Refrigerator Ice Maker Cooling Loop for Faster Door Ice Production
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In bottom freezer refrigerators, existing ice makers face inefficiencies due to the need for complex air ducts to deliver cold air from the freezer section to the fresh food section for ice production, resulting in slow ice production rates and temperature fluctuations in the fresh food compartment.
Innovation Solution
An ice producing apparatus with a storage tank, multiple heat exchangers, and an ice mold that uses a cooling medium to efficiently produce ice independently of the freezer compartment's cooling system, allowing ice production through the fresh food compartment door without relying on cold air volume or temperature limitations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If cold air is pumped from the freezer compartment to the fresh food compartment for ice production, then ice can be made in the fresh food section, but the ice production rate is slow and the fresh food compartment temperature drops below the set point
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into separate pathways: one for the fresh food compartment and another dedicated pathway for the ice maker. This allows independent control of cooling resources, enabling the ice maker to receive sufficient cold air without impacting the fresh food compartment temperature, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and ice production rate
Solution Approach 2:
A dedicated cooling air passage acts as an intermediary channel, directing cold air from the evaporator directly to the ice maker through a separate route. This intermediary pathway ensures that ice production receives adequate cooling resources without competing with the fresh food compartment, thus improving ice production rate while maintaining operational convenience
2Ease of operation
If cold air is pumped from the freezer compartment to the fresh food compartment for ice production, then ice can be made in the fresh food section, but complicated air ducts are required within the door interior
Solution Approach 1:
The ice maker cooling passage is merged with the existing evaporator structure and integrated into the door assembly. By combining these functions into a unified design where the evaporator serves both the fresh food compartment and the ice maker through integrated passages, the system reduces the need for separate complicated ductwork while maintaining ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The evaporator and its associated cooling passages are designed to serve multiple functions: cooling the fresh food compartment and providing cold air to the ice maker. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate dedicated ducts for ice production, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining the ability to deliver ice through the fresh food compartment door
3Device complexity
If cold air volume and temperature are limited in the fresh food compartment door interior, then the cooling system remains simple, but ice production occurs at a relatively slow rate
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically allocates cooling resources by providing a dedicated, adjustable cooling passage to the ice maker that can operate independently of the fresh food compartment cooling requirements. This dynamic capability allows the ice maker to receive sufficient cold air volume and appropriate temperature regardless of fresh food compartment conditions, thereby improving ice production rate without significantly increasing overall system 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 faster ice production and maintains the fresh food compartment temperature, overcoming the limitations of traditional ice makers by using a separate cooling medium and heat exchanger system to freeze water in the ice mold, independent of the freezer compartment's cooling capacity.
Implementation Method 1
A first heat exchanger is disposed downstream of the storage tank and is configured to have the cooling medium flow therethrough to be cooled
Implementation Method 2
A second heat exchanger is disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger and is configured to have the cooling medium flow therethrough to freeze the water in the ice mold to produce ice
Implementation Method 3
freeze the water in the ice mold to produce ice
Implementation Method 4
a first heat exchanger configured to have a refrigerant flow therethrough to absorb heat
Data Source
AI summary
An ice producing apparatus for a refrigerator includes a storage tank configured to store a cooling medium. A first heat exchanger is disposed downstream of the storage tank and is configured to have the cooling medium flow therethrough to be cooled. An ice mold includes at least one cavity that is configured to retain water therein. A second heat exchanger is disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger and is configured to have the cooling medium flow therethrough to freeze the water in the ice mold to produce ice.