Sanitary evaporator assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Typical ice makers suffer from inefficiencies due to extraneous heat transfer on the back surfaces of evaporator assemblies, moisture-related corrosion, and contamination issues, which reduce their performance and require costly plating and infrequent cleaning.
Innovation Solution
An evaporator assembly with a covered back side, featuring a serpentine tube insulated with a flexible liquid coating and a second layer of insulation, reducing heat loss and corrosion, and eliminating the need for plating, while allowing for easy cleaning and improved ice production efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the back side of the evaporator is left exposed in typical ice makers, then the structure is simpler and easier to manufacture, but extraneous heat transfer occurs reducing efficiency and moisture causes corrosion and contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the problematic back side of the evaporator from the functional ice-making area and isolates it within a housing. By removing the back side from exposure to the ice-making environment, extraneous heat transfer is eliminated without compromising the front side's ice production function. The housing effectively separates the functional front side from the non-functional back side.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses inexpensive insulation materials (foam, fiberglass, or other insulating materials) to cover the evaporator housing. These materials are not critical to the core ice-making function but provide necessary thermal protection. The use of simple, replaceable insulation materials resolves the contradiction by providing protection without adding complex permanent structures.
2Reliability
If plating is applied to the evaporator to prevent corrosion, then corrosion resistance improves, but manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the evaporator from direct exposure to corrosive moisture by enclosing it in a housing with insulation. This isolation eliminates the need for expensive plating while maintaining corrosion resistance. The housing and insulation create a protective barrier that replaces the need for material plating.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary protective structure (housing with insulation layer) between the evaporator and the corrosive environment. This intermediary protects the evaporator from moisture and corrosion without requiring the evaporator material itself to be corrosion-resistant through plating. The housing acts as a mediator that shields the vulnerable components.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the evaporator back side is exposed to allow simple structure, then manufacturing is easier, but contamination from airborne contaminants occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the evaporator back side from the contaminated environment by enclosing it in a housing. This separation removes the back side from exposure to airborne contaminants while maintaining the simplicity of the evaporator itself. The housing contains the contamination risk without complicating the evaporator's core function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a housing structure with insulation materials that form a protective shell around the evaporator back side. This shell prevents airborne contaminants from reaching the evaporator surfaces while allowing for simple manufacturing. The housing acts as a flexible barrier that protects without adding complex structures to the evaporator itself.
4Productivity
If insulation is added to the evaporator back side, then heat transfer efficiency improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the evaporator assembly into distinct functional zones: the front side for ice making and the back side for insulation. By separating these functions spatially and using a modular housing structure, the insulation can be added as a distinct component rather than integrating it into the evaporator manufacturing process. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured separately and assembled together.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides insulation, protects from corrosion, prevents contamination, and structurally supports the evaporator. By combining these functions into a single universal component, the patent avoids the need for separate structures for each function, thereby reducing overall manufacturing complexity while achieving multiple benefits.
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 enhances the efficiency of ice makers by minimizing heat transfer and corrosion, reducing energy consumption, and preventing contamination, leading to increased ice production with lower operational costs and improved hygiene.
Implementation Method 1
Attached to the back side of the evaporator pan is a serpentine tube through which cold refrigerant flows to lower the temperature of the evaporator so that ice can be formed therein
Implementation Method 2
A first layer of insulation is formed on the serpentine tubing. An evaporator housing having a housing back wall and housing left, right, top and bottom sidewalls extending from the housing back wall is attached to the evaporator pan and covers serpentine tubing. A second layer of insulation is formed on top of the first layer of insulation
Data Source
AI summary
An ice maker evaporator assembly having an evaporator pan with a back wall and left, right, top and bottom sidewalls extending from the back wall, and a freeze plate located within the evaporator pan. A serpentine tubing is thermally coupled to the back wall of the evaporator pan opposite the left, right, top and bottom sidewalls. A first layer of insulation is formed on the serpentine tubing. An evaporator housing having a housing back wall and housing left, right, top and bottom sidewalls extending from the housing back wall is attached to the evaporator pan and covers serpentine tubing. A second layer of insulation is formed on top of the first layer of insulation.