Segmented Ice Maker Sump for Slush-Free Water Recirculation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ice makers experience inefficiencies due to 'slush up' conditions in the sump, where water sub-cools and freezes, causing water flow to cease, leading to extended ice production times and inefficiencies in the cooling cycle.
Innovation Solution
The design of a sump with a recirculation area and additional areas in fluid communication via passageways, where the warmer water from the additional areas can flow to melt slush in the recirculation area, maintaining water flow and ice production without additional moving or electronic parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If water is continuously recirculated over the freeze plate, then ice production efficiency is improved, but slush up occurs in the sump causing water flow to cease
Solution Approach 1:
The sump is divided into two separate chambers: a recirculation chamber that receives cooled water from the freeze plate and an additional chamber that holds warmer water. This segmentation allows the system to maintain continuous water flow by switching between chambers, preventing slush up while preserving ice production efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The additional chamber is pre-filled with warmer water before the freezing cycle begins. When slush forms in the recirculation chamber, the system can immediately switch to using the pre-prepared warmer water from the additional chamber, eliminating downtime and maintaining continuous operation.
2Reliability
If the water pump is turned off to prevent slush up, then slush formation is avoided, but ice production time is extended
Solution Approach 1:
The dual-chamber sump design enables continuous water circulation throughout the ice making cycle. While one chamber experiences slush formation, the other chamber provides ready supply of liquid water, ensuring the pump operates continuously without interruption, thereby maintaining ice production speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The additional chamber is prepared in advance with warmer water that acts as a backup supply. This preliminary preparation allows the system to quickly switch chambers when needed, avoiding the time loss that would occur if the pump had to be turned off and restarted.
3Device complexity
If a single-chamber sump is used, then device complexity is reduced, but slush up causes operational interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The sump is segmented into two functional chambers within a single integrated structure. This segmentation provides the benefits of complex systems (continuous operation, slush prevention) while maintaining relative structural simplicity through a unified design that requires no additional moving parts or complex control mechanisms.
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 allows for the rapid melting of slush, resuming ice production within 5 seconds, enhancing operational efficiency and eliminating the need for complex temperature control systems.
Implementation Method 1
the warmer water from the additional areas can flow to melt slush in the recirculation area
Implementation Method 2
The water pump, during a cooling cycle, pumps the first mass of water from the recirculation area over the freeze plate wherein the first mass of water is cooled as it contacts the freeze plate
Data Source
AI summary
A sump for use in an ice maker, the sump adapted to hold a mass of water, wherein the ice maker freezes some or all of the mass of water into ice. The sump includes a recirculation area and one or more additional areas separated from the recirculation area. The recirculation area and the one or more additional areas are in fluid communication via one or more passageways. The recirculation area is adapted to hold and receive a first portion of the mass of water having a first mass. The one or more additional areas are adapted to hold a second portion of the mass of water having a second mass. Thus, if the first portion of water forms into slush, the second portion of water can be recirculated to melt the slush.