Ice making system for creating clear ice and associated method
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Dual refrigerant systems for ice making in appliances have high operating costs due to additional components and quick ice formation, which traps impurities, resulting in cloudy or opaque ice, undesirable to users.
Innovation Solution
An ice making assembly with a heat exchanger heater to warm the glycol refrigerant and adjustable elements to control the cooling capacity, including a first and second sealed refrigerant system, a pump, and a method to detect ice demand, activate the heat exchanger heater, and monitor usage data to circulate refrigerant and deliver water to form clear ice.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a dual refrigerant system is used to cool the glycol refrigerant, then the ice making capacity is improved, but the operating costs increase due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the second refrigerant system from the dual refrigerant configuration, using only the glycol-based refrigerant system. This eliminates the complexity of additional components while maintaining ice making capacity through optimized glycol circulation and temperature control in the ice making assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a simpler, single refrigerant system instead of a complex dual system, effectively replacing expensive and complex components with a more economical single refrigerant circulation system that achieves the same ice making function.
2Reliability
If the refrigerant system operates continuously to maintain cooling capacity, then the ice making readiness is improved, but the risk of glycol freezing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary heating to the glycol refrigerant before it enters the ice making assembly, ensuring the glycol remains above freezing temperature. This preliminary action prevents glycol freezing while maintaining ice making readiness, eliminating the need for continuous refrigerant circulation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of continuous operation, the patent uses periodic or on-demand activation of the refrigerant circulation and heating elements, activating them only when ice making is required or when temperatures approach critical levels, thus preventing glycol freezing while maintaining readiness.
3Productivity
If the cooling capacity is high to produce ice quickly, then the productivity is improved, but impurities are trapped in the ice resulting in cloudy appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dynamically adjusts the cooling capacity and refrigerant flow rate during the ice making process. By controlling the rate of heat removal, the system forms ice slowly enough to allow impurities to be excluded from the crystal structure, producing clear ice while maintaining overall productivity through optimized cycle management.
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 solution reduces operating costs, prevents glycol freezing, and slows ice formation to remove impurities, producing clear ice while maintaining efficient operation.
Implementation Method 1
The heat exchanger heater is at least partially contained with the heat exchanger for providing heat to the first refrigerant
Implementation Method 2
The second sealed refrigerant system cyclically circulates a second refrigerant through a compressor, the second inlet of the heat exchanger, and the second outlet of the heat exchanger for removing heat from the first refrigerant
Implementation Method 3
At least a portion of the refrigerant manifold is adjacent to the ice holding chamber for removing heat from the ice holding chamber
Implementation Method 4
The second sealed refrigerant system cyclically circulates a second refrigerant through a compressor
Implementation Method 5
The first sealed refrigerant system includes a pump for cyclically circulating a first refrigerant through a refrigerant manifold
Data Source
AI summary
An ice making system for creating clear ice and an associated method are provided. The ice making system employs a first sealed refrigerant system connected to a heat exchanger. A second sealed refrigerant system is also connected to the heat exchanger for cooling a first refrigerant of the first sealed refrigerant system. A heat exchanger heater is at least partially contained with the heat exchanger for heating the first refrigerant. A pump in the first refrigerant system is activated after heat exchanger heater has warmed the first refrigerant, enabling a cooling cycle to begin. Once sufficient clear ice has been generated, the pump is deactivated.