Double-piped ice-making machine
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Solution Overview
Problem
The conventional double pipe icemaker's refrigerant jetting direction limits effective heat exchange between the refrigerant and the cooling target, as the refrigerant hits only a linear region of the inner pipe, leading to inefficient cooling.
Innovation Solution
The double pipe icemaker features nozzles with jet ports that gradually increase in size or pitch along the outer pipe, allowing refrigerant to jet in both axial and circumferential directions, ensuring uniform heat exchange with the cooling target in the inner pipe.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the refrigerant jets only in a circumferential direction from orifices, then the structure is simple, but the heat exchange between refrigerant and cooling target is non-uniform and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle is designed to jet refrigerant in both the axial direction and circumferential direction, transitioning from single-direction (circumferential only) to multi-directional喷射. This dimensional change allows refrigerant to contact the inner pipe surface more uniformly, resolving the non-uniform heat exchange problem while maintaining structural simplicity through integrated nozzle design.
Solution Approach 2:
The nozzle structure incorporates different jetting directions (axial and circumferential components) to address different regions of the inner pipe surface. The axial component targets the rear side region while the circumferential component covers the lateral surface, creating localized quality improvements in heat exchange uniformity across different pipe surface areas.
2Productivity
If the refrigerant hits only a linear or island shaped region of the inner pipe, then the nozzle structure is simple, but the heat exchanger cannot be utilized effectively
Solution Approach 1:
By adding axial direction jetting capability to the traditional circumferential-only nozzle, the refrigerant spray pattern expands from a linear/island shape to a more comprehensive coverage area. This dimensional enhancement increases the effective contact area between refrigerant and cooling target, improving heat exchanger utilization without significantly complicating the nozzle structure.
3Productivity
If the jet port size is uniform along the outer pipe, then the manufacturing is simple, but the cooling efficiency varies along the pipe length
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle jet port diameter is designed to vary along the axial direction, with different sizes at different positions. This local quality variation optimizes cooling efficiency at each section of the pipe by matching refrigerant flow rate to local heat exchange requirements, while the gradual variation keeps manufacturing complexity manageable through standardized tapering or stepped designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The jet port diameter parameter is changed along the axial direction of the nozzle, transitioning from uniform to non-uniform sizing. This parameter variation allows optimization of refrigerant distribution to match the cooling demand at different pipe sections, improving overall cooling efficiency while maintaining reasonable manufacturing complexity through controlled geometric progression.
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
This configuration enhances cooling efficiency by allowing a larger amount of refrigerant to interact with the cooling target, effectively utilizing the heat exchanger and improving the cooling process.
Implementation Method 1
Cold water or brine as a cooling target flows into the inner pipe via an inlet provided at a first end of the inner pipe, and flows out of an outlet provided at a second end of the inner pipe. A refrigerant used to cool cold water or brine jets into an annular space between the inner pipe and the outer pipe
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3
AI summary
A double pipe icemaker 1 includes an inner pipe 12, and an outer pipe 13 provided radially outside the inner pipe 12 and coaxially with the inner pipe 12, and configured to allow a cooling target to flow in the inner pipe 12 and allow a refrigerant to flow in a space 14 between the inner pipe 12 and the outer pipe 13. The outer pipe 13 has a wall 13a provided with at least one nozzle 11 configured to jet the refrigerant into the space 14, and the nozzle 11 has a jet port 25, 26 allowing the refrigerant to jet in a radial direction including at least an axial direction and a circumferential direction of the inner pipe 12.