Systems and methods for creating clear ice
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ice-making technologies for craft cocktails often result in unclear or imperfect ice due to issues like cracking, trapped air bubbles, dendritic formations, and water impurities, which affect the clarity and appearance of the ice.
Innovation Solution
The development of systems and methods for creating clear ice using directional freezing techniques within molds that allow for controlled cooling, deaeration, and circulation of water, along with the option to include inclusions, to produce clear, bubble-free, and crack-free ice in various shapes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If water is frozen using conventional ice machines, then ice is produced quickly, but the ice contains air bubbles and impurities resulting in cloudy appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The freezing process is divided into multiple stages: initial freezing stage where ice forms from the bottom up, and a subsequent clearing stage where remaining water is drained and the mold is refilled. This segmentation allows the ice to form with a clear structure first, then removes impurities and air bubbles that would otherwise be trapped in the final product.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary deaeration by allowing air bubbles to escape during the initial freezing stage before the ice structure becomes complete. The mold design includes air escape channels that remove bubbles before they become trapped in the ice, ensuring clarity without sacrificing production speed.
2Productivity
If the exterior of the ice freezes first during conventional freezing, then the ice structure forms quickly, but interior tension causes cracking
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling approach is inverted: instead of cooling the exterior first and working inward, the system cools the bottom of the mold first, causing ice to form upward from the bottom. This upward freezing direction allows the ice to expand in the direction of freezing rather than against already-formed exterior ice, preventing the interior tension and cracking that occur in conventional exterior-first freezing methods.
3Speed
If water is super cooled before freezing to accelerate crystallization, then ice forms faster, but uneven pressure and rapid crystallization lead to cloudiness
Solution Approach 1:
The freezing process uses periodic temperature adjustments rather than continuous super-cooling. The system initially applies cooling to start crystallization, then modulates the cooling rate to allow uniform crystal growth. This periodic action prevents the uneven pressure and rapid uncontrolled crystallization that cause cloudiness, while still maintaining a practical production speed.
4Ease of operation
If dissolved air remains in water during freezing, then the water is easier to handle, but gas bubbles stick to the ice-water interface and freeze into the ice causing cloudiness
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts dissolved air from the water before freezing by providing air escape channels in the mold. As ice forms from the bottom up, the remaining water becomes saturated with air and the bubbles rise to the interface. The escape channels allow these bubbles to be removed from the system before they can become trapped in the ice structure, ensuring clarity without complicating water handling.
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
These systems enable the production of clear, high-quality ice that enhances the aesthetic appeal of cocktails by minimizing imperfections and ensuring consistent clarity and texture.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling apparatus (190) configured to freeze the water in the mold (174)
Implementation Method 2
circulation of water, along with the option to include inclusions, to produce clear, bubble-free, and crack-free ice
Implementation Method 3
systems and methods for creating clear ice using directional freezing techniques within molds that allow for controlled cooling
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are methods for making clear ice. In one embodiment, a method for making clear ice includes providing a mold of any of the embodiments described herein, optionally inserting a skewer through the mold, the skewer being coupled to an item; circulating, using fluid inlet and outlet valves, a fluid in a mold cavity defined by the mold; varying overtime one or both of: a temperature of the cooling apparatus or a fluid flow rate, through the fluid inlet valve, as a percentage of max flow; and optionally retracting the skewer when the ice formation encases at least a portion of the item. In some embodiments, the method optionally includes a period of flow reversal, such that the fluid inlet valve becomes the fluid outlet valve and the fluid outlet valve becomes the fluid inlet valve. In some embodiments, the method optionally includes releasing the ice from the mold.