Ice-making machine
OwnerKenneth L. Wilkersoninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An ice-making machine comprises an evaporator structure submerged in suitable ice-forming liquid in a holding tank. The evaporator structure comprises a cylindrical single-tube evaporator disposed vertically on a support frame on the base of the tank and connected to refrigeration plant externally of the tank. A rotary scraper assembly having a scraper blade for scraping ice continuously off the outer cylindrical surface of the evaporator is mounted in the tank, so that the ice floats to the top of the liquid for pumped removal from the tank if required. The scraper assembly is rotated by a motor mounted above the tank. The evaporator and scraper structure form a unit which can be used in different liquid holding tanks.
Claims20
An evaporator structure for submersion in liquid in a holding tank for making ice from the liquid, the structure comprising an enclosed evaporator cell having a cylindrical outer wall, inlet and outlet means for the delivery of refrigerant into and out of the evaporator cell, respectively, means for connecting the inlet and outlet to refrigeration plant externally of the tank so as to provide a refrigeration circuit effective to form ice on said cylindrical wall when the structure is immersed in ice-forming liquid in the tank, a rotary scraper assembly associated with the evaporator cell including at least one elongate scraper blade for scraping ice from said cylindrical wall responsive to rotation of the scraper assembly, support means for supporting the evaporator cell and scraper assembly in the tank, and drive means for rotating the scraper assembly, wherein the support means comprises means for supporting the evaporator cell with its longitudinal axis vertically disposed in the holding tank, and wherein the scraper assembly comprises a cage-like assembly surrounding the evaporator cell with upper and lower end plates above and below the cell, respectively, and guide means for said scraper blade connected between the end plates, the guide means comprising sidewalls embracing the blade, an end wall, and spring means positioned between the end wall and an outer edge of the blade for urging an inner edge of the blade toward engagement with said cylindrical wall.
An ice-making machine comprising a liquid holding tank, an enclosed evaporator cell of a refrigeration circuit immersed in liquid in the tank, the cell having a vertical cylindrical wall for the formation of ice thereon, and an rotary scraper assembly supported in the tank for rotation about an axis substantially corresponding with the axis of said cylindrical wall, the scraper assembly including at least one elongate scraper blade for continuously scraping ice off of the outer surface of said cylindrical wall as it is formed responsive to rotation of the scraper assembly for flotation of the ice to the top of the liquid, wherein the evaporator cell is carried on an axial support tube which incorporates inlet and outlet refrigerant pipes for connecting the cell to refrigeration plant externally of the tank, the inlet pipe opening into the cell through a first hole in the tube, the tube having a second hole for discharging refrigerant from the cell into the outlet pipe, and the scraper assembly being journally supported on the tube externally of the evaporator cell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.