Devices for Producing Clear ICE Products

This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/343,028, filed on May 17, 2022, and the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/384,595, filed on Nov. 21, 2022, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties.

All publications and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety, as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference in its entirety.

This disclosure relates generally to the field of ice manufacturing, and more specifically to the field of clear ice manufacturing. Described herein are devices and methods for producing clear ice.

From the end of the prohibition era to modern day, craft cocktails are a mainstay in most restaurants and bars. To enhance the overall experience, some restaurants and bars add garnishes and/or specialty ice to the cocktails. Currently, these restaurants and bars buy large blocks of ice that are then cut down in-house to the appropriate size for each drink. Some companies in the space claim to produce clear ice using directional freezing, but the clarity of the ice and scalability of the technology are questionable with many techniques often requiring the use of dangerous saws to cut down larger blocks of ice. Further, issues with standard ice machines include cracking, trapped air bubbles, and water impurities resulting in ice that lacks the desired appeal and appearance.

Ice can crack under a variety of circumstances experienced during or after a freezing process. Sometimes, during the freezing process, when the exterior of the ice freezes first and then further cools during subsequent freezing, interior tension in the ice is created. This interior tension causes cracking of the ice when it exceeds a particular threshold (e.g., about 1 MPa). Unclear ice may result from super cooling. Water crystallizes around nucleation sites. The ice then grows from this point forming a near perfect lattice structure, given the proper environment. For example, some ice machines slightly super cool the water before freezing. This causes smaller, faster crystallization, which can lead to uneven pressure and greater cloudiness. Lastly, impurities in the water used for freezing can create unclear ice. While impurities play a role in the imperfections in ice, they often aren't the main culprit. Filtered water has on average 30 ppm impurities.

In other cases, some ice machines create cloudy ice because the water contains dissolved air, whereas clear ice contains almost none. During the freezing process, as water turns to ice, and the remaining water reaches saturation level for dissolved gases, the dissolved gas comes out of solution. The gas bubbles stick to the ice-water interface due to surface adhesion. If these gas bubbles do not get released, they become frozen into the ice, resulting in optical imperfections which affect the straight passage of light (i.e., “cloudiness”).

Taken together, improper ice freezing techniques and equipment result in less-than-ideal ice for the booming craft cocktail industry. Thus, there is a need for new and useful devices and methods for creating clear ice.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a device for making clear ice including: at least one housing containing: a cooling source and a plurality of elongate troughs concentrically arranged around the cooling source and in parallel to the cooling source; at least one fluid intake disposed to provide a flow of fluid into each of the plurality of elongate troughs; and at least one drain disposed to drain fluid from each of the plurality of elongate troughs; wherein at least a portion of each of the plurality of elongate troughs is in thermal communication with the cooling source; wherein the at least one fluid intake and the at least one drain are configured to provide a substantially constant flow of fluid to the plurality of elongate troughs during a freezing operation of the device; wherein the cooling source is a pressurized cooling cavity configured to control temperature for forming ice within the plurality of elongate troughs, the cooling cavity being coupled to a coolant intake valve for receiving coolant and coupled to at least one coolant outtake valve disposed to remove the coolant from the cooling cavity.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a device, wherein the cooling cavity includes an inner cavity and an outer cavity. In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a device, wherein the cooling cavity is configured to: receive the coolant through the inner cavity of the cooling cavity at the coolant intake valve, the coolant intake valve being located adjacent a first end of the housing and coupled to the inner cavity; and remove the coolant through the outer cavity of the cooling cavity at the coolant outtake valve, the coolant outtake valve being located adjacent the coolant intake valve at the first end of the housing and coupled to the outer cavity.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a device, wherein the inner cavity includes an elongate cylinder having an inner tube in thermal communication with the outer cavity, the outer cavity having an outer tube in thermal communication with at least one wall of each of the plurality of elongate troughs.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a device, wherein a flow of coolant during a freeze operation is provided in a first direction through the inner cavity of the cooling cavity and in a second direction through the outer cavity of the cooling cavity, the first direction being opposite the second direction.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a device, wherein the at least one fluid intake includes a fluid intake manifold that defines an intake manifold cavity that is fluidly connected to the plurality of elongate troughs through a fluid entry portal corresponding to each elongate trough. In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a device, wherein the fluid entry portal corresponding to each elongate trough includes a porous flow straightener configured to direct a flow of fluid into a respective elongate trough in the plurality of elongate troughs.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a device, further including a detachably coupled end plate for removing a plurality of clear ice structures from the plurality of elongate troughs after a freezing operation. In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a device, wherein the at least one housing further contains a plurality of elongate apertures between each of the plurality of elongate troughs, wherein each of the plurality of elongate apertures is blocked by a flow blocking cap to prevent fluid from entering the respective elongate apertures.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a device, wherein each of the plurality of elongate troughs include a base wall, a first side wall, and a second side wall defining a respective elongate trough such that a cross-section of the respective elongate trough has a tapered U-shape defined by the first side wall having an interior angle greater than or equal to about 0 degrees and less than or equal to about 15 degrees from upright.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a device, wherein the substantially constant flow of fluid is provided at a velocity of at least about 0.09 m/s through each of the plurality of elongate troughs. In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a device for making clear ice including: at least one housing containing: a cooling cavity defining an inner cavity and an outer cavity, wherein the inner cavity includes an elongate cylinder having an inner tube in thermal communication with the outer cavity, a plurality of elongate troughs concentrically arranged around the cooling cavity and in parallel to the cooling cavity; at least one fluid intake disposed to provide a flow of fluid into each of the plurality of elongate troughs; and at least one drain disposed to drain fluid from each of the plurality of elongate troughs, wherein the outer cavity includes an outer tube in thermal communication with at least one wall of each of the plurality of elongate troughs.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a device, wherein the at least one fluid intake and the at least one drain are configured to provide a substantially constant flow of fluid to the plurality of elongate troughs during a freezing operation of the device.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a device, wherein the cooling cavity is pressurized and configured to control temperature for forming ice within the plurality of elongate troughs, the cooling cavity being coupled to a coolant intake valve for receiving coolant and coupled to at least one coolant outtake valve disposed to remove the coolant from the cooling cavity.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a device, wherein a flow of coolant during a freeze operation is provided in a first direction through the inner cavity of the cooling cavity and in a second direction through the outer cavity of the cooling cavity, the first direction being opposite the second direction.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a device, wherein the at least one fluid intake includes a fluid intake manifold that defines an intake manifold cavity that is fluidly connected to the plurality of elongate troughs through a fluid entry portal corresponding to each elongate trough.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a device, further including a detachably coupled end plate for removing a plurality of clear ice structures from the plurality of elongate troughs after a freezing operation.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method for making clear ice, the method including: providing at least one housing containing: a cooling cavity; and a plurality of elongate troughs concentrically arranged around the cooling cavity and substantially parallel to the cooling cavity along a longitudinal axis, wherein at least a portion of each of the plurality of elongate troughs is in thermal communication with the cooling cavity; receiving a substantially constant flow of fluid to the plurality of elongate troughs during a freezing operation associated with the housing; receiving a substantially constant flow of coolant through a first portion of the cooling cavity at a coolant intake valve, the coolant intake valve being located adjacent a first end of the housing and coupled to the first portion; removing the coolant through a second portion of the cooling cavity at a coolant outtake valve, the coolant outtake valve being located adjacent the coolant intake valve at the first end of the housing and coupled to the second portion; and ejecting the clear ice from the housing upon completion of the freezing operation associated with the housing

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein the first portion includes an elongate cylinder having an inner tube in thermal communication with the second portion, the second portion having an outer tube in thermal communication with at least one wall of each of the plurality of elongate troughs.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein the substantially constant flow of coolant during the freezing operation is provided in a first direction through the first portion of the cooling cavity and in a second direction through the second portion of the cooling cavity, the first direction being opposite the second direction.

Implementations of the described techniques may include hardware, a method or process, or computer software on a computer-accessible medium. The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

The illustrated embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the disclosure. The schematics are drawn to illustrate features and concepts and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

It is an object of the present disclosure to describe devices, systems, and methods for producing clear ice. For example, the devices, systems and methods described herein may be configured to produce clear ice in a variety of shapes. Each of the devices and/or assemblies described herein may be used to produce clear ice in any circumstance in which transparent ice is desired, such as for consumption in cocktails and other beverages but can additionally or alternatively be used for any suitable applications where a liquid material is frozen.

Disclosed herein are devices and methods for making clear ice. In particular, the disclosure herein provides for devices and methods allowing for the expedited production of clear ice having an improved quality over conventional apparatuses and methods. In some embodiments, the devices and methods disclosed herein are adapted for the freezing of water into clear ice; however, one of skill in the art will appreciate how these devices and methods can be adapted to allow for the freezing of other liquids (e.g., ethanol, etc.) in situations where the removal of air bubbles and dissolved impurities is desired.

As used herein, the terms “fluid” and “liquid” will be used interchangeably to refer to the material being flowed through the device and being frozen into comestibles. In some embodiments, the term “water” will be frequently used also; however, this use of the term “water” should not be considered limiting for the reasons stated herein. For similar reasons, the use of the term “ice” to refer to the chosen liquid when frozen should also not be considered limiting either.

In some embodiments, the ice produced (e.g., made, created, manufactured, generated etc.) by the systems and devices described herein may have one or more of the following characteristics: clear, relatively free of impurities, relatively free of gas bubbles, relatively free of dissolved gasses, and/or cracking, may or may not have inclusions (e.g., flowers, liquor, food, etc.), etc. Such characteristics shall not be viewed as limiting in any way.

In some embodiments, water or liquid used to make the clear ice may be de-aerated (e.g., gas sweeps, via vacuum, etc.), degassed, purified (e.g., sediment filtered, activated carbon block filtered, granular activated carbon filtered, reverse osmosis filtered, distilled, passed over an ion exchange column, treated with ultraviolet light, ultrafiltered, activated alumina filtered, ionized, etc.), or otherwise treated before being used to make clear ice. The water or liquid may be from a private well, a municipality, groundwater source, reservoir, etc.

The devices and/or assemblies described herein are configured to produce clear ice using a closed, pressurized environment. For example, the devices and/or assemblies described herein include at least one closed and pressurized elongate structure (e.g., a housing, a tube, a pipe, or other elongated reservoir) adapted to receive water or other fluid therein and/or therethrough. The elongate structure may be configured to also receive coolant therethrough in a portion separate from the water or fluid receiving portion of the elongate structure. For example, the devices described herein allow for water (or other fluid) to flow along one or more elongate troughs (e.g., flumes, ice molds, etc.) within the elongate structure, where each of the troughs are cooled on two or more sides (via conduction of heat through the trough sides/side walls) to form clear ice. The elongate troughs may be arranged around a central core (e.g., a cooling cavity) to allow each trough to be inserted into an insulated housing. In some embodiments, the troughs may be inserted into the elongate structure as a single component having multiple troughs formed within the single component. In some embodiments, the troughs may be combined with the central core in a single combined component such that the cooling cavity (e.g., central core) and the troughs are formed as the single combined component having multiple troughs surrounding the cooling cavity. The entire combined component may be inserted into the elongate structure (e.g., a housing, a tube, a pipe, or other elongated reservoir). As used herein, the terms “elongate trough”, “trough” and “flume” are considered synonymous and can be used interchangeably throughout this disclosure.

The devices, and/or assemblies described herein may be configured to allow water or other fluid to flow along the pressurized elongate structure while portions of the structure are cooled or supercooled. The elongate structure may be adapted to have two or more elongate troughs within the structure. Each trough may be arranged around the cooling cavity (e.g., central core) through which cooling fluid may flow. Described broadly for many embodiments, the device generally provides one or more elongate troughs (e.g., flumes) configured in thermal communication with at least one reservoir (e.g., cooling line, cooling pipe, cooling tube, cooling cavity, etc.) of circulating coolant. The circulating coolant may be pressurized within a tube, pipe, or other reservoir of the elongate structure. In some embodiments, the coolant may flow through a portion of the device and/or assemblies described herein at a relatively constant flow and pressure to maintain a particular cooling rate and/or temperature, for example, and to consistently continue to cool structures adjacent to a cooling portion of the elongate structure. In some embodiments, additional cooling may be applied to the troughs described herein via one or more additional cooling apparatuses (e.g., cooling plates, cooling elements, etc.).

For each elongate trough within the devices described herein, a flow of fluid (e.g., water) is provided down at least a portion of the length of each trough during a freezing operation of the device and/or assembly. The freezing operation includes at least one cooling cavity receiving coolant therethrough when the cooling cavity is in thermal communication with at least a portion of each trough. During the freezing operation, clear ice forms on one or more surface walls of the trough(s), growing in thickness and filling up to a certain thickness in the elongate trough(s), according to various predetermined parameters described herein. In some embodiments, the speed of water (as either laminar or turbulent flow) through the elongate trough can be varied to configure the devices and/or assemblies described herein to form clear ice at a particular rate and/or clarity. In general, the flow of the fluid may be configured to drive out air bubbles from an ice forming surface within the elongate trough.

Once an ingot of ice has been generated within a particular elongate trough, the freezing operation can be stopped, allowing for collection of the ice ingot. In some embodiments, a heating process may occur before collection of the ice ingot. The heating process may function to melt a portion of one or more outer walls of the ice ingot to assist in removal of the ice ingot. The generated ice ingot can be subsequently modified to produce a variety of aesthetically pleasing comestibles.

In some embodiments, the devices, housings, and/or assemblies described herein may be seated substantially horizontally (e.g., from about −15 degrees to about 15 degrees from a parallel to a horizontal surface, such as a floor). Such substantially horizontal seating of the devices, housings, and/or assemblies may provide an advantage of an ease of removal of the ice ingots to a conveyer for future processing, for example.

In some embodiments, the devices and methods described herein can generate clear ice at a speed of at least about 7 mm/hr to about 26 mm/hr measured as linear height of accumulated clear ice on any given point of a surface wall of an elongate trough per unit time. Furthermore, in the devices and methods described herein, ice grows in multiple directions, thereby effectively halving the thickness of ice through which heat flows to generate new ice. This provides a dramatic advantage in speed over conventional ice generating technologies that can typically grow ice in a single direction.

In general, the devices and/or assemblies described herein may be mounted on a wall, attached to a support structure, or installed within an assembly with other similar devices. In some embodiments, the devices and/or assemblies described herein may be configured to be coupled to one or more water (or other fluid) supply lines. In some embodiments, the devices and/or assemblies described herein may be configured to be coupled to one or more coolant fluid lines. In some embodiments, the devices and/or assemblies described herein may be configured to function with one or more automated devices to remove (e.g., harvest) elongate ice ingots upon completion of formation.

The devices and/or assemblies described herein solve a technical problem of foreign body inclusions that may occur in conventional open trough ice generation systems. The technical solution to the technical problem includes enclosing the trough on all sides to ensure that foreign body inclusions cannot occur during ice formation.

The devices and/or assemblies described herein solve a further technical problem of receiving fluid flow from a recirculating water pump without causing undue pressure on the water pump. For example, conventional systems that use troughs for ice generation may find it challenging to return water to a recirculation water pump to attain a flow rate high enough to produce clear ice without inclusions and/or internal defects. Further, as the ice forms in the troughs, the suction pressure is even further restricted as the outlet manifold openings are restricted. In this way it becomes even more challenging to finish up ice generation cycles successfully. The devices and/or assemblies described herein solve the technical problem of undue pressure on the water pump by utilizing an ice making system that is fully pressurized to eliminate the pressures by maintaining the pressure through an outlet of the trough(s) back to the suction of the water pump. In this way, the systems and/or assemblies described herein may function to reduce the pump size and electrical energy utilized by the system. In addition, the devices and/or assemblies described herein may be used with methods of purging of the system to ensure that all voids are fully flooded and to maintain a constant water level above the ice, thereby improving consistency in ice formation.

illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of a devicefor making clear ice. As shown, the deviceincludes a housing(e.g., a pipe) that encloses at least one internal cooling cavity(). The cooling cavitymay be aligned along a longitudinal axis (L) and may be defined within a center portion within the housing. The cooling cavityis connected to a coolant inlet(e.g., a coolant intake valve and/or associated fluid lines) and a coolant outlet(e.g., a coolant outtake valve and/or associated fluid lines), both located adjacent to a distal endof the device. The cooling cavitymay span the length of the housing. The coolant inletmay receive coolant from a coolant source (e.g., a chiller, freezer, refrigerator, and the like) and may push pressurized coolant through the cooling cavity. The devicealso includes a coolant outletthat recirculates coolant back to the coolant source (e.g., a chiller, freezer, refrigerator, and the like). For example, coolant inletlines and coolant outletlines connect the internal cooling cavities (not shown) to a coolant supply (not shown) that chills and circulates coolant through the deviceduring a freezing operation. As discussed herein, various coolants can be employed, including, but not limited to, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, and brine. In some embodiments, the coolant supply and/or mechanical components of the coolant inletlines and coolant outletlines can regulate at least one of coolant temperature and flow rate into the plurality of internal cooling cavities either individually or collectively. In some embodiments, the internal cooling cavities can be replaced by other cooling sources, such as cold plates, condensers, evaporators, etc.

The devicefurther includes a fluid inlet(e.g., fluid inlet valve and/or associated fluid lines) located adjacent to a proximal endof the device. However, in some embodiments, the fluid inletcan be located adjacent to the distal endThe fluid inletmay receive water that originates from a water pump (not shown) connected to the fluid inlet. Upon entering the fluid inlet, the water may flow through one or more troughs (not shown) within the housingand through to the fluid outlet(e.g., fluid outlet valve, drain, and/or associated fluid lines) located on an offset pipe. The offset pipemay be coupled to an exterior portion of the housingand offset about one foot to about two feet from the distal endof the device. The offset pipeis shown installed at about a 90-degree angle to the coolant inlet. In some embodiments, the offset pipemay be installed at other angles (e.g., about 30 degrees to about 100 degrees; about 45 degrees to about 90 degrees, etc.) to direct the flow of water away from the device. In some embodiments, the fluid outletmay be on a distal end

The water may flow from the fluid outletto a recycle area or reservoir or alternatively, may flow back to the water pump (not shown). An end plateis coupled to at least a portion of the fluid inlet. The end platemay be removably coupled to the housing. For example, the end platemay be coupled to the housingwhen the deviceis generating ice ingots. Upon completion of a freezing process, the end platemay be removed to allow for removal of the ice ingots.

In some embodiments, the devicemay further include any number of pressure regulating valves (e.g., pressure relief valves) to relieve water pressure, coolant pressure, air pressure, and the like during heating and/or cooling of the housing. The pressure regulating valves may function to maintain a pressure of the cooling system.

When deviceis in use (or upon installation of device), the devicemay be tilted to raise the distal endabove the proximal endFor example, the device(e.g., including housing) may be tilted at an angle of about one degree to about fifteen degrees from a horizontal surface (e.g., the floor). The tilt may assist in removal of the elongate ice structures upon completion of a freezing process and in purging air from the system.

An example length of the elongate structures (e.g., housing) described herein may be about 0.3 meters (about 3 feet) to about 3.7 meters (about 12 feet) based on a length of each trough inserted within the housing, for example. In some embodiments, the length of the housingmay be about 3 meters (e.g., about 10 feet) to about 3.4 meters (about 11 feet). In some embodiments, the length of the housingmay be about 3.2 meters (about 10.5 feet) to about 3.5 meters (about 11.5 feet). Each trough installed within the housingmay be about 1 percent to about 5 percent shorter than the respective housingto ensure the troughs may fit within the housing.

An example diameter of the elongate structures (e.g., housing) described herein may be about 20.3 centimeters (about 8 inches) to about 50.8 centimeters (about 20 inches). In some embodiments, the diameter of housingmay be about 20.3 centimeters (about 8 inches) to about 25.4 centimeters (about 10 inches). In some embodiments, the diameter of housingmay be about 22.9 centimeters (about 9 inches) to about 27.9 centimeters (about 11 inches). In some embodiments, the diameter of housingmay be about 25.4 centimeters (about 10 inches) to about 30.5 centimeters (about 12 inches). In some embodiments, the diameter of housingmay be about 27.9 centimeters (about 11 inches) to about 33 centimeters (about 13 inches). In some embodiments, the diameter of housingmay be about 30.5 centimeters (about 12 inches) to about 35.6 centimeters (about 14 inches). In some embodiments, the diameter of housingmay be about 33 centimeters (about 13 inches) to about 38.1 centimeters (about 15 inches). In some embodiments, the diameter of housingmay be about 35.6 (about 14 inches) to about 40.6 centimeters (about 16 inches). In some embodiments, the diameter of housingmay be about 38.1 centimeters (about 15 inches) to about 43.2 centimeters (about 17 inches). In some embodiments, the diameter of housingmay be about 40.6 centimeters (about 16 inches) to about 45.7 centimeters (about 18 inches). In some embodiments, the diameter of housingmay be about 43.2 centimeters (about 17 inches) to about 48.3 centimeters (about 19 inches). In some embodiments, the diameter of housingmay be about 45.7 centimeters (about 18 inches) to about 50.8 centimeters (about 20 inches).

Each trough (e.g., ice mold cavity) within the elongate structures (e.g., housing) described herein may have a width of about 3.6 centimeters (about 1.4 inches) to about 8.6 centimeters (about 3.4 inches). In some embodiments, each trough may have a width of about 3.6 centimeters (about 1.4 inches) to about 6.1 centimeters (about 2.4 inches). In some embodiments, each trough may have a width of about 5.1 centimeters (about 2 inches) to about 7.6 centimeters (about 3 inches).

Each trough (e.g., ice mold cavity) within the elongate structures (e.g., housing) described herein may have a height of about 3.6 centimeters (about 1.4 inches) to about 12.7 centimeters (about 5 inches). In some embodiments, each trough may have a height of about 3.6 centimeters (about 1.4 inches) to about 7.6 centimeters (about 3 inches). In some embodiments, each trough may have a height of about 7.6 centimeters (about 3 inches) to about 12.7 centimeters (about 5 inches). Each ice structure formed in a trough may be formed to a depth that utilizes a portion of or all the available height of the respective trough.

The troughs may generate ice structures that span a portion of the length and width of the troughs. For example, the troughs (e.g., troughs,,, etc.) may span about 90 percent of the length of the deviceand may produce elongate ice structures that are within a tolerance of about 0.16 centimeters (about 0.063 inches) of the length of the trough. This tolerance measurement may be defined based on a heating process applied to release the frozen elongate ice structures from the trough. Side walls of each trough may be vertical or may have a slope of about 5 degrees to about 10 degrees from a defined vertical that bisects the trough and extends from a center of the cooling cavity to the perimeter of the elongate structure. (See cross-sectional view and vertical (r) in)

Although the elongate structures described herein (e.g., housing) are shown as tubular structures with a cylinder shape, other shapes are of course possible. For example, the elongate structures described herein may alternatively have a cross-section that is shaped as a square, a triangle, a hexagon, an octagon (or other polygon), an ellipse, and the like.