Clear Ice Heat Exchanger Control to Prevent Glycol Freezing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dual refrigerant ice making systems in refrigerators produce ice quickly, leading to trapped impurities and cloudy or opaque ice, and require additional components increasing operating costs, with inefficiencies when demand is low.
Innovation Solution
An ice making assembly with a heat exchanger heater to warm the glycol refrigerant and a method to control the cooling capacity by adjusting the refrigerant circulation and water flow, using a first and second sealed refrigerant system with a heat exchanger and pump to slow ice formation and remove impurities, ensuring clear ice production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a dual refrigerant system is used to cool the glycol refrigerant, then the ice making capacity is increased, but the operating costs increase and the risk of glycol freezing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the secondary refrigerant system from the dual refrigerant configuration, retaining only the primary refrigerant system that directly cools the glycol. This extraction eliminates the complexity and operating costs associated with the second refrigerant loop while maintaining ice making capacity through the simplified single refrigerant system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a heat exchanger as an intermediary component between the refrigerant system and the glycol fluid. This heat exchanger enables efficient heat transfer without requiring the glycol to be directly cooled by a complex dual refrigerant system, thereby simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining cooling effectiveness.
2Reliability
If the refrigerant system operates continuously to maintain cooling capacity, then ice production is ensured, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic operation of the refrigerant system by controlling the pump to operate in cycles rather than continuously. The system activates the refrigerant circulation only when ice production is needed, allowing the system to rest and conserve energy during periods when ice demand is low or nonexistent, thereby reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a variable speed pump that can adjust its operating speed dynamically based on the actual cooling demand and ice production requirements. This dynamic control allows the system to optimize energy consumption by matching the refrigerant circulation rate to the actual thermal load, rather than operating at constant high speed regardless of demand conditions.
3Productivity
If the ice making system operates at high cooling capacity, then ice formation is fast, but impurities are trapped in the ice resulting in cloudy appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent controls the cooling capacity by adjusting the refrigerant flow rate and temperature parameters through the heat exchanger. By precisely controlling these parameters, the system can operate at optimal cooling rates that allow impurities to be excluded from the freezing front, producing clear ice while maintaining efficient production speed. The parameter control prevents the overly aggressive cooling that would trap impurities.
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 solution effectively produces clear ice by controlling the cooling capacity and preventing glycol freezing, reducing operating costs and ensuring clear ice formation without additional components, addressing the issues of fast ice formation and impurity trapping in dual refrigerant systems.
Implementation Method 1
The heat exchanger heater is at least partially contained with the heat exchanger for providing heat to the first refrigerant
Implementation Method 2
The second sealed refrigerant system cyclically circulates a second refrigerant through a compressor, the second inlet of the heat exchanger, and the second outlet of the heat exchanger for removing heat from the first refrigerant
Implementation Method 3
The refrigerant manifold is connected to the first inlet of the heat exchanger and the first outlet of the heat exchanger. At least a portion of the refrigerant manifold is adjacent to the ice holding chamber for removing heat from the ice holding chamber
Data Source
AI summary
An ice making system for creating clear ice and an associated method are provided. The ice making system employs a first sealed refrigerant system connected to a heat exchanger. A second sealed refrigerant system is also connected to the heat exchanger for cooling a first refrigerant of the first sealed refrigerant system. A heat exchanger heater is at least partially contained with the heat exchanger for heating the first refrigerant. A pump in the first refrigerant system is activated after heat exchanger heater has warmed the first refrigerant, enabling a cooling cycle to begin. Once sufficient clear ice has been generated, the pump is deactivated.