Recirculating Slush Cooling With Variable Coolant Flow Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing slush generation machines are expensive, unreliable, and energy-inefficient due to the need for large geared motors and vapor compression refrigeration systems, making them unsuitable for medical and beverage applications where sterility and cost-effectiveness are crucial.
Innovation Solution
A recirculating system with a heat exchanger that varies coolant flow rates to control the ice/liquid ratio and temperature, allowing for efficient generation and maintenance of slush with a separate, standalone chiller unit and disposable components for improved sterility and cost-effectiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If scraped surface freezer systems are used to generate slush, then ice crystals can be formed on refrigerated surfaces, but the systems become expensive and unreliable due to large geared motors and rotating seals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical scraped surface freezer system with a recirculating refrigeration system using heat exchangers. Instead of using motors and scrapers to mechanically remove ice, the system circulates liquid through heat exchangers that cool the liquid to form ice crystals, eliminating the need for large geared motors and rotating seals that cause reliability issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a hydraulic recirculating system where liquid is pumped through heat exchangers and conduits to achieve cooling and ice formation. The system uses fluid dynamics and heat transfer through circulated liquid rather than mechanical contact, improving reliability by eliminating mechanical wear components.
2Power
If vapor compression refrigeration systems are used to directly cool freezer surfaces, then sufficient cooling power can be achieved, but energy consumption increases due to large system size and low coefficients of performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the refrigeration system into separate functional components: a standalone chiller unit that produces cold coolant, and a recirculating system with heat exchangers that distribute the cooling. This segmentation allows the chiller to operate at optimal conditions while the recirculating system efficiently distributes cooling, improving overall energy efficiency compared to direct cooling systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a recirculating coolant as an intermediary between the chiller and the slush generation process. The coolant circulates through heat exchangers, transferring thermal energy efficiently, which reduces the energy consumption compared to direct vapor compression cooling of the slush chamber surfaces.
3Productivity
If scraped surface ice generators with large holding volumes are used, then slush can be generated, but product wastage increases during cleaning cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs disposable or easily cleanable conduit loops and heat exchanger components that can be replaced or sanitized without draining large volumes of expensive beverage. The recirculating system design allows for minimal product holding in the cooling channels, reducing wastage during cleaning or maintenance cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The system design allows for efficient draining and cleaning of the recirculating loop with minimal product loss. The conduit and heat exchanger configuration enables complete drainage of the cooling channels, allowing thorough cleaning without requiring large residual volumes of beverage to remain in the system.
4Manufacturing precision
If recirculating systems with long coils in glycol cooling medium are used, then slush can be formed, but the apparatus becomes large, complicated, and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple functions into compact components: the heat exchangers serve both as cooling devices and as ice nucleation sites, while the recirculating pump handles both fluid circulation and pressure regulation. The controller integrates temperature monitoring and coolant flow control, reducing overall system complexity compared to separate systems for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses nested or integrated heat exchanger designs where cooling conduits are positioned within or adjacent to the slush generation chamber, eliminating the need for separate long external coils. The compact integrated design reduces apparatus size and complexity while maintaining effective ice/liquid ratio control.
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 achieves efficient slush generation with reduced energy consumption and lower costs by controlling the ice/liquid ratio and temperature, enhancing reliability and sterility, making it suitable for medical and beverage applications.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger configured for flow therethrough of liquid to be frozen and for flow through of a cooling fluid to the liquid
Implementation Method 2
the heat exchanger being configured for cooling of the liquid to a temperature below the freezing point of the liquid
Implementation Method 3
a variable speed pump for controlling a flow rate of the liquid through the heat exchanger
Implementation Method 4
generating, at a target ice/liquid ratio with a corresponding target temperature, a slush comprising frozen and non-frozen liquid
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus for generating, at a target ice/liquid ratio with a corresponding target temperature, a slush comprising frozen and non-frozen liquid comprises a flow path for recirculation of liquid therethrough, the flow path comprising a heat exchanger having a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet, the heat exchanger being configured for flow therethrough of coolant at a temperature below the target temperature, the apparatus being configured to vary the rate of coolant flow through the heat exchanger between a first rate and a second rate that is lower than the first rate.