Slurry ice containment system and method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Slurry ice mixtures experience temperature stratification during transport due to ice crystals floating to the top, leading to warmer temperatures at lower levels and inefficient cooling.
Innovation Solution
A container with catch surfaces, such as mesh fabric barriers, is used to impede the migration of ice crystals to the top, maintaining them at the bottom and ensuring uniform temperature by allowing liquid components to separate and hold frozen components in place.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If ice crystals are allowed to migrate freely in the slurry mixture, then the frozen component can transition to liquid component to absorb heat, but temperature stratification occurs with ice crystals floating to the top causing warmer temperatures at lower levels
Solution Approach 1:
The container interior is segmented into multiple zones using catch surfaces positioned at different heights. These surfaces divide the slurry mixture into regions, preventing ice crystals from freely migrating to the top while maintaining circulation in lower zones. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by creating localized zones where temperature uniformity can be maintained without complete compositional stability.
Solution Approach 2:
Catch surfaces act as intermediary elements between the ice crystals and the top of the container. These surfaces intercept migrating ice crystals and redirect them, preventing direct accumulation at the top while allowing liquid slurry to circulate. This intermediary mechanism maintains temperature uniformity without requiring complete compositional stability throughout the entire volume.
2Temperature
If catch surfaces are added to impede ice crystal migration, then temperature uniformity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The catch surfaces are implemented as flexible membranes or thin fabric barriers that can be integrated into the container structure. These thin film elements provide the necessary ice crystal interception function while minimizing structural complexity and weight. The flexible nature allows them to conform to container shapes without requiring rigid support structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The catch surfaces utilize porous or mesh-like materials that allow liquid slurry to pass through while blocking ice crystals. This porous structure provides the differentiation needed to separate ice crystal migration from liquid circulation, achieving temperature uniformity without requiring solid barriers that would increase structural complexity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If mesh fabric barriers are used to separate liquid and frozen components, then ice crystal retention is improved, but fluid flow resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mesh fabric barriers are designed with optimized porosity and pore size distribution to minimize flow resistance while maintaining ice crystal blocking capability. The porous structure allows liquid slurry to pass through with minimal pressure drop while effectively retaining ice crystals, thus reducing energy loss to fluid flow resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The mesh fabric barriers utilize composite material structures combining different fiber types, densities, and pore sizes to optimize the balance between ice crystal retention and fluid flow characteristics. This composite approach allows tailoring the barrier properties to minimize energy loss while maintaining effective separation of liquid and frozen components.
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 effectively retains ice crystals at the bottom of the container, maintaining cooling at lower levels and preventing temperature stratification, thus maintaining uniform temperatures within the slurry ice mixture during transport.
Implementation Method 1
the mesh fabric barrier being i) permeable by the liquid component of the slurry mixture and ii) impermeable to most of the frozen component of the slurry mixture
Implementation Method 2
ice crystals or frozen components being less dense than the liquid components
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a slurry ice containment system, and the method of providing same. This involves impeding separation of liquid and ice components of a slurry ice mixture, and more particularly relates to impeding the separation of liquid and frozen components of a slurry food product mixture, such as, for example, a slurry juice. This can be done by providing catches within a container. These catches may be of various size, shape, structure, and position. These catches hold ice crystal volume in various places within the container to assist in preventing the total volume of ice crystal to rise to the top of a container.