Pod-Based Refrigeration System for Rapid Single-Serving Cooling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beverage brewing systems and home ice cream makers are inefficient in rapidly cooling single servings of food and drinks, requiring pre-cooling or pre-freezing and often necessitating extensive cleanup.
Innovation Solution
A refrigeration cycle-based system with a pod-machine interface that uses a refrigeration system with a working fluid loop and a mixing paddle to rapidly cool ingredients in a pod from room temperature to freezing in under two minutes, utilizing features like evaporators, compressors, and bypass lines, and capable of producing single servings of chilled or frozen foods and drinks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If existing beverage brewing systems or home ice cream makers are used, then single servings of food and drinks can be prepared, but the cooling process is inefficient and requires pre-cooling or pre-freezing
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the thermal parameters by using a refrigeration cycle that rapidly transfers heat from the pod contents to the evaporator, achieving temperature reduction from room temperature to freezing in under two minutes. The bypass line allows direct injection of cold refrigerant to accelerate the cooling process.
Solution Approach 2:
The evaporator acts as an intermediary heat transfer medium between the pod contents and the refrigeration system. The working fluid in the evaporator absorbs heat from the pod through thermal conduction, enabling rapid cooling without direct contact with the refrigerant.
2Productivity
If a refrigeration cycle system is used to rapidly cool pods, then cooling speed is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into distinct functional modules: the refrigeration cycle components (compressor, condenser, expansion device, evaporator), the pod interface, and the bypass line system. This segmentation allows for optimized performance of each component while maintaining overall system manageability.
Solution Approach 2:
The evaporator serves multiple functions: it acts as the heat exchange surface for rapid cooling, provides structural support for the pod interface, and facilitates the bypass line connection for direct refrigerant injection. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components.
3Ease of operation
If room temperature pods are used for single servings, then storage and handling are simplified, but rapid cooling to freezing is required
Solution Approach 1:
The pods are pre-filled and pre-sealed at room temperature with ingredients ready for processing. The sterilization and sealing are completed in advance during manufacturing, allowing the pods to be stored and handled without pre-cooling, and then rapidly cooled in the machine when needed.
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 system efficiently cools ingredients in pods to freezing temperatures in under two minutes, allowing for easy use and efficient heat transfer, producing single servings of chilled or frozen foods and drinks without pre-cooling, and using recyclable aluminum pods.
Implementation Method 1
A refrigeration cycle-based system with a pod-machine interface that uses a refrigeration system with a working fluid loop and a mixing paddle to rapidly cool ingredients in a pod from room temperature to freezing in under two minutes
Implementation Method 2
an evaporator of a refrigeration system, the evaporator defining a receptacle sized to receive the pod
Implementation Method 3
the refrigeration system has a working fluid loop that runs from the evaporator to a compressor to a condenser to an expansion valve or capillary tube back to the evaporator
Implementation Method 4
the refrigeration system has a working fluid loop that runs from the evaporator to a compressor to a condenser to an expansion valve or capillary tube back to the evaporator
Implementation Method 5
the refrigeration system has a working fluid loop that runs from the evaporator to a compressor to a condenser to an expansion valve or capillary tube back to the evaporator
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.