Investigating the performance of ice slurry system and the growth of ice crystals using seawater

Abstract

This study investigates ice slurry systems, their transport characteristics, and seawater ice crystal formation through microscopy. Here, the salinity of seawater was set to vary between 10 and 30 ppt (part per thousand) and was used to form ice slurries. Pump flow rates were adjusted to be in between 5 and 30 L/min, while the scraper speed was set to vary at 350-550 RPM in positive correlation with the speed. It was discovered that ice slurries generated with a salinity of 10 ppt seawater had a significantly positive effect on ice production rate. Additionally, such ice slurries resulted in an intended reduction on the formation time of the ice slurries, while the flow and stirring rates were maintained between 10 to 15 L/min and 400 to 450 RPM, respectively. Additionally, the transport characteristics of the ice slurry were affected in terms of the increase in flow rate, salinity, and ice mass fraction. As an interesting threshold, the diameter of the ice crystals increased as storage time increased, and seawater concentration decreased, which was followed by agglomeration and the Ostwald ripening phenomenon. For cold storage applications, therefore, a low salinity of seawater (10-20 ppt) and 60 % ice mass fraction were recommended to deliver the best intended performance in an ice slurry system.