Brine-Ice Cooling Mix for Precise Subfreezing Beverage Chilling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for cooling and chilling beverages and food items using packaged ice are inefficient in achieving precise temperature control below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, as the uneven distribution of ice-melters like salt leads to inconsistent temperatures, causing some items to freeze hard while others remain liquid or are not chilled sufficiently.
Innovation Solution
Aqueous solutions of selected salinity, such as sodium chloride and calcium chloride, are combined with loose ice to create a precise and evenly distributed temperature in a Solution-Water-Ice Mix (SWIM), allowing for controlled chilling and cooling of beverages and desserts to desired temperatures below freezing, using standardized bag sizes and solution volumes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If salt is sprinkled on packed-ice to lower the melting point, then the temperature below 32 degrees can be achieved, but the temperature distribution becomes uneven and uncontrollable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-mixes the salt with water to create a brine solution before applying it to the ice, rather than sprinkling dry salt during the cooling process. This preliminary preparation ensures uniform distribution of the ice-melting agent, allowing precise and controlled temperatures below 32 degrees without the uneven distribution problems of sprinkling method
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces water as an intermediary medium to dissolve the salt, creating a brine solution that acts as a mediator between the salt and the ice. This intermediary approach ensures even distribution of the ice-melting agent across the ice surface, providing uniform and controllable temperature reduction
2Temperature
If fresh-water ice is used in coolers, then beverages can be chilled, but the temperature cannot go below 32 degrees Fahrenheit
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameter of the ice-melting agent by using salt-containing brine solutions instead of pure water. This parameter change allows the system to achieve temperatures below the freezing point of fresh water (32 degrees Fahrenheit), expanding the temperature range for beverage chilling
3Temperature
If salt is sprinkled on ice to achieve lower temperatures, then colder temperatures can be obtained, but some beverages freeze hard while others remain liquid
Solution Approach 1:
The patent ensures that the brine solution is evenly distributed across all ice surfaces, creating uniform local conditions throughout the cooler. This uniform application of the salt-water mixture ensures consistent temperature reduction across all beverages, preventing the situation where some items freeze hard while others remain liquid
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The SWIM method enables rapid chilling and extended preservation of items at precise temperatures, maintaining them between 5 and 24 degrees Fahrenheit, preventing freezing hard and ensuring consistent cooling effects, thus enhancing the quality and duration of chilled goods.
Implementation Method 1
the addition of ice-melters such as salt have been known to be used to lower the melting point of fresh-water ice
Implementation Method 2
Due to the melting properties of the fresh-water ice, canned and bottled beverages placed in ice cannot be chilled below 32 degrees Fahrenheit
Implementation Method 3
the resulting temperature of ice-cubes in a cooler environment
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, processes, compositions, apparatus, kits and systems for chilling and cooling beverages and desserts to selected desired temperatures by adding the beverages and desserts to different mixtures of brine solutions and bags of loose ice. The invention forms and creates an aqueous solution composition of certain salinity of ice-melter (such as sodium chloride ‘salt’ and/or calcium chloride). The composition is poured in a pre-defined amount evenly over a known amount of bagged-ice in a cooler. The result is a precisely controlled and evenly distributed temperature (within a few degrees Fahrenheit) can be obtained within the ice-solution mixture. Next, canned and bottled beverages (and other items) can be submerged in the precision controlled temperature ice-solution mixture to create certain desired effects only possible by chilling items to a known temperature below 32 degrees.