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US 5,513,495 AGranted
Cooling system and method for producing ice to cool a liquid
AssigneeThermotech International Pty Ltd.
InventorsChristopher P. West, David B. Neuwen
Life of this patent
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AssigneeThermotech International Pty Ltd.
InventorsChristopher P. West, David B. Neuwen
Estimating the term…
A cooling system (10) which produces ice and then uses the energy stored in the ice to cool a liquid, the cooling system (10) having a supply of liquid in fluid communication with a cooling chamber (12), there being an ice producing means (24) located at least partially within the cooling chamber (12), the ice producing means (24) including a thermoelectric module (26) having a cold-side interface (28) and a hot-side interface (34), the cold-side interface (28) being in direct or indirect communication with liquid in the cooling chamber (12) and the hot-side interface (34) being located externally of the cooling chamber (12) and being connected to a hot-side heat sink (36) for the dissipation of heat generated thereby, and a power supply being connected to the thermoelectric module (26), wherein as heat is absorbed from the liquid by the cold-side interface (28), local freezing of the liquid immediately about the cold-side interface (28) occurs and ice is produced thereon.
A water cooler which produces ice and then uses the energy stored in the ice to cool drinking water, the water cooler having a supply of drinking water in fluid communication with a cooling chamber, there being an ice producing means located at least partially within the cooling chamber, the ice producing means including a thermoelectric module having a cold-side interface and a hot-side interface, the cold-side interface being in communication with water in the cooling chamber and the hot-side interface being located externally of the cooling chamber and being connected to a hot-side heat sink for the dissipation of heat generated thereby, the water cooler also including a power supply connected to the thermoelectric module, and a sensing means, wherein as heat is absorbed from the water by the cold-side interface, local freezing of the water immediately about the cold-side interface occurs and ice is produced thereon, the sensing means being capable of determining when ice of a predetermined dimension has been formed on the cold-side interface and controlling the power supply to interrupt cooling of the cold-side interface until the ice releases from the cold-side interface and is clear of the sensing means.
A cooling system which produces ice and then uses the energy stored in the ice to cool a liquid, the cooling system having a supply of liquid in fluid communication with a cooling chamber, there being an ice producing means located at least partially within the cooling chamber, the ice producing means including a thermoelectric module having a cold-side interface and a hot-side interface, the cold-side interface being in communication with liquid in the cooling chamber and the hot-side interface being located externally of the cooling chamber and being connected to a hot-side heat sink for the dissipation of heat generated thereby, the cooling system also including a power supply connected to the thermoelectric module, and a sensing means, wherein as heat is absorbed from the liquid by the cold-side interface, local freezing of the liquid immediately about the cold-side interface occurs and ice is produced thereon, the sensing means being capable of determining when ice of a predetermined dimension has been formed on the cold-side interface and controlling the power supply to interrupt cooling of the cold-side interface until the ice releases from the cold-side interface and is clear of the sensing means.
A method for cooling liquid, said method comprising producing ice on or in relation to the cold-side interface of a thermoelectric module, switching the power to the thermoelectric module off when the ice reaches a predetermined size thus allowing heat from the hot-side interface to transfer to the cold-side interface to melt a thin layer of ice adjacent thereto, allowing the ice to release from the cold-side interface and transfer into a cooling chamber filled with liquid to cool that liquid, the power to the thermoelectric module being switched on when the ice releases from the cold-side interface to produce more ice thereon, wherein a sensing means is provided to detect when the ice has reached the predetermined size and to switch the power to the module on and off.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.