Clear Ice Ingot Device Using Constant Flow and Thermal Trough Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current ice manufacturing techniques often result in cloudy or unclear ice due to trapped air bubbles, water impurities, and improper freezing methods, which are unsuitable for the craft cocktail industry's demand for clear ice.
Innovation Solution
A device with a housing featuring elongate troughs in thermal communication with a cooling source, providing a constant fluid flow to facilitate clear ice production, designed to exclude air bubbles and impurities, and featuring retractable inclusion holders for embedding items within the ice.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If water is frozen using conventional methods, then ice is produced, but the ice becomes cloudy due to trapped air bubbles and impurities
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary deaeration of water before freezing by circulating water through a deaerator that removes dissolved gases. This preliminary action prevents air bubbles from being trapped in the ice during the freezing process, thereby improving ice clarity without requiring post-processing
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts harmful air bubbles and impurities from the water before freezing by using a deaerator and filter assembly. This extraction process separates the harmful components (air bubbles, particulates) from the water, allowing only purified water to enter the freezing chamber, thus preventing cloudiness in the final ice product
2Productivity
If water is frozen quickly to reduce production time, then freezing speed increases, but ice quality deteriorates due to trapped air and impurities
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary deaeration and filtration of water before the freezing process. By removing air bubbles and impurities in advance, the system enables rapid freezing without compromising ice clarity, as the harmful components have already been extracted and cannot interfere with the quick freezing process
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous circulation and deaeration of water during the freezing process. This continuous action ensures that as water freezes, any newly formed bubbles or impurities are immediately removed or prevented from forming, allowing the freezing process to proceed rapidly while maintaining high ice quality throughout
3Quantity of substance
If large blocks of ice are produced, then ice volume increases, but the ice becomes unwieldy and requires cutting for cocktail use
Solution Approach 1:
The freezing chamber is divided into multiple separate freezing compartments or molds, each producing smaller, cocktail-appropriate ice pieces. This segmentation allows the system to produce multiple usable ice portions simultaneously in one freezing cycle, providing both adequate total volume and immediate usability without requiring post-freezing cutting
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates removable and adjustable freezing molds that can be configured in different shapes and sizes. This dynamic design allows users to select pre-cut cocktail-ready shapes (spheres, cubes, spheres with holes) directly from the freezing process, eliminating the need for manual cutting while maintaining flexibility in ice volume and shape requirements
4Ease of manufacture
If standard ice machines are used, then ice production is simple, but the ice develops cracks and air bubbles
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces a deaerator as an intermediary component between the water supply and freezing chamber. This intermediary device performs the complex function of removing dissolved gases and impurities from water, protecting the freezing process from producing cracked or bubbly ice while keeping the overall system relatively simple and easy to operate
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 device efficiently produces clear ice with improved clarity and reduced production time, addressing the industry's need for aesthetically pleasing and functional ice for beverages.
Implementation Method 1
cooling the at least one flume surface wall to a temperature of less than or equal to about 0 degrees Celsius at the at least one flume surface wall
Implementation Method 2
providing a substantially constant flow of fluid to the at least one elongate trough during a freezing operation of the device
Data Source
AI summary
A device for producing an elongate ingot of clear ice comprises a housing comprising at least one flume surface wall that defines at least one elongate trough; at least one fluid intake disposed to provide a flow of liquid into the at least one elongate trough; at least one drain disposed to drain liquid from at least one elongate trough; wherein the at least a portion of the at least one flume surface wall is in thermal communication with a cooling source; and wherein the at least one fluid intake and the at least one drain are adapted to provide a constant flow of fluid to the at least one elongate trough during a freezing operation of the device. The cooling source can be an internal cooling cavity.