Ice Maker Vapor Degassing for High-Transparency Ice Formation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators produce ice with low transparency and are prone to cracking due to sudden temperature changes, requiring a method to create highly transparent ice efficiently and consistently.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator system with an ice maker that includes a tray, water supplier, heater, cooler, and condensate collector, where water is heated above its boiling point to generate vapor, reducing air concentration and forming ice under controlled pressure, and a pump adjusts internal pressure to enhance transparency and prevent cracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If water is frozen directly without air removal, then the freezing process is simple and fast, but the ice transparency is low and cloudy appearance occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions before freezing by heating water to generate vapor that removes dissolved air, then cooling the tray to freeze the degassed water. This preliminary air removal action ensures high ice transparency while maintaining a manageable process through automated control sequences.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes physical parameters of water by heating it above boiling point to generate vapor, which reduces dissolved air concentration. This parameter change (temperature increase followed by vapor generation) transforms the water quality to enable high transparency ice formation during subsequent freezing.
2Manufacturing precision
If water is heated to generate vapor to remove air, then ice transparency is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system utilizes phase transitions by heating water to generate vapor (liquid to gas transition), which effectively removes dissolved air. The vapor generation phase change enables efficient air removal with relatively lower energy input compared to other degassing methods, while the subsequent condensation phase releases latent heat that can be utilized in the freezing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller monitors and manages the heating and vapor generation process to optimize energy usage. By controlling the heating duration and intensity based on the need to remove sufficient air, the system achieves high ice transparency while minimizing unnecessary energy consumption through feedback-based process management.
3Reliability
If conventional freezing methods are used, then the process is fast, but ice is prone to cracking under temperature changes
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary air removal through vapor generation before freezing, which eliminates dissolved air that would otherwise create internal stress points during freezing and temperature changes. This preliminary action produces ice with fewer internal defects, enhancing durability without significantly extending the overall process time through efficient sequencing.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the water's physical state through heating and vapor generation, the system alters the water's chemical composition by removing dissolved air. This parameter change in water quality results in ice that is more resistant to thermal stress and cracking, improving reliability while the controlled process maintains acceptable freezing speed.
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 produces highly transparent ice efficiently by reducing dissolved air in water, ensuring uniform transparency and durability against temperature changes.
Implementation Method 1
a heater configured to heat water supplied into the tray... the controller configured to control the water supplier and the heater to generate the water vapor by raising a temperature of water supplied into the tray above a boiling point
Implementation Method 2
a cooler configured to cool the tray... controlling the cooler to turn water, of which a dissolved air concentration is reduced due to the generation of the water vapor, in the tray into ice
Implementation Method 3
a condensate collector configured to collect water vapor from the tray, separate the collected water vapor into condensate and air, and transfer the separated condensate to the water supplier
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a refrigerator including: an ice maker. The ice maker includes a tray; a water supplier configured to supply water into the tray; a heater configured to heat water supplied into the tray; a cooler configured to cool the tray; a condensate collector configured to collect water vapor from the tray, separate the collected water vapor into condensate and air, and transfer the separated condensate to the water supplier; and a controller configured to control the water supplier and the heater to generate the water vapor by raising a temperature of water supplied into the tray above a boiling point, and controlling the cooler to turn water, of which a dissolved air concentration is reduced due to the generation of the water vapor, in the tray into ice.