Ice Mold Heating Element Design for Clear Ice Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional ice making appliances produce cloudy or opaque ice cubes due to trapped impurities and gases, which can impart undesirable flavors and uneven melting, and fail to provide a clear, upscale ice product.
Innovation Solution
An ice making appliance with a freezer chamber and an ice mold that includes a heating element, where water is frozen while maintaining sub-freezing temperatures and the mold is heated during the ice formation cycle to prevent impurities from freezing into the ice, promoting clear ice production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If water is frozen in typical ice makers from exterior surfaces inward, then ice cubes are formed efficiently, but impurities and gases are trapped inside causing cloudy appearance and uneven melting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional freezing approach by using a heating element during the freezing cycle to prevent impurities from being trapped. Instead of allowing uniform freezing from all surfaces inward, the system strategically applies heat to the mold while the freezer chamber maintains sub-freezing temperatures, creating a controlled freezing pattern that pushes impurities outward rather than trapping them inside the ice cube.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the temperature parameters dynamically during the ice making cycle. The freezer chamber is maintained below a first sub-freezing temperature while a heating element mounted within the mold raises the mold temperature above the freezing point of water. This parameter change creates a temperature gradient that controls the freezing direction and prevents impurity entrapment, resulting in clear ice cubes.
2Productivity
If rapid freezing is used to produce ice quickly, then productivity increases, but a dull or cloudy finish forms on the exterior surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by controlling the heating element to maintain specific temperature ranges during different phases of the freezing cycle. The heating element prevents the mold from becoming too cold too quickly, allowing a controlled freezing rate that produces both speed and clarity. The system adjusts temperatures to optimize both productivity and surface quality simultaneously.
3Ease of manufacture
If impurities and gases are trapped in ice cubes, then the freezing process is simpler, but undesirable flavors are imparted to beverages and melting becomes uneven
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts impurities and gases from the freezing process by using the heating element to prevent their entrapment in the first place. The strategic heating creates conditions where impurities are pushed outward toward the mold walls rather than being incorporated into the ice cube interior. This extraction approach eliminates harmful factors while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
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 method and appliance effectively produce substantially clear ice cubes by preventing impurities from freezing into the ice, resulting in a clear and evenly melting product that provides a unique aesthetic and improved beverage experience.
Implementation Method 1
heating the ice mold during the ice formation cycle at a heating element mounted within the ice mold
Implementation Method 2
maintaining the freezer chamber below a first sub-freezing temperature during an ice formation cycle as a portion of the volume of water freezes to a frozen volume
Data Source
AI summary
An ice making assembly and method for making clear ice utilizing an ice making appliance are provided herein. The ice making appliance may include a cabinet, an ice mold, a heating element, and a controller. The ice mold may be positioned within the freezer chamber and define a mold cavity. The heating element may be mounted within the ice mold in conductive thermal communication with the mold cavity. The controller may be configured to initiate an ice making operation. The ice making operation may include maintaining the freezer chamber below a first sub-freezing during an ice formation cycle subsequent to a volume of water being received within the mold cavity, and heating the ice mold during the ice formation cycle at the heating element as a portion of the volume of water freezes to a frozen volume.