Vertical ice maker with microchannel evaporator

摘要

A clear ice making assembly and method utilizes a housing having an upper fluid chamber, a plurality of distinct, substantially vertical fluid channels, and at least one fluid outlet aperture in fluid communication with a bottom fluid chamber. During an ice making event, portions of an ice forming evaporator extending through the housing are exposed to water flowing into the fluid channels from the upper fluid chamber. The ice forming evaporator is formed with microchannels through which refrigerant flows such that water flowing across the fluid channels freezes on the exposed portions of the ice forming evaporator over time, forming clear ice pieces. In a harvesting operation, the ice pieces are released from the ice forming evaporator and transferred for storage and/or dispensing.

主权项

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet including a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment; a refrigerant recirculation system; and a clear ice making assembly comprising:
an ice maker housing including a fluid channeling portion having an upper fluid chamber and a fluid recycling portion having a bottom fluid chamber, a plurality of spaced, substantially vertical fluid channels and a plurality of divider walls separating the fluid channels, with each of the plurality of fluid channels including a fluid inlet aperture in communication with the upper fluid chamber, a back wall exposed to the fluid inlet aperture and defining an ice-forming region, and a fluid outlet aperture in communication with the bottom fluid chamber;a fluid inlet adapted to supply fluid to the upper fluid chamber; anda microchannel member sandwiched between the fluid channeling portion and the fluid recycling portion while abutting the back wall of each of the plurality of fluid channels, said microchannel member including a plurality of longitudinally extending microchannels in communication with the refrigerant recirculation system through inlet and outlet lines, the microchannel member being enclosed by said ice maker housing such that the microchannel member extends across each of the plurality of fluid channels, wherein the fluid from the upper fluid chamber flows through the fluid inlet aperture of each of the plurality of fluid channels, with a portion of the fluid being frozen at a respective said ice-forming region in creating a piece of ice, while a remainder of the fluid drains into the bottom fluid chamber through the fluid outlet aperture;wherein the fluid channeling portion has a rear face, the fluid recycling portion has a front face and the microchannel member is located between the rear face of the fluid channeling portion and the front face of the fluid recycling portion, with the microchannel member abutting the back wall of each of the plurality of fluid channels.