Water Sprinkle Pipe Flow Regulation for Uniform Ice Making
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing water sprinkle pipes for downflow type ice making machines suffer from turbulence and non-uniform water supply due to increased water pressure and flow velocity near the pump, leading to clouded or irregularly shaped ice due to air bubbles mixing with the ice making water.
Innovation Solution
A water sprinkle pipe design featuring a regulation portion that narrows the flow region on the upstream side of the water spray holes, combined with a semicircular reduced-pressure space to decelerate and stabilize the ice making water flow, ensuring uniform distribution and reducing turbulence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the water sprinkle pipe is arranged close to the circulation pump to reduce piping length, then the water supply efficiency is improved, but the water pressure and flow velocity increase causing turbulence and non-uniform water supply
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a regulation portion with a narrowed flow region at specific locations within the pipe body, creating local variations in flow characteristics. This local modification allows different sections of the pipe to have different flow conditions, stabilizing the water supply to upstream spray holes while maintaining efficient overall water supply from the pump.
2Productivity
If the flow velocity of ice making water is increased to improve water supply speed, then the productivity is improved, but air bubbles are sucked through water spray holes causing clouded ice
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the flow region cross-sectional area by introducing a regulation portion that narrows the flow passage. This parameter change increases water pressure while reducing flow velocity in specific regions, preventing negative pressure formation that would cause air bubble suction, thereby eliminating clouded ice while maintaining adequate water supply speed.
3Reliability
If the water pressure is increased near the pump to ensure adequate water supply, then the water supply reliability is improved, but turbulence occurs in the flow region causing non-uniform distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The regulation portion creates localized flow control within the pipe, where the narrowed flow region generates higher pressure to ensure reliable water supply, while the subsequent expansion region allows flow stabilization. This local quality variation ensures both supply reliability and flow uniformity simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The regulation portion acts as an intermediary element between the high-pressure pump outlet and the spray holes. It mediates the flow by first narrowing to increase pressure, then expanding to reduce velocity and eliminate turbulence, ensuring uniform water distribution while maintaining supply reliability.
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 design effectively suppresses turbulence and ensures uniform ice making water supply from all spray holes, preventing clouded ice and irregular shapes by maintaining a stable flow rate and pressure, thus improving ice quality.
Implementation Method 1
a regulation portion that protrudes from an inner surface of the pipe body to locally narrow a flow region for the ice making water is provided on the upstream side of the upstream-most water sprinkle hole
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2(a)~2(c)
Figure 3~4
AI summary
There is provided a water sprinkle pipe for a downflow type ice making machine that regulates a flow of ice making water to suppress generation of turbulence and can uniformly supply the ice making water from water sprinkle holes. A water sprinkle pipe (22) comprises: a pipe body (24) that is arranged to extend above an ice making section, has a flow region (38) for the ice making water defined therein, and has one end communicating with a discharge opening of a circulation pump (30); and a plurality of water sprinkle holes (26) provided in a lower surface of the pipe body (24) in an extending direction. A regulation portion (40) protruding from an inner surface of the pipe body (24) to the flow region (38) side to locally narrow the flow region (38) is provided on an upper surface of the pipe body (24) on an upstream side of the upstream-most water sprinkle holes (26). Further, a semicircular regulation portion (42) is formed on a downstream side of the regulation portion (40) in the pipe body (24).