Icemaker
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged with Ice generator. (Discuss) Proposed since January 2010. |
An ice maker, ice generator,or ice machine may refer to either a consumer device for making ice, found inside a home freezer; a stand-alone appliance for making ice, or an industrial machine for making ice on a large scale. The term "ice machine" usually refers to the stand-alone appliance.
Freezer ice makers
Home ice makers are often found inside modern freezers and produce crescent-shaped or crushed ice. The crescent shape is created by the water being frozen in an ice tray that has crescent shaped divots.
Portable ice makers
Portable ice makers are units that can fit on a countertop. They are the fastest and smallest ice makers on the market. The ice produced by a portable ice maker is bullet shaped and has a cloudy, opaque appearance.[1] The first batch of ice can be made within 10 minutes of turning the appliance on and adding water. The water is pumped into a small tub with metal pegs immersed in the water. The pegs have a heating and cooling system inside that freeze the water around them and then heat up so the ice slips off the peg and into the storage bin.[2] Portable ice makers will not keep the ice from melting, but the appliance will recycle the water to make more ice.
Built-in/freestanding ice makers
Built-in ice makers are engineered to fit under a kitchen or bar counter, but they can be used as freestanding units. They produce crescent-shaped ice like the ice from a freezer ice maker. The ice is cloudy and opaque instead of clear, because the water is frozen faster than in clear cube ice makers. In the process, tiny air bubbles get trapped, causing the cloudy appearance of the ice.[3]
Industrial ice makers
Commercial ice cube makers improve the quality of ice by using moving water. The water is run down a surface that is constantly at 32 degrees F because only water without impurities will freeze at this temperature on a surface.[4] Water with impurities requires lower temperatures to freeze and will continue to wash down the surface and through the drain of a commercial ice maker. Air and undissolved solids will be washed away to such an extent that in horizontal evaporator machines the water has 98% of the solids removed resulting in very hard virtually pure, clear ice. In vertical evaporators the ice is softer, more so if there are actual individual cube cells. Commercial ice machines can make different sizes of ice like flakers, crushed, cube, octagon, and tube.
When the sheet of ice on the cold surface reaches the desired thickness, the sheet is slid down onto a grid of wires, where the sheet's weight causes it to be cut into the desired shapes, after which it falls into a storage bin.
History
John Gorrie was awarded US patent 8080 in 1851 for an ice machine. Alexander Twining received a patent in 1853 for an ice maker, US Patent 10221. James Harrison of Australia received a patent in 1855 for an ice maker.
References
- ^ "Ice Maker Buyer's Guide". LivingDirect.com. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
- ^ "What is a portable ice maker". Buzzle.com. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
- ^ "Ice Maker Buyer's Guide". LivingDirect.com. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
- ^ "Heterogeneous nucleation". BuildASnowGun.com. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
External links
- How to Buy an Energy-Efficient Commercial Ice Machine. Federal Energy Management Program. Accessed April 2, 2009.
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