Mini-Ice Plant

EFFICIENCY PERFORMANCE AND PROCESSES

Introduction
The term ice plant is used in this note to mean a complete
installation for the production and storage of ice, including the icemaker
itself, that is the unit that converts water into ice together with the
associated refrigeration machinery, harvesting and storage equipment,
and the building.
Application of Mini-Ice Plant
1. Meat and Poultry Storage
2. Fish Storage
3. Milk Products such as Ice Cream
4. Drinks or beverages
5. “Ice Water” or water stored in a piece of plastic
which is sold at sari-sari stores in the Philippines
Classification
Ice plants are usually classified by the type of ice they
produce; hence there are block ice plants, flake ice plants, tube,
slice or plate ice plants and so on. Ice plants may be further
subdivided into those that make:

• Dry Ice
• Wet Ice
Types of Ice Maker
• Block ice
• Rapid Block Ice
• Flake Ice
• Tube Ice
• Plate Ice
Block Ice
Tapered rectangular metal cans filled with water are
immersed in a tank containing refrigerated sodium chloride brine.
The dimensions of the can and the temperature of the brine are
usually selected to give a 24 hour production time, and batches of
cans are emptied and refilled in sequence during that period. Ice
block weight can range from 12 to 150 kg depending on
requirements; 150 kg is regarded as the largest size of block one
man can conveniently handle.
Rapid Block Ice
It is possible to reduce the freezing time for blocks
considerably, and thus reduce the space required for the
icemaker. This is done by reducing the thickness of ice to be
frozen; in one type of rapid icemaker this is achieved by
passing refrigerant through tubes around which the ice forms
and fuses into a block.
Flake Ice
A sheet of ice 2-3 mm thick is
formed by spraying water on the surface of
a refrigerated drum, and scraping it off to
form dry sub cooled flakes, usually 100-
1000 mm2 in area. In some models the
drum rotates against a stationary scraper
on its outer surface; in others the scraper
rotates and removes ice from the inner wall
of a double walled stationary drum. In
some models the drum is horizontal, but
more usually it is mounted vertically. No
water is sprayed on that part of the drum
immediately before the scraper, so that the
ice becomes dry and sub cooled prior to
removal.
Tube Ice
Water is frozen on the
inner surface of vertical
refrigerated tubes to form hollow
cylinders of ice about 50 mm in
diameter and with walls 10-12
mm thick. The ice cylinders are
released by defrosting the tubes
automatically, and are chopped
into pieces about 50 mm long by
a rotating cutter as they slide out.
The cylindrical pieces can be sub
cooled by storing them at - 5°C,
but they may require further
crushing before being suitable for
some applications in the fish
industry.
Plate Ice
Water is frozen on one face of a vertical refrigerated
plate, and the sheet of ice is released by running warm water on
the other face of the plate. The size of ice particle is variable, but
the optimum thickness is 10-12 mm. The plates are usually
mounted in banks, often above the refrigeration machinery, to
form a self contained unit. Water for defrosting has to be heated if
its temperature is below 23°C. Like most other icemakers the
plate ice machine will operate unattended on an automatic timing
cycle.
Capacities of Ice Plant
Manufacturers usually quote a wide range of daily output for
specific icemaker units, because their capacity can be affected by a
number of factors, but this flexibility usually exists only at the planning
stage; once the icemaker has been matched to suitable refrigeration
machinery under given operating conditions, there is little scope for
changing the capacity of the installed unit. Changes in demand are best
catered for by reducing running time or by installing multiple units and
operating only as many as arc needed.
Components of Mini-Ice Plant
• Compressor
• Condenser
• Receiver
• Expansion Valve
• Evaporator
Compressor
A refrigerating compressor, as the name indicates, is a
machine used to compress the vapor refrigerant from the
evaporator and to raise its pressure so that the corresponding
saturation is higher than that of the cooling medium. It also
continually circulates the refrigerant through the refrigerating
system. Since the compression of refrigerant requires some work
to be done on it, therefore a compressor must be driven by some
prime mover.
Condenser
The condenser is an important device used in the high pressure side of a
refrigeration system. Its function is to remove heat of hot vapor refrigerant
discharge from the compressor. The hot vapor consists of the heat absorbed by the
evaporator and the heat of compression added by the mechanical energy of
compressor motor. The heat from the hot vapor refrigerant in a condenser is
removed first by transferring it to the walls of the condensers tubes and then from
the tubes to the condensing or cooling medium.
Receiver
A liquid receiver will be required if it is necessary
to temporarily store refrigerant charge within the system,
or to accommodate the excess refrigerant arising from
changing operating conditions. The total refrigerant
charge required in a circuit will vary with different
operating loads and ambient, and must be sufficient at all
times so that only liquid enters the expansion valve. A
receiver requires a minimum operating charge which
adds to overall charge and cost, and also increases
system complexity.
Expansion Valve
The expansion device (also known as metric device or
throttling device) is an important device that divides the high pressure
side and the low pressure side of a refrigerating system. It is
connected the receiver (containing liquid vapor at high pressure) and
the evaporator (containing liquid refrigerant at low pressure). The
expansion device performs the following functions like to reduce the
high pressure liquid refrigerant to low pressure liquid refrigerant
before being fed to the evaporator and to maintain the desire
pressure difference between the high and low pressure side of the
system, so that the liquid refrigerant vaporizes at the designed
pressure in the evaporator.
Evaporator
The evaporator is an important device used in the low
pressure side of the refrigeration system. The liquid refrigerant
from the expansion valve enters into the evaporator where its
boil and change into vapor. The function of the evaporator is to
absorb heat from the surrounding location or medium which is to
be cooled, by mean of a refrigerant. The temperature of the
boiling refrigerant in the evaporator must always be less than
that of the surrounding medium so that heat flows to the
refrigerant
Ice Plant Requirements
• Space
• Power
• Water
Space
Modern icemakers arc compact in comparison with block ice
equipment, but it is not always possible to compare directly the space
occupied by different types; for example they may not be available in
the same unit sizes. However some guidance on the space
requirements for ice makers with a nominal capacity of 50 tons a day is
given in;
type of ice floor area m2 height m

block 190 5·0

rapid block 30 3·5

tube 3·3 6·6

flake 2·7 3·7

Power
type of ice temperate area tropical area

flake 50-60 70-85

tube 40-50 55-70

block 40-50 55-70

Water
In addition to water for making ice, water may be
required for cooling, as in a refrigeration plant condenser, or
for heating, as in a warm water defrosting system. The amount
of water required for making ice is roughly equal to the amount
of ice being produced plus some allowance for wastage and
for prevention of build up of solids in the water circulating
system.
The Refrigeration System
Most modern icemakers are designed to work
unattended 24 hours a day with only routine inspection and
maintenance. The system is therefore designed for
reliability, with safeguards against failure or malfunction.
Most manufacturers recommend the refrigeration system
best suited to their icemakers, but where local installation
engineers propose a system, the purchaser should ensure
that the contractor is aware of the need for continuous
automatic running and for rapid repair after breakdown
Silo Storage
Silos are generally used only for free
flowing sub cooled ice, such as flake ice, and an
independent refrigeration system for the silo is
essential to keep the ice sub-cooled in storage
Performance Test of the Mini-Ice Plant

Usually the objectives of a performance test of a mini ice plant are as follows:

• To carry out actual ice formation test

• To calculate the actual C.O.P of the system
• To calculate the theoretical C.O.P
Pull Down Test
Refrigeration is the process of removing heat from where it
is not wanted. Heat is removed from food to preserve its quantity and
flavour. It is removed from room air to establish human comfort.
Therefore, as heat is removed, a space or material becomes colder.
The more heat is removed, the colder it becomes.
Procedures
• Put the machine in the proper position where its level is horizontal and it is well
ventilated. The machine must have at least 1.5 meters clearances from all sides.
• Give 230 volts, 50Hz, and 1 phase supply to the unit.
• Fill tank with brine solution of propylene glycol with approx. 20% and mix it
thoroughly with water in tank (supplied).
• Start the compressor by putting the switch ON.
• Check suction and discharge pressures, check the energy-meter reading.
• Allow the unit to run until the temperature of the brine reaches -4 to -5 C.
• Record all data time for every change in value as appropriate and the
corresponding pressure reading.
• Using the available table for R134a, take the corresponding enthalpy for every
increase in pressure. Interpolate as possible.
• Calculate the coefficient of performance (COP).
• Make a graph between the time and COP.
• Compute the data needed by the tables.
Apparatus
• Mini Ice Plant and its accessories
• Beaker
• Digital Thermometer
• KW-Hour meter
• Low - side pressure gauge
• High - side pressure gauge
The End