Low energy ice making apparatus

An ice making apparatus comprising

• an inclined evaporator on the upper surface of which a slab of ice may be formed, said evaporator surface being formed of a thermally semiconductive chromium steel material and having means for directing a refrigerant on a preselected path in thermal contact with the lower surface of said evaporator;
• a low volume, low velocity compressor having an inlet and an outlet;
• a primary condenser having an inlet and an outlet;
• a secondary condenser cube cutting grid including first and second arrays of substantially parallel, spaced apart refrigerant conducting tubes, one disposed above the other at an angle thereto, each said array being coupled at one end to an intake manifold and at the other to an outlet manifold;
• means for coupling said compressor outlet to the inlet of said primary condenser;
• means for coupling said primary condenser outlet to said secondary condenser cube cuting grid inlet manifold;
• means for coupling said secondary condenser cube cutting grid outlet manifold to a first end of said refrigerant path;
• means for coupling the other end of said refrigerant path to the inlet of said compressor;
• means for circulating water over the surface of said evaporator surface while a refrigerant is directed from said secondary condenser cube cutting grid through said evaporator whereby a slab of ice is progressively formed over the surface of said evaporator;
• timing means for interrupting the circulation of water over the evaporator surface at preselected intervals of time;
• means coupled to the outlet of said compressor and to said timing means for directing compressed refrigerant to said evaporator to thereby progressively warm said evaporator surface and release said slab of ice onto said secondary condenser cube cutting grid;
• whereby heat is transferred from said refrigerant conducting tubes of said cube cutting grid to said ice slab to thereby cut said ice slab into cubes;
• means coupled to said timing means for sensing the release of said slab of ice and operative to reset said timing means;
• and
• means for collecting and storing said ice cubes.