Vertical Mold Ice Maker with Heater for Clear Barrel Ice Production
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice makers either produce cloudy or opaque ice or barrel-shaped ice, but not both, failing to meet consumer preferences for clear and cylindrical ice.
Innovation Solution
An ice maker design featuring a mold body with vertically oriented mold cavities, a heater to maintain water in a lower portion as liquid, and a drain conduit to manage water flow, allowing chilled air to freeze water from the top down, forming clear barrel-shaped ice.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If water is frozen in conventional mold cavities, then ice is produced, but the ice becomes cloudy or opaque
Solution Approach 1:
The heater is activated before water is introduced to the mold cavities and continues to operate during the freezing process. This preliminary and continuous heating action prevents water from freezing at the mold cavity floor, ensuring that clear water remains at the bottom throughout the freezing process, which directly produces clear ice without cloudiness
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the temperature parameter at the mold cavity floor by maintaining it above freezing point through the heater. This creates a temperature gradient where the top of the water freezes while the bottom remains liquid, fundamentally changing the freezing process to produce clear ice while maintaining consistent production
2Shape
If water is frozen in conventional mold cavities, then ice is produced, but the ice becomes crescent-shaped rather than barrel-shaped
Solution Approach 1:
The mold cavities are designed with curved, cylindrical sidewalls that taper slightly toward the bottom, creating a barrel shape. This curved geometry, combined with the heater positioned at the floor, enables the formation of cylindrical clear ice barrels rather than crescent-shaped ice, achieving the desired shape through geometric design
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds the vertical dimension to ice shape formation by using vertically oriented mold cavities with the heater at the floor. This vertical arrangement with controlled freezing from the top down creates the barrel shape, transforming the ice-making process from horizontal to vertical dimensionality
3Manufacturing precision
If a heater is added to maintain water in liquid state at the bottom of mold cavities, then clear ice is produced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heater serves multiple functions: it prevents water from freezing at the mold cavity floor to ensure clear ice production, maintains the temperature gradient necessary for clear ice formation, and works in conjunction with the drain conduit system to manage water flow. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components
Solution Approach 2:
The heater is integrated directly into the mold body structure, with the mold cavities formed in the heater housing. This merging of the heating function with the mold structure eliminates the need for separate heating components and simplifies the overall device design while achieving clear ice production
4Productivity
If water is allowed to freeze completely in mold cavities, then maximum ice production is achieved, but water management becomes inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The drain conduit system extracts and removes the clear water that accumulates at the bottom of the mold cavities during the freezing process. This extracted water can be collected and reused for the next ice-making cycle, preventing waste and improving overall water management efficiency while maintaining high ice production volume
Solution Approach 2:
The system discards the water from the mold cavities after ice formation is complete and recovers it through the drain conduit for reuse in subsequent cycles. This recovery process eliminates water waste and improves productivity by ensuring water is not lost between ice-making cycles
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 produces clear and cylindrical ice barrels by maintaining water in a liquid state at the bottom of the mold cavities while freezing from the top down, resulting in purer ice and efficient water management.
Implementation Method 1
a heater in thermal communication with the floor of each mold cavity of the plurality of mold cavities. The heater is configured to maintain water within a lower portion of each mold cavity in a liquid state
Implementation Method 2
As a result, the liquid water in an upper portion of each of the plurality of mold cavities freezes from the top down
Implementation Method 3
directing a flow of chilled air from the chilled chamber of the refrigerator towards openings of the plurality of mold cavities
Implementation Method 4
a drain conduit in fluid communication with the mold body and configured to receive a flow of liquid water from the mold cavities
Data Source
AI summary
An ice maker includes a mold body. A plurality of mold cavities are defined in the mold body. Each mold cavity extends between a floor and an opening along a longitudinal axis. Each mold cavity is enclosed by at least one sidewall between the floor and the opening. The longitudinal axis of each mold cavity is oriented generally along the vertical direction. The ice maker also includes a heater in thermal communication with the floor of each mold cavity of the plurality of mold cavities. The heater is configured to maintain water within a lower portion of each mold cavity in a liquid state. The ice maker further includes a drain conduit in fluid communication with the mold body and configured to receive a flow of liquid water from the mold cavities. A related refrigerator appliance and related methods are also provided.