Ice-making evaporator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ice-making evaporators face issues with uneven ice size due to varying refrigerant flow rates and directions, leading to reduced cooling efficiency and slower ice production.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a first and second refrigerant flow system with parallel paths through protrusion members, optimized cross-sectional areas, and insulating spaces to maintain consistent flow speed and direction, minimizing evaporator size and enhancing ice production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a single refrigerant flow path is used in conventional evaporators, then the structure is simple, but the ice size becomes uneven and cooling efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigerant flow path is divided into multiple parallel paths (first refrigerant flow path and second refrigerant flow path) that flow in opposite directions through the protrusion members. This segmentation allows each path to maintain consistent flow characteristics, resulting in uniform ice size while the parallel structure prevents excessive complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The second refrigerant flow path flows in the reverse direction compared to the first refrigerant flow path. This inversion ensures that refrigerant flows through all protrusion members uniformly, eliminating the size variation problem caused by single-direction flow while maintaining structural simplicity through symmetric design
2Productivity
If the evaporator body is extended to increase ice production, then the number of ice pieces increases, but the device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of extending the evaporator body in one dimension, the invention utilizes the radial dimension by forming multiple protrusion members that extend from the evaporator body. The parallel refrigerant flow paths allow efficient use of this radial arrangement, increasing ice production capacity without proportionally increasing the evaporator body length
3Reliability
If the refrigerant flow path cross-sectional area varies, then the flow speed changes, but cooling efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The flow path cross-sectional area is optimized at each local position within the protrusion members to maintain consistent refrigerant flow speed throughout the system. This local optimization ensures uniform cooling efficiency across all ice-making locations without requiring complex overall structural changes
Solution Approach 2:
The cross-sectional area of the refrigerant flow paths is carefully designed and controlled to maintain optimal flow velocity. By adjusting this parameter, the system achieves consistent cooling efficiency while avoiding the complexity of variable flow paths
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 configuration ensures uniform ice size and increased production by stabilizing refrigerant flow, reducing external heat interference, and optimizing the evaporator's structure for efficient ice-making.
Implementation Method 1
a first refrigerant flow path formed to allow the refrigerant to move from one end to the other end through the first body space and pass through the first protrusion space of the plurality of first protrusion members; and a second refrigerant flow path formed to have the other end connected to the other end of the first refrigerant flow path and to allow the refrigerant to move from the other end to one end thereof through the second body space and pass through the second protrusion space of the plurality of first protrusion members
Data Source
AI summary
An ice-making evaporator is provided. The ice-making evaporator according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a first evaporator body that extends from one side to the other side; a first body space partition wall that divides the inside of the first evaporator body into a first body space and a second body space; a refrigerant inlet that is provided in the first evaporator body; a refrigerant outlet that is provided in the first evaporator body; a first protrusion member that is formed to extend in one direction from the first evaporator body; and a first protrusion space partition wall that divides the inside of the first protrusion member.