Flow-type ice maker
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional flow-type ice makers using tinned copper refrigerant pipes face issues with tin plating degradation, leading to maintenance challenges and reduced heat-exchange efficiency due to exposed copper, which affects the longevity and performance of the ice maker.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerant pipe covered with stainless steel on the outer periphery and made of copper or aluminum, with a groove on the inner wall, to enhance durability and heat-exchange efficiency, while reducing the radius of curvature and facilitating easy maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a tinned copper pipe is used as a refrigerant pipe, then high heat-exchange efficiency is achieved, but the tin plating easily comes off to expose the copper, requiring frequent maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigerant pipe uses a composite structure with an inner copper pipe (for high thermal conductivity and heat-exchange efficiency) and an outer stainless steel pipe (for durability and resistance to deformation). This composite material approach allows the system to simultaneously achieve high heat-exchange efficiency and long-term reliability without tin plating degradation.
2Volume of moving object
If the radius of curvature of the curved part of the refrigerant pipe is reduced, then the ice maker size is reduced, but the pipe becomes harder to bend and manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The outer stainless steel pipe provides superior formability and flexibility during manufacturing, allowing the refrigerant pipe to be bent into tight curves with small radius of curvature. This enables compact ice maker design while maintaining ease of manufacture, as the stainless steel outer layer can be more easily formed than traditional single-material pipes.
Solution Approach 2:
The refrigerant pipe has different material properties at different locations: the outer stainless steel layer provides flexibility and formability for bending, while the inner copper layer provides thermal conductivity. This local differentiation of material qualities allows the pipe to be manufactured with small radius of curvature without compromising manufacturing ease.
3Reliability
If the refrigerant pipe is made entirely of stainless steel, then durability is improved, but heat-exchange efficiency decreases due to lower thermal conductivity
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigerant pipe combines copper (high thermal conductivity) as the inner layer with stainless steel (high durability) as the outer layer. This composite structure ensures that the heat-exchange interface remains in contact with the copper material, maintaining high heat-exchange efficiency, while the outer stainless steel layer provides long-term durability and resistance to deformation.
4Loss of energy
If a groove is formed on the pipe inner wall, then heat-exchange efficiency is enhanced by suppressing laminar flow, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The groove is formed only on the inner wall of the refrigerant pipe where it contacts the water, creating local turbulence enhancement at the heat-exchange interface. This localized modification improves heat-exchange efficiency without requiring complex manufacturing throughout the entire pipe structure, as the groove can be formed using standard pipe forming techniques during manufacturing.
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 ensures a stable contact surface with ice, reduces maintenance efforts, enhances heat-exchange efficiency, and allows for a more compact design by suppressing laminar flow, maintaining performance over time without degradation of the refrigerant pipe.
Implementation Method 1
a refrigerant pipe connected to a refrigerator and through which a refrigerant circulates... makes ice on a surface including the outer periphery of a refrigerant pipe, by allowing ice-making water to continuously flow into an ice-making rack supporting the refrigerant pipe... high heat-exchange efficiency
Implementation Method 2
by forming a groove on a pipe inner part of the refrigerant pipe... occurrence of a laminar flow on the pipe wall part can be suppressed, and heat-exchange efficiency can be enhanced
Data Source
AI summary
A flow-type ice maker including substrate, an ice-making part configured by a refrigerant pipe connected to a refrigerator and through which a refrigerant circulates in an airtight manner, an ice-making rack supporting the refrigerant pipe and including an ice mold formed along an outer periphery of the refrigerant pipe, an ice-making water flow part joined to an upper part of the ice-making rack and allowing ice-making water to flow into the ice-making rack, and an ice-separating member to rotating around a direction parallel to the axis center of the refrigerant pipe to separate ice formed in the ice mold, and an ice-making water feed pipe feeding ice-making water to the ice-making water flow part. The refrigerant pipe has a curved part; and an outer periphery of a pipe made of any one of copper and aluminum is covered with stainless steel.