Working Principle of Tube Ice Machine

The ice part of the tube ice machine is an evaporator, and the evaporator is composed of many vertical parallel steel pipes. The deflector at the top of the evaporator sprinkles water evenly into each steel pipe in a spiral manner. The excess water is collected by the bottom water tank and pumped back to the evaporator by the water pump. There is refrigerant flowing in the outer space of the steel pipe and heat exchange with the water in the pipe, and the water in the shut is gradually cooled down into the ice.

When the thickness of the tube ice reaches the desired value, the water automatically stops flowing. The hot refrigerant gas will enter the evaporator to melt the tube ice and fall off. When the tube ice falls, the ice cutting mechanism operates to cut the tube ice into a set size. Tube Ice Machine occupies not much space and its small body would flash out huge power, it has some good characters such as fast work efficiency and easy operation steps, it suits fishing, the food industry, the trail-way, etc. Then you may wonder what the ‘magic’ hide in the tiny machine, today I will let you know how does it work.

Working Principle of Tube Ice Machine

It has a core evaporator which is a heat change chamber, as the pump keeps delivering water to the heat change chamber, the heat exchanger tube flows with the refrigerating water continuously sent by the circulating water pump. The space outside the tube wall and in the shell is filled with low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant ammonia. The ammonia liquid passes through the liquid-repellent valve from the ammonia separator from the heat exchanger. Inflow from the bottom, the vaporized ammonia vapor is introduced into the ammonia liquid separator through the solenoid valve on the top of the heat exchanger.

The water in the tube freezes when it is cold, and the unfrozen water flows into the lower water tank to continue to circulate. When the ice freezes to a certain thickness, The water pump stops working, the water in the upper water tank of the generator flows into the lower water tank, and the ice is supercooled by the desiccant. The deicing process of the generator is realized by heating with the hot ammonia vapor discharged from the compressor. First, close the main solenoid valve and pressurize it through the solenoid valve on the top of the heat exchanger. The ammonia liquid passes through the lyophobic valve and is pressed back to the ammonia liquid separator.

After the ammonia is drained, the lyophobic valve is automatically closed, and then hot ammonia gas is introduced from the bottom of the heat exchanger to heat the entire heat exchanger. The ice that was originally trapped in the tube is heated and slides down, and it is closely attached to the ice cutter at the bottom of the heat exchanger. Cut into small pieces and fall into the ice basket below. The ice basket and ice skates are connected together to rotate synchronously, and the ice segment is thrown out of the generator from the ice outlet. After the deicing is completed, the ice skates and ice basket stop rotating, and the ice-making water pump restarts. After the generator is pre-cooled, the electromagnetic main valve is opened, and the ice-making cycle restarts.

Advantages Of Tube Ice Plant Over Flake Ice & Block Ice Plant

• Highly efficient consumes less power.
• Lesser space is required for production.
• Ice Produced in batches of 20-25 minutes.
• Minimum Maintenance and does not require any replacement parts for a long period.
• Investment is lower than Block Ice Plant.
• Easy delivery through screw conveyors.
• Can be sold in any packed quantity for any use.

Applications of Tube Ice Machines Best For:

• Sea Food Processors
• Hotel
• Bars
• Restaurants
• Fishing Industry
• Concrete / Cement Mixing Plants
• Air Lines
• Flight Kitchens
• Meat Processing Plants
• Poultry Packers
• Dairy Plants
• Bakeries
• Chemical Industry
• Catering Services