Refrigeration – Automatic control – By accumulation on freezing surface – e.g. – ice
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-23
2001-06-05
McDermott, Corrine (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Automatic control
By accumulation on freezing surface, e.g., ice
C062S059000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06240734
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to ice bank chillers for supplying chilled water to fluids in pipes, such as beverages, or a beverage component such as a concentrate or diluent, and to a water agitation assembly for use in an ice bank chiller.
Ice bank chillers are well known and comprise a water reservoir incorporating a cooling coil associated with a refrigeration circuit. A layer of ice builds up on the cooling coil to act as a store of cold. A pumped supply of water to be chilled runs through the reservoir and is generally operated intermittently as demand occurs for beverages.
In a known drinks supply system there is provided a bundle of drink carrying tubes that are kept cool by a tube carrying circulating chilled water, which is kept in close proximity to the drink tubes by being enclosed in a jacket, or ‘python’. The chilled water is pumped from the reservoir or an ice bank chiller using a single fluid pump driven by an electric motor.
The chilled water in the reservoir is traditionally stirred by an agitator in the form of a paddle on the lower end of the downwardly extending pump/motor shaft. This reduces the thickness of the ice bank on the lower sides of the reservoir, which improves heat transfer between the water in the reservoir and the cooling coils in this area (see FIG.
1
), but the ice bank remains thick further up towards the surface.
According to the invention an ice bank chiller comprises a reservoir, vertically distributed cooling means adjacent to a side wall of the reservoir, and agitation means for agitating, in use, water contained in the reservoir, wherein the agitation means is so arranged as, in use, to cause substantial circulation of the reservoir water adjacent to ice on both the upper and lower regions of the cooling means.
By arranging that reservoir water circulates against both the upper and lower parts of the ice bank, the wall thickness of the ice bank can be kept substantially uniform with height so as to avoid reductions in heat transfer due to excessive build-up of ice on the upper part of the cooling means.
The agitation means preferably comprises an agitation pump so arranged as to direct a plurality of streams of water towards the cooling means.
The agitation pump preferably comprises an impeller rotatable within a pump housing, the housing being provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart pump outlets, the arrangement being such that, in use, on rotation of the impeller in a forward direction, streams of water are directed from said outlets towards the ice on the cooling means.
The agitation pump is preferably arranged to direct said streams of water with a circumferential component of direction, ie the streams of water are directed at an acute angle relative to the radial direction, so as to create a swirling movement in the water that is radially exterior to the agitation pump housing. The swirl of water will help to erode that part of the ice bank that is radially outward of the agitation pump.
The agitation pump housing is preferably provided with a downwardly inclined skirt for directing said streams of water in a downwardly and outwardly direction.
The agitation pump housing preferably is formed with a substantially axial water inlet which preferably is directed downwardly in use. The pump housing may be provided with a downwardly directed tube feeding said inlet, in order to collect water from the lower regions of the reservoir, to promote flows throughout the reservoir.
The agitation assembly may comprise vertically spaced-apart upper and lower agitation means which are conveniently driven by a common drive means, preferably a substantially vertical shaft driven by a motor mounted at or adjacent the top of the reservoir.
Said agitation pump preferably then constitutes said upper agitation means located in the upper part of the reservoir, and said lower agitation means preferably then comprises a rotatable paddle.
The pump for supplying the chilled water may be driven by the same drive means that is arranged to drive the first and second agitation means, and may be positioned vertically between the first and second agitation means.
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Ferrier Derek
Futter Jason
Ali Mohammad M
Cooper & Dunham LLP
McDermott Corrine
Phillips Peter J.
The Electric Motor Company Limited
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