Ice machine evaporator assemblies with improved heat transfer and method for making same
AssigneeScotsman Ice Systems
InventorsMatthew Allison, Casimer S. Sowa
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An evaporator assembly and method of making the assembly wherein a refrigerant flow path is created that covers a large area of the back of either one or two evaporator pans. The refrigerant conduit includes a plurality of elongated sections that are non-circular, for example, rectangular, in cross-section. The sections are sized and spaced so as that refrigerant flow therethrough covers substantially all of the backs of the evaporator pans. The sections are formed with either tubes or ridges. The evaporator assembly is made by using bonding processes and/or die casting processes.
Claims31
An evaporator assembly comprising:
- at least one evaporator pan including a first side with a structure that facilitates formation of ice cubes and a second side;
- a refrigerant conduit that is disposed in thermal contact with said second side of said evaporator pan and that comprises one or more sections;
- and
- a ridge structure that defines said refrigerant conduit sections, wherein said ridge structure comprises a plurality of ridges disposed in contact with said second side of said evaporator pan, wherein at least two of said ridges are spaced from and parallel to one another, wherein said ridges form opposed sides of at least one of said sections, and wherein an area between said ridges comprises another side of said one section.
A method for making an evaporator assembly comprising:
- forming an ice cube structure on a first side of at least one evaporator pan;
- and
- forming a refrigerant conduit on a second side of said evaporator pan, wherein said refrigerant conduit comprises a ridge structure that defines one or more sections that have a substantially rectangular cross-section.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.