Quiet ice making apparatus
View Patent ↗An ice cube-making machine that is characterized by noiseless operation at the location where ice cubes are dispensed and be lightweight packages for ease of installation. The ice cube-making machine has an evaporator package, a separate compressor package and a separate condenser package. Each of these packages has a weight that can generally by handled by one or two installers for ease of installation. The noisy compressor and condenser packages can be located remotely of the evaporator package. The maximum height distance between the evaporator package and the condenser package is greatly enhanced by the three package system. A pressure regulator operates during a harvest cycle to limit flow of refrigerant leaving the evaporator, thereby increasing pressure and temperature of the refrigerant in the evaporator and assisting in defrost thereof.
1. A method of operating an ice-making machine that includes an evaporator, a compressor and a condenser, said method comprising:
(a) providing refrigerant substantially in liquid phase to said evaporator of said ice-making machine during a freeze cycle;
(b) providing refrigerant substantially in vapor phase to said evaporator during a harvest cycle;
(c) reducing flow of said refrigerant during said harvest cycle from said evaporator to said compressor of said ice-making machine without stopping said flow, as compared to the flow during said freeze cycle, whereby the pressure and temperature of said refrigerant increases in said evaporator to thereby assist in the defrost of said evaporator, wherein reducing flow of said refrigerant during said harvest cycle comprises directing said refrigerant through a pressure regulator connected in circuit with said evaporator and said compressor; and,
(d) operating a receiver connected in circuit with said compressor, said condenser and said evaporator during said freeze cycle to provide said refrigerant from said receiver to said evaporator via a supply line, and selectively either operating said receiver during said harvest cycle to provide said refrigerant from said receiver to said evaporator via a vapor line which bypasses said condenser or preventing operation of said receiver during said harvest cycle to provide refrigerant from said compressor to said evaporator such that said refrigerant bypasses said receiver and said condenser.
2. A method of operating an ice-making machine that includes an evaporator, a compressor and a condenser, said method comprising:
(a) providing refrigerant substantially in liquid phase to said evaporator of said ice-making machine during a freeze cycle;
(b) providing refrigerant substantially in vapor phase to said evaporator during a harvest cycle;
(c) reducing flow of said refrigerant during said harvest cycle from said evaporator to said compressor of said ice-making machine without stopping said flow, as compared to the flow during said freeze cycle, whereby the pressure and temperature of said refrigerant increases in said evaporator to thereby assist in the defrost of said evaporator, wherein reducing flow of said refrigerant during said harvest cycle comprises directing said refrigerant through a pressure regulator connected in circuit with said evaporator and said compressor; and
(d) operating a receiver connected in circuit with said compressor, said condenser and said evaporator during said freeze cycle to provide said refrigerant from said receiver to said evaporator via a supply line, and selectively either operating said receiver during said harvest cycle to provide said refrigerant from said receiver to said evaporator via a vapor line which bypasses said condenser or preventing operation of said receiver during said harvest cycle to provide refrigerant from said compressor to said evaporator such that said refrigerant bypasses said receiver and said condenser, wherein during said harvest cycle either a bypass valve directs refrigerant from said compressor to said evaporator by bypassing said receiver or a head pressure valve directs refrigerant from said compressor to said evaporator through said receiver.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising activating said bypass valve during said harvest cycle by actuation of a pressure switch operably connected to said bypass valve.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein actuation of said pressure switch is by a controller operably connected to said pressure switch.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said evaporator is in an evaporator unit, said compressor is in a compressor unit and said condenser is in a condenser unit, and wherein said evaporator unit, said compressor unit and said condenser unit are located remotely from each other.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said evaporator is in an evaporator unit, said compressor is in a compressor unit and said condenser is in a condenser unit, and wherein said evaporator unit is located remotely from said compressor and condenser units.
7. A method of operating an ice-making machine that includes an evaporator, a compressor and a condenser, said method comprising:
(a) providing refrigerant substantially in liquid phase to said evaporator of said ice-making machine during a freeze cycle;
(b) providing refrigerant substantially in vapor phase to said evaporator during a harvest cycle;
(c) reducing flow of said refrigerant during said harvest cycle from said evaporator to said compressor of said ice-making machine without stopping said flow, as compared to the flow during said freeze cycle, whereby the pressure and temperature of said refrigerant increases in said evaporator to thereby assist in the defrost of said evaporator, wherein reducing flow of said refrigerant during said harvest cycle comprises directing said refrigerant through a pressure regulator connected in circuit with said evaporator and said compressor;
(d) operating a receiver connected in circuit with said compressor, said condenser and said evaporator during said freeze cycle to provide said refrigerant from said receiver to said evaporator via a supply line, and selectively either operating said receiver during said harvest cycle to provide said refrigerant from said receiver to said evaporator via a vapor line which bypasses said condenser or preventing operation of said receiver during said harvest cycle to provide refrigerant from said compressor to said evaporator such that said refrigerant bypasses said receiver and said condenser; and
(e) providing refrigerant to an accumulator connected in circuit with said evaporator and said compressor.
8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising providing a heat exchanger in thermal relationship to an output line of said accumulator.
9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising providing a heat exchanger in thermal relationship with refrigerant inside of said accumulator.