Design considerations of a new freezer construction in the tubular ice machine by experimental study

Abstract

The need to improve the structure of components to create a new system compacter and cheaper, but still ensuring the system's consistent operation is always necessary and urgent. This study found the consistent of a new integrated freezer construction in the tubular ice machine by experimental study. The measuring instruments were been set for this air-cooled experimental model to validate the system stability when integrating the freezer, accumulator and heat exchanger into an integrated freezer. At a typical experiment 50 Hz inverter control, the R404a refrigerant used to evaporate at −15 °C, achieved the duration of total ice production cycle is around 29.5 min whereas the duration of ice production process takes around 24.5 min (rated 2.88 min/°C) and the defrost takes 5 min. The experimental coefficient of performance decreases from 1.77 to 1.51 and gets averagely 1.55 in the ice production process. From three others experimental results, coefficient of performance, the duration of ice production process, and saturation temperature of refrigerant in freezer change corresponding to the supplied power by inverter control for compressor.