solenoid valve 1 2 and pipe 36, and circulates into the second coolant storage 34.

[0029] When the refrigerant device completes ice making, it immediately switches to the defrosting state. The specific operations are as follows.

[0030] In step 1, the first solenoid valve 2, the fourth solenoid valve 14, and the sixth solenoid valve 23 are closed, and the second solenoid valve 5, the third solenoid valve 11, and the fifth solenoid valve 22 are opened.

[0031] In step 2, the pressurizing device 10 is started to pressurize the first refrigerant storage 12 so that the absolute pressure of the first refrigerant storage 12 is greater than the external atmospheric pressure and is in a positive pressure state. The absolute pressure value is controlled at 0.25-1 MPa.

[0032] In step 3, the high-temperature refrigerant stored in the first refrigerant storage tank 12 is pressurized and flows into the ice maker 17 at a high speed in the reverse direction through the second solenoid valve 5 and the pipeline 4, utilizing the pressure difference formed between the second solenoid valve 5 and the ice maker 17. The refrigerant exchanges heat with the ice tube bonded to the inner wall of the heat exchange tube of the ice maker 17, melts the ice, and completes the de-icing.

[0033] In step 4, the high-temperature refrigerant that has completed the heat exchange absorbs the coldness of the tube ice and its temperature drops. It continues to use the pressure difference formed by the ice maker 17 and the outside world to flow out quickly in the reverse direction through the pipeline 24, and then passes through the fifth solenoid valve 22 and the pipeline 21, and quickly flows into the circulation tank 20 for storage.

[0034] In step 5, the high-temperature brine stored in the circulation tank 20 flows into the first brine storage 12 through the second brine pump 19, the one-way valve 18, and the pipeline 16 in a one-way circulation.

[0035] The refrigeration device described above alternates between ice making and ice defrosting. Since the alternating operation time is relatively short, i.e., each ice making and defrosting cycle is relatively short, generally not exceeding 15 minutes, in order to reduce the frequency of equipment start-up and shutdown and protect the equipment, the exhaust device 3 and the pressurizing device 10 do not stop operating when the refrigeration device is operating and when ice making and ice defrosting are alternately operating. Although the pressurizing device 10 does not stop operating, the opening and closing of the relevant solenoid valves are controlled separately according to the requirements of the above-mentioned ice making and ice defrosting states. In the ice making state, the pressurizing device only pressurizes the first brine reservoir 12. When a heating cycle is required, the pressure of the condenser 7 is controlled by circulating the liquid to the condenser 7 for heat exchange through the opened fourth solenoid valve 14 and the third brine pump. The controlled maximum pressure does not exceed an absolute pressure value of 1 MPa. If it exceeds the absolute pressure value, the pressurizing device 10 is stopped, i.e., the third solenoid valve 4 is opened, cutting off the connection with the first brine reservoir 12. When the absolute pressure falls below the absolute pressure value of 1 MPa, the third solenoid valve 4 is opened again, and the pressurizing device 10 is started again.

[0036] The pressurizing device 10 can be an air compressor, a high-pressure nitrogen storage device, or other types of devices, such as . To prevent excessive pressure, a pressure relief valve 6 is provided on the first brine storage device 12. One end of the pressure relief valve 6 is connected to the outside atmosphere, and the other end is connected to the first brine storage device 12. When the pressure in the first brine storage device 12 exceeds 1 MPa, the pressure relief valve 6 opens, reducing the pressure through the pressure relief pipe. When the pressure falls below 1 MPa, the pressure relief valve 6 automatically resets and stops releasing pressure. The pressure relief pressure value of the pressure relief valve 6 can also be adjusted as needed, such as a maximum absolute pressure value of 1 MPa to 0.8 MPa. When the refrigeration device is not in use, in order to ensure the corrosion resistance of the refrigeration device, the ice-making mode described above must be maintained, that is, the relevant solenoid valves must be opened, and the exhaust device must remain in operation to maintain the space where the brine flows in the evaporator 32, the second brine storage device 34, the ice maker 17, and the connected pipelines in a negative vacuum state, with the absolute pressure value maintained at 500 Pa.

[0037] When in the defrosting state, due to the connection of the pipeline, the positive pressure value provided by the pressurizing device 10, through the connected pipeline 4, first utilizes the pressure difference formed by the vacuum state of the ice maker 17 in the ice making state, and quickly flows into the ice maker 17, so that the heat exchange tube of the ice maker 17 is quickly and evenly heated by the high-temperature refrigerant, and the ice is defrosted. In a relatively short period of time during the defrosting process, the pressure between the first refrigerant storage 12 and the ice maker 17 is kept balanced, and can reach the absolute pressure value of 0.25~1Mpa provided by the pressurizing device 10.

[0038] At this time, due to the pressure difference between the ice maker 17 and the external atmospheric pressure, the high-temperature coolant that has completed the de-icing is quickly emptied and does not remain in the ice maker 17, ensuring that the de-iced tube ice achieves little loss, uniform thickness, and beautiful appearance.

[0039] In order to better control the ice removed from the tube to achieve a small loss, uniform thickness and beautiful effect, further, the time for emptying the refrigerant liquid stored in the ice maker to the outside is 5 to 10 seconds each time.

[0040] The working principle of ice maker 17 is shown in FIG. Figure 2 ,from Figure 2 As can be seen, the ice maker 17 includes a liquid inlet 17a, a liquid outlet 17b, a shell 17c, a heat exchange tube 17e, a water divider 17f, an ice outlet 17h, a water reservoir 17j, a tube ice cutting section 17i, and a water pump 17k. The upper end of the shell 17c is sealed by a first sealing end cap 17g, and the lower end is sealed by a second sealing end cap 17j. The first sealing end cap 17g and the second sealing end cap 17j have heat exchange tube fixing holes on their surfaces. The heat exchange tube 17e extends vertically inside the shell 17c along the axis of the shell 17c. The upper portion of the heat exchange tube 17e passes through the first sealing end cap 17g. The heat exchange tube fixing hole opened by the cover 17g, the upper edge of the heat exchange tube 17e is flush with the upper end surface of the first sealing end cover 17g and is sealed and fixed, the lower part of the heat exchange tube 17e passes through the through hole opened by the second sealing end cover 17j, the lower edge of the heat exchange tube 17e is flush with the lower end surface of the second sealing end cover 17j and is sealed and fixed, the liquid inlet 17a is opened at the lower part of the shell 17c, and the liquid outlet 17b is opened at the upper part of the shell 17c, both of which are connected to the refrigerant flow space 17d surrounded by the shell 17c and the heat exchange tube 17e, the first sealing end cover 17g, and the second sealing end cover 17j.

[0041] The upper portion of the first sealed end cap 17g is connected to the water divider 17f. The diversion hole of the water divider 17f is connected to the inner cavity of the heat exchange tube 17e fixed to the first sealed end cap 17g. The lower portion of the second sealed end cap 17j is connected to the upper end of the tube ice cutting section 17i. The lower end of the tube ice cutting section 17i is connected to the upper end of the water reservoir 17j. The ice outlet 17h is located between the lower portion of the tube ice cutting section 17i and the upper portion of the water reservoir 17j. The tube ice cutting section 17i is a circular shell, which is coaxially arranged with the shell 17c and has the same outer diameter. The tube ice cutting section 17i is equipped with a horizontally rotatable ice knife. The ice knife shaft is coaxially arranged with the shell 17c, and the outer edge of the ice knife extends to the inner wall of the shell 17c. The ice knife is used to cut all the removed tube ice into sections and then flows out through the ice outlet 17h. The frozen water that has not frozen flows downward into the water reservoir 17j through the gap set inside the lower end of the tube ice cutting section 17i. The water reservoir 17j pumps the water into the water diverter 17f set at the top through the water pump 17k, and then flows evenly into the inner cavity of the heat exchange tube 17e through the water diverter 17f to make ice.

[0042] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A tube ice making device, comprising a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, a throttling device, a first refrigerant storage, a second refrigerant storage, and an ice maker. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor flows into the condenser heat exchange tube through a pipeline, and condenses and exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing outside the condenser heat exchange tube. The condensed liquid refrigerant flows into the throttling device through a connecting pipeline, is throttled, and then flows into the evaporator heat exchange tube, and evaporates and exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing outside the evaporator heat exchange tube. The refrigerant that absorbs the heat of the refrigerant becomes gaseous and then circulates through the pipeline to flow into the compressor, performing cyclic compression refrigeration. The coolant absorbs the heat released by the condensation of the refrigerant and becomes a high-temperature coolant, which flows into the first coolant reservoir for storage. The coolant flowing outside the evaporator absorbs the heat of the evaporated refrigerant and becomes a low-temperature coolant, which flows into the second coolant reservoir for storage. The low-temperature coolant stored in the second coolant reservoir flows into the ice maker, absorbs the heat of the water flowing into the inner wall of the heat exchange tube of the ice maker, and the water freezes along the inner wall of the heat exchange tube. Then, it flows into the ice maker through the high-temperature coolant stored in the first coolant reservoir, heats the heat exchange tube of the ice maker, and completes the melting and de-icing of the ice adhered to the inner wall of the heat exchanger of the ice maker. It is characterized in that When making ice, the pressure of the space in which the low-temperature refrigerant flows in the ice maker is lower than the external atmospheric pressure. When defrosting, the pressure of the space in which the high-temperature refrigerant flows in the ice maker is higher than the external pressure. The internal and external pressure difference formed by the ice maker can quickly drain the refrigerant liquid stored in the ice maker. An exhaust device is also provided, and the exhaust port of the exhaust device is connected to the space in which the low-temperature refrigerant flows in the ice maker to extract air from the space in which the low-temperature refrigerant flows in the ice maker. A pressurizing device is also provided, and the pressurizing port of the pressurizing device is connected to the first refrigerant reservoir. The pressure of the first refrigerant reservoir is pressurized by the operation of the pressurizing device.

2. The tube ice making device according to claim 1, wherein: When making ice, the absolute pressure value of the space where the low-temperature coolant flows in the ice maker is 100-500 Pa.

3. The tube ice making device according to claim 1, wherein: During ice removal, the absolute pressure value of the space in which the high-temperature coolant flows in the ice maker is 0.25-1 MPa.

4. The tube ice making device according to claim 1, wherein: During ice removal, the time for draining the brine stored in the ice maker to the outside is 5 to 10 seconds per time.

5. The tube ice making device according to claim 1, wherein: The temperature of the low-temperature coolant is -10 to -25°C.

6. The tube ice making device according to claim 1, wherein: The temperature of the high-temperature coolant is 10-50°C.

7. The tube ice making device according to claim 1, wherein: The pressurizing device is an air compressor.

8. The tube ice making device according to claim 1, wherein: The pressurizing device is a high-pressure nitrogen storage device.

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