Refrigeration – Processes – Congealing flowable material – e.g. – ice making
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-29
2003-05-20
Tapolcai, William E. (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Processes
Congealing flowable material, e.g., ice making
C062S340000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06564559
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to supercooled liquid-freezing method and apparatus which are used in an ice thermal storage system of a freezing machine, for example and adapted to release the supercooled liquid from a supercooled state through freezing. The invention also relates to a method and a system for circulating or flowing cooled liquid at least a part of which is released from a supercooled state. Particularly, the invention relates to the method and the apparatus for freezing supercooled liquid having a low supercooled degree, which method and apparatus can positively release the supercooled liquid from the supercooled state at an arbitrary point of time and at an arbitrary place. The invention also relates to the method and the system for circulating or flowing the supercooled liquid at least a part of which is released from the supercooled state.
2. Related Art Statement
A method in which flowing supercooled liquid is made to spontaneously fall and impinge upon a plate to freeze it is known as a conventional supercooled state-removing (freezing) technique.
However, since this method requires a sufficient long distance for freezing, an apparatus for this becomes bulky. Further, the supercooled liquid cannot be frozen at any time or any place. In addition, if the supercooled liquid is at a low supercooled degree, it is unfavorably difficult to freeze the liquid.
The present invention is aimed at solving the problems of the prior art apparatuses through discovery of the new supercooled state-removing method and apparatus having a smaller size than the conventional ones and being able to positively release the supercooled liquid from the supercooled state at any time and any place and rapidly freeze the supercooled liquid, even if the supercooled liquid is at such a low supercooled degree as not allowing easy freezing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A first aspect of the present invention relates to a method for solidifying a supercooled liquid, comprising the steps of forming a liquid phase of a supercooled liquid and a gas phase adjacent to said liquid phase in a container, vibrating a gas-liquid interface formed by said liquid phase and said gas phase by applying vibration upon the gas-liquid interface and/or a vicinity thereof along the gas-liquid interface, forming splashed waves of the supercooled liquid, scattering liquid drops of the supercooled liquid, crashing the liquid drops upon a portion of an inner wall of said container where the gas phase is located, mixing resulting liquid drops and bubbles into the supercooled liquid through the gas-liquid interface, subjecting said bubbles mixed in the supercooled liquid to expansion, compression, disruption, clustering and disappearance, thereby vigorously oscillating the gas-liquid interface and freezing the supercooled liquid.
A second aspect of the present invention relates to a supercooled liquid-freezing apparatus comprising a container for forming a liquid phase of a supercooled liquid and a gas phase therein, and an oscillator for applying vibration upon a gas-liquid interface formed inside the container between the liquid phase and the gas phase and/or a vicinity thereof along the gas-liquid interface, whereby vibrating the gas-liquid interface by application of vibration with said oscillator, forming splashed waves of the supercooled liquid, scattering liquid drops of the supercooled liquid, crashing the liquid drops upon a portion of an inner wall of said container where the gas phase is located, mixing resulting liquid drops and bubbles into the supercooled liquid through the gas-liquid interface, subjecting said bubbles mixed in the supercooled liquid to expansion, compression, disruption, clustering and disappearance, thereby vigorously oscillating the gas-liquid interface and freezing the supercooled liquid.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that an oscillator is immersed into said liquid phase inside the container, and the vibration is applied upon the gas-liquid interface formed by the liquid phase and the gas phase and/or said vicinity thereof by said oscillator.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the oscillator comprises an oscillator immersed into said liquid phase inside the container, and the vibration is applied upon the gas-liquid interface formed by the liquid phase and the gas phase and/or said vicinity thereof by said oscillator.
A third aspect of the present invention relates to a method for circulating or flowing a supercooled liquid, comprising the steps of introducing at least part of a circulating or flowing supercooled liquid into a container provided with a supercooled liquid inlet, forming a liquid phase of said supercooled liquid introduced and a gas phase adjacent to said liquid phase in said container, vibrating a gas-liquid interface formed by said liquid phase and said gas phase by applying vibration upon the gas-liquid interface and/or a vicinity thereof along the gas-liquid interface, forming splashed waves of the supercooled liquid, scattering liquid drops of the supercooled liquid, crashing the liquid drops upon a portion of an inner wall of said container where the gas phase is located, mixing resulting liquid drops and bubbles into the supercooled liquid through the gas-liquid interface, subjecting said bubbles mixed in the supercooled liquid to expansion, compression, disruption, clustering and disappearance, thereby vigorously oscillating the gas-liquid interface and freezing the supercooled liquid, returning the supercooled liquid at least a part of which is released from being supercooled into the circulating or flowing supercooled liquid, and circulating or flowing the resultant.
A fourth aspect of the present invention relates to a supercooled liquid-circulating or flowing system comprising means for circulating or flowing a supercooled liquid, a container provided with a supercooled liquid inlet and adapted for receiving at least a part of the circulating or flowing supercooled liquid and forming a liquid phase of a supercooled liquid and a gas phase therein, an oscillator for applying vibration upon a gas-liquid interface formed inside the container between the liquid phase and the gas phase and/or a vicinity thereof along the gas-liquid interface, whereby vibrating the gas-liquid interface by application of vibration with said oscillator, forming splashed waves of the supercooled liquid, scattering liquid drops of the supercooled liquid, crashing the liquid drops upon a portion of an inner wall of said container where the gas phase is located, mixing resulting liquid drops and bubbles into the supercooled liquid through the gas-liquid interface, subjecting said bubbles mixed in the supercooled liquid to expansion, compression, disruption, clustering and disappearance, thereby vigorously oscillating the gas-liquid interface and freezing the supercooled liquid, returning the supercooled liquid at least a part of which is released from being supercooled into the circulating or flowing supercooled liquid, and circulating or flowing said returned supercooled liquid.
According to the present invention, the gas-liquid interface formed by the liquid phase and the gas phase is vibrated by applying vibration upon the gas-liquid interface and/or a vicinity thereof along the gas-liquid interface, splashed waves of the supercooled liquid are formed, liquid drops of the supercooled liquid are scattered, the liquid drops are vigorously crashed upon a portion of an inner wall of said container where the gas phase is located, resulting liquid drops and bubbles are mixed into the supercooled liquid through the gas-liquid interface, said bubbles mixed in the supercooled liquid are subjected to expansion, compression, disruption, clustering and disappearance, and thereby the gas-liquid interface is vigorously oscillated. While the liquid drops and the bubbles are continuously mixed into the supercooled liquid, freezing nuclei are formed in the liquid d
Hozumi Tsutomu
Kumano Hiroyuki
Ohkawa Seiji
Saito Akio
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Tapolcai William E.
Tokyo Institute of Technology
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