Pod Refrigeration Interface for Rapid Single-Serve Freezing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for rapidly cooling food and drinks are inefficient, requiring pre-cooling or pre-freezing and often taking more than two minutes to achieve freezing temperatures, and do not offer convenient single-serving options with easy-to-use interfaces.
Innovation Solution
The development of a refrigeration system with low startup times and a pod-machine interface that uses sterilized pods with efficient heat transfer to cool food and drinks from room temperature to freezing in under two minutes, enabling the creation of single servings of frozen products like ice cream, cocktails, and coffee drinks without pre-treatment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If conventional cooling methods are used, then food and drinks can be cooled, but the process takes more than two minutes and requires pre-cooling or pre-freezing
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the thermal parameters of the refrigerant rapidly by controlling expansion valve opening and compressor operation, enabling the cooling chamber to reach freezing temperature in under two minutes without pre-cooling requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system is divided into separate functional components: compression chamber, condensation chamber, expansion valve, and evaporation chamber. This segmentation allows each component to operate optimally and contributes to rapid cooling by enabling controlled refrigerant flow and phase change
2Reliability
If sterilized pods are used, then product safety and shelf life are improved, but the pod-machine interface complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sterilization function is extracted from the home machine and performed during manufacturing at the factory. Pods are sterilized using methods like retort, aseptic packaging, UHT, or HPP before sealing, eliminating the need for complex sterilization mechanisms in the consumer device while ensuring product safety
Solution Approach 2:
The sealed pod acts as an intermediary container that maintains sterile conditions during storage and transport. The pod-machine interface simply needs to seal and transfer the pre-sterilized contents, simplifying the machine design while preserving product safety through the pod's sterile barrier
3Speed
If rapid cooling to freezing is achieved, then single-serving frozen products can be made, but the heat transfer efficiency must be extremely high
Solution Approach 1:
The system utilizes phase transitions of the refrigerant (compression to high-pressure gas, condensation to liquid, expansion to low-pressure gas, evaporation to absorb heat) to achieve rapid cooling. The refrigerant absorbs large amounts of heat during evaporation, enabling fast freezing of single servings without excessive energy consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system concentrates refrigerant flow and heat exchange capacity at the pod contact points within the evaporation chamber. This localized heat transfer optimization ensures maximum cooling efficiency at the critical interface between the refrigerant and the food/drink container
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 solution allows for rapid cooling of food and drinks to freezing temperatures in under two minutes, providing convenient single-serving options with efficient heat transfer and easy operation, and the use of sterilized pods ensures product safety and long shelf life.
Implementation Method 1
a refrigeration cycle with low startup times and a pod-machine interface that is easy to use and provides extremely efficient heat transfer
Implementation Method 2
HPP is a cold pasteurization technique by which products, already sealed in its final package, are introduced into a vessel and subjected to a high level of isostatic pressure (300-600 megapascals (MPa) (43,500-87,000 pounds per square inch (psi)) transmitted by water
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods have demonstrated the capability of rapidly cooling the contents of pods containing the ingredients for food and drinks.