Refrigeration – Means producing shaped or modified congealed product – With means for working congealing material – e.g. – beater
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-27
2001-09-11
Tapolcai, William E. (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Means producing shaped or modified congealed product
With means for working congealing material, e.g., beater
C165S133000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286332
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to ice-making machines and in particular to an ice-making machine having a heat exchanger body with integrally formed refrigerant passages therein and to a heat exchanger therefore.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Ice-making machines are well known in the art and many designs have been considered. For example, Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,441 issued on Jan. 10, 1989 discloses an ice-making machine having a chamber with a fluid inlet to receive a brine solution from which ice is to be made and a fluid outlet to permit the egress of an ice-brine slurry from the housing. The interior surface of the chamber defines a heat exchange surface. A blade assembly is mounted on a rotatable shaft extending through the center of the chamber. The blade assembly is in contact with the heat exchange surface. A motor rotates the shaft at a rate such that the interval between successive passes of the blade assembly over the heat exchange surface is such so as to inhibit the formation of ice crystals on the heat exchange surface.
A tubular jacket surrounds the chamber. A refrigerant inlet and a refrigerant outlet communicate with the space between the jacket and chamber and are positioned at opposed ends of the ice-making machine. Refrigerant flowing from the inlet to the outlet boils and in so doing, cools the brine solution in contact with the heat exchange surface. Refrigerant leaving the ice-making machine via the outlet is compressed before being fed back to the inlet. Rings are welded to the jacket at laterally spaced locations to provide structural stability to the ice-making machine allowing it to withstand internal pressures. Although this ice-making machine works satisfactorily, it is time consuming and expensive to manufacture.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel ice-making machine and a heat exchanger therefore.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided an ice-making machine comprising:
a heat exchanger including a generally cylindrical, tubular body and having a generally cylindrical internal heat exchange surface, said body being formed of corrodable material and having at least one refrigerant passage extending therethrough;
end plates at opposite ends of said body;
a refrigerant inlet to deliver refrigerant to said at least one refrigerant passage;
a refrigerant outlet to collect refrigerant having passed through said at least one refrigerant passage;
an inlet to deliver fluid from which ice is to be made into said body to permit said refrigerant to extract heat from said fluid;
an outlet to permit the egress of ice from said body;
a cylindrical sleeve lining the interior of said body and defining said heat exchange surface and being formed from generally non-corrodable material;
at least one blade in contact with said sleeve and movable about an axis to move across said sleeve and remove cooled fluid therefrom; and
a drive to move said at least one blade across said sleeve.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an ice-making machine comprising:
a heat exchanger including a generally cylindrical, tubular body and having a generally cylindrical internal heat exchange surface, said body having at least one refrigerant passage extending therethrough and being constituted by a plurality of arcuate segments;
end plates at opposite ends of said body;
a refrigerant inlet to deliver refrigerant to said at least one refrigerant passage;
a refrigerant outlet to collect refrigerant having passed through said at least one refrigerant passage;
an inlet to deliver fluid from which ice is to be made into said body to permit said refrigerant to extract heat from said fluid;
an outlet to permit the egress of ice from said body;
at least one blade in contact with said surface and movable about an axis to move across said surface and remove cooled fluid therefrom; and
a drive to move said at least one blade across said surface.
According to still yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided an ice-making machine comprising:
a heat exchanger including a generally cylindrical, tubular body and having a generally cylindrical internal heat exchange surface, said body having at least one refrigerant passage extending therethrough;
end plates at opposite ends of said body, each of said end plates including an outer metal flange and an inner plastic insert;
a refrigerant inlet to deliver refrigerant to said at least one refrigerant passage;
a refrigerant outlet to collect refrigerant having passed through said at least one refrigerant passage;
an inlet to deliver fluid from which ice is to be made into said body to permit said refrigerant to extract heat from said fluid;
an outlet to permit the egress of ice from said body;
at least one blade in contact with said surface and movable about an axis to move across said surface and remove cooled fluid therefrom; and
a drive accommodated by said inserts to move said at least one blade across said surface.
According to still yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided an ice-making machine comprising:
a heat exchanger including a generally cylindrical, tubular body and having a generally cylindrical internal heat exchange surface, said body having a plurality of longitudinally extending refrigerant passages extending therethrough;
end plates at opposite ends of said body;
a refrigerant inlet receiving refrigerant and including refrigerant tracks adjacent one end of said body to deliver refrigerant to selected ones of said refrigerant passages;
refrigerant interconnects adjacent an opposite end of said body, said interconnects connecting said selected ones of said refrigerant passages to selected others of said refrigerant passages;
a refrigerant outlet collecting refrigerant from said selected others of said refrigerant passages;
an inlet to deliver fluid from which ice is to be made into said body to permit said refrigerant to extract heat from said fluid;
an outlet to permit the egress of ice from said body;
at least one blade in contact with said surface and movable about an axis to move across said surface and remove cooled fluid therefrom; and
a drive accommodated by said end plates to move said at least one blade across said surface.
According to still yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided an ice-making system comprising:
a plurality of ice-making machines arranged in an array, each of said ice-making machines including:
a heat exchanger including a generally cylindrical, tubular body and having a generally cylindrical internal heat exchange surface, said body having at least one refrigerant passage extending therethrough;
end plates at opposite ends of said body, each of said end plates including an outer metal flange and an inner plastic insert;
a refrigerant inlet to deliver refrigerant to said at least one refrigerant passage;
a refrigerant outlet to collect refrigerant having passed through said at least one refrigerant passage;
an inlet to deliver fluid from which ice is to be made into said body to permit said refrigerant to extract heat from said fluid;
an outlet to permit the egress of ice from said body;
at least one blade in contact with said surface and movable about an axis to move across said surface and remove cooled fluid therefrom; and
a drive accommodated by said inserts to move said at least one blade across said surface;
a connector coupling the refrigerant inlets of each of said ice-making machines, said connector including an inlet receiving refrigerant from a refrigerant source and delivering said refrigerant to each of said refrigerant inlets; and
a collector coupling the refrigerant outlets of each of said ice-making machines and having an outlet to return refrigerant to said source.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3145017 (1964-08-01), Thomas
patent: 3255815 (1966-06-01), Smith
patent: 3328972 (1967-07-01), Svanoe
patent: 3534563 (1970-10-01), Ross
patent: 4159740 (1979-07-01), Seiling
patent: 4250718 (1981-02-
Connolly Bove & Lodge & Hutz LLP
Sunwell Engineering Company Limited
Tapolcai William E.
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