Dual Throttling Cooling Control for Ice-Cream Machine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ice-cream machines face challenges in maintaining precise temperature control and energy efficiency, particularly in separating pre-cooling and freshness-preserving modes, leading to suboptimal storage conditions and increased energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
A dual throttling system cooling control device with separate pre-cooling and freshness-preserving modes, utilizing distinct refrigeration throttling systems and solenoid valves to manage evaporation temperatures and refrigerant flow rates, allowing for precise control of the material reservoir temperature during operation and standby periods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a separate refrigeration system is used for material reservoir pre-cooling, then pre-cooling effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the pre-cooling function and freshness-preserving function into a single refrigeration system that shares the compressor, condenser, and evaporator. By using electronic expansion valves to control refrigerant flow distribution, the system achieves separate temperature control for pre-cooling and freshness-preserving modes without requiring duplicate refrigeration components, thus improving temperature control while avoiding increased device complexity.
2Device complexity
If pseudo pre-cooling through main refrigeration compressor is used, then device complexity is reduced, but pre-cooling effectiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs electronic expansion valves that can dynamically adjust refrigerant flow rates to different evaporator circuits based on operational mode. During pre-cooling mode, the system dynamically directs more refrigerant to the material reservoir evaporator, achieving effective pre-cooling. During freshness-preserving mode, refrigerant distribution is dynamically adjusted to maintain safe temperatures. This dynamic control enables effective pre-cooling while using a single integrated refrigeration system.
3Temperature
If both pre-cooling and freshness-preserving modes operate simultaneously, then comprehensive temperature control is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements partial action by using electronic expansion valves to control the proportion of refrigerant flow to different evaporator circuits. During pre-cooling mode, the system provides partial refrigeration to the material reservoir without fully engaging the main freezing cylinder refrigeration, reducing overall energy consumption. The electronic expansion valves enable precise control of refrigerant distribution, allowing the system to provide just enough cooling for pre-cooling or freshness-preserving needs rather than excessive cooling, thereby reducing energy waste.
4Device complexity
If single throttling system is used, then device complexity is reduced, but temperature control precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the single throttling function into multiple electronic expansion valves, each independently controlling refrigerant flow to different evaporator circuits. This segmentation allows precise control of refrigerant distribution between the freezing cylinder evaporator and material reservoir evaporator, enabling independent temperature control for pre-cooling and freshness-preserving modes. The electronic expansion valves provide precise throttling control compared to traditional single throttling systems, achieving better temperature control precision while maintaining reasonable device complexity.
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 solution enables precise temperature control of ice-cream materials, minimizes the impact on the main refrigeration cylinder, reduces energy consumption, and improves the texture and freshness of ice-cream by maintaining safe storage temperatures, with energy usage reduced to 50-80% of normal refrigeration mode during freshness-preserving operations.
Implementation Method 1
a middle segment of the freezing cylinder refrigeration pipe (102) is a freezing cylinder refrigeration capillary segment (15), a middle segment of the material reservoir pre-cooling pipe (103) is a material reservoir pre-cooling capillary segment (16), and a middle segment of the material reservoir freshness-preserving pipe (104) is a material reservoir freshness-preserving capillary segment (17)
Implementation Method 2
a material reservoir evaporator (4) surrounding the material reservoir (11)
Implementation Method 3
a compressor (1)
Implementation Method 4
a condenser (2)
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling control device comprises a compressor, a condenser, a material reservoir evaporator, a freezing cylinder refrigeration inlet conduit, and a freezing cylinder refrigeration outlet conduit. An outlet end of the condenser is connected to a condenser outlet pipe. The condenser outlet pipe is in communication with three branch pipes, which are a freezing cylinder refrigeration pipe, a material reservoir pre-cooling pipe and a material reservoir freshness-preserving pipe arranged in parallel. The freezing cylinder refrigeration pipe is in communication with the freezing cylinder refrigeration inlet conduit. The material reservoir pre-cooling pipe and the material reservoir freshness-preserving pipe are in communication with an inlet end of the material reservoir evaporator. An outlet end of the material reservoir evaporator and the freezing cylinder refrigeration outlet conduit are respectively in communication with the compressor. The cooling control device can separate a pre-cooling mode and a freshness-preserving mode for a material reservoir.