Ice Maker Warm Air Flow Design to Reduce Trapped Air and Cloudy Ice
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice makers produce cloudy ice due to trapped air, which affects the taste and appearance of beverages, and require costly processing techniques to produce clear ice.
Innovation Solution
An ice making apparatus with a horizontally suspended ice tray and a cold plate, where ambient air is drawn over the ice tray to facilitate the escape of air bubbles during the freezing process, and a separation grid to form clear ice pieces by rocking and twisting the ice tray.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If water is frozen to form ice cubes using conventional methods, then ice cubes are produced, but trapped air makes the ice cloudy in appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The ice tray is rocked back and forth during the freezing process to agitate the water and allow entrapped gases to escape, resulting in clear ice cubes without requiring costly processing techniques
Solution Approach 2:
The ice tray transitions from a static position to a dynamic rocking motion during freezing, enabling air bubbles to escape while the water freezes, thereby producing clear ice
2Manufacturing precision
If costly processing techniques are used to manufacture clear ice, then clear ice can be produced, but the cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the appliance's existing fan and ambient air to provide the warming effect needed for clear ice formation, eliminating the need for expensive external processing equipment or additional heating systems
3Manufacturing precision
If a heating element is used to warm the top surface of the ice tray, then air bubbles can escape, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The appliance's existing fan, originally designed for cooling, is repurposed to circulate ambient air over the ice tray during freezing, providing both cooling during normal operation and warming during ice making without requiring additional energy-consuming heating elements
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 apparatus effectively produces clear ice by allowing air bubbles to escape, resulting in clearer ice pieces that enhance the enjoyment of beverages without the need for expensive processing techniques.
Implementation Method 1
A cooling source is thermally coupled to a bottom surface of the cold plate and configured to freeze water in the ice tray
Implementation Method 2
An air conduit is positioned above the ice tray and coupled with an exterior air source, wherein the air conduit is configured to dispense a warm air flow over the ice tray
Data Source
AI summary
An ice-making apparatus for an appliance having a housing with an interior volume and an ice tray horizontally suspended in the interior volume. The ice tray has a cold plate with a top surface and a bottom surface and a containment wall surrounding an edge portion of the cold plate to retain water. A cooling source is thermally coupled to the bottom surface of the cold plate. An intake conduit extends into the interior volume over the ice tray and is configured to draw ambient air into the interior volume over the ice tray, and the ambient air is above freezing.