Ice Maker Stand Pipe Drain with Siphon for Bottom Impurity Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice makers suffer from inefficient drainage systems that prioritize draining cleaner, warmer water from the top of the sump, leading to impurities settling at the bottom, resulting in less pure ice production.
Innovation Solution
A selectively adjustable stand pipe drain system that can operate in both overflow and siphon configurations, allowing for the drainage of impure water from the bottom of the sump while maintaining purer water for ice production, and includes a drain fitting with a siphon release opening for enhanced drainage control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a traditional drain system is used in the sump, then water can be drained from the sump, but impurities settle at the bottom of the sump resulting in less pure ice production
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional drainage approach by positioning the drain at the bottom of the sump rather than allowing overflow from the top. This enables drainage of impure water that has settled at the bottom, while preserving the cleaner water at the top for ice production, thereby resolving the contradiction between water drainage and ice purity
Solution Approach 2:
The sump is effectively segmented into two functional zones: an upper zone for storing clean water intended for ice making, and a lower zone for collecting and draining impure water. This spatial segmentation allows the system to simultaneously maintain water quality for ice production while removing contaminants
2Quantity of substance
If the stand pipe drain is used as an overflow drain, then water can be drained to the overflow water level, but it cannot drain water below that level effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a bell siphon mechanism as an intermediary device that enables automatic siphon drainage. The bell siphon acts as a mediator between the water level control requirement and the drainage function, allowing water to be drained below the overflow level through siphon action when the drain outlet is positioned at the bottom of the sump
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 system effectively flushes impurities from the sump, ensuring higher purity of water for ice making, thereby improving the clarity and quality of ice produced.
Implementation Method 1
The stand pipe drain is selectively adjustable between an overflow drain configuration in which the stand pipe drain is configured to drain water from the sump to an overflow water level and a siphon drain configuration in which the stand pipe drain is configured to drain water from the sump to a water level less than the overflow water level
Data Source
AI summary
In an ice maker with a sump below an ice formation device and a pump for recirculating water from the sump to the ice formation device, water can drain through a stand pipe drain. A drain fitting is disposed in relation to a stand pipe such that the drain fitting's upper end is disposed above the top of the stand pipe, its lower end defines a water inlet adjacent the bottom of the sump, and its perimeter wall extends 360° about the stand pipe to define a drain passage extending from the water inlet to the top of the stand pipe. The upper end of the drain fitting defines a siphon release opening. The stand pipe drain can also include a valve for adjusting the drain between an overflow drain configuration and a siphon drain configuration.