US3290896A

US3290896A - Salt water ice making machine having cleaning pin

Info

Publication number: US3290896A
Application number: US499815A
Authority: US
Inventors: Leonard A Stiller
Original assignee: Lasco Industries Inc
Current assignee: Lasco Industries Inc
Priority date: 1965-10-21
Filing date: 1965-10-21
Publication date: 1966-12-13
Anticipated expiration: 1983-12-13

Description

Dec. 13, 1966 L A. STILLER 3,290,895

I SALT WATER ICE MAKING MACHINE HAVING CLEANING PIN Filed Oct. 21, 1965 INVENTOR. LEONARD A. STIILLER BY mm, W mam AT TORNE S United States Patent 3,290,896 SALT WATER ICE MAKING MACHINE HAVING CLEANING PIN Leonard A. Stiller, Fort Lauderdale, Fla, assignor to Lasco Industries, Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., a corporation of Florida Filed Oct. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 499,815 Claims. (Cl. 62-320) This invention relates to an ice making machine and refers more particularly to a machine for making ice from sea water.

The present invention provides an improved machine for making ice which is particularly adapted for use on small fishing craft and similar installations. One objection to machines in present use for this purpose is that often there will develop an accumulation of ice which becomes caked in the region of the discharge or outlet, clogging or at least reducing the efficiency of the machine. It is an essential object of this invention to provide a machine which overcomes this problem.

Another object of the invention is to provide an ice making machine having a rotatable member o erating in a cylindrical freezing chamber to remove ice from the chamber wall and deliver it to an outlet, and means carried by the rotatable member for breaking up the ice and preventing a build-up of the same about the outlet.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine in which the rotatable member is an anger, and the means for breaking up the ice and preventing a build-up of the same is a cleaning pin carried by the auger.

Another object is to provide a machine in which the pin has an axially extending portion adjacent the chamber wall so located as to sweep across the outlet.

Another object is to provide a deflecting member having an annular frusto-conical surface within and concentric with the freezing chamber adjacent the axially outer side of the outlet, and a cylindrical surface concentric with the chamber wall extending axially inwardly from the radially inner extremity of the frustoconical surface in radially inwardly spaced relation to the outlet.

Another object of the invention is to provide the cleaning pin with an axially extending portion between the cylindrical surface of the deflecting member and the chamber wall so as to sweep across the outlet upon rotation of the auger.

Another object is to provide the axially extending portion of the pin with a terminal surface adjacent to and inclined at substantially the same angle as the frustoconical surface of the deflecting member.

Another object is to provide a machine in which the deflecting member serves as a bearing for the outer end portion of the auger.

The single figure of the drawing is a central vertical sectional view of a machine constructed in accordance with the invention.

Referring to the drawing, the machine is generally designated by the reference numeral 11 and includes a vertical cylinder 12 the interior of which defines a freezing chamber 13. This cylinder is preferably formed of metal having a relatively high heat conductivity.

An auger 14 is disposed within the freezing chamber in concentric relation therewith. The lower end of the auger has a reduced portion 16 which projects through the bottom wall 18 of the cylinder. A belt 20 extends over a pulley secured on the lower end 16 of the auger and is driven by a suitable means, not shown, to rotate the auger. A bearing 22 on the bottom wall 13 of the cylinder supports the lower reduced end portion 16 of the auger for rotation.

The auger has a main body portion or shaft portion 24 3,293,895 Patented Dec. 13, 1966 which is cylindrical, and a helical rib 26 is provided on the shaft portion and extends throughout the full length thereof. The rib 26 extends close to the cylindrical wall 28 of the freezing chamber to scrape ice formed thereon and elevate it for discharge through the outlet 27 near the upper end of the cylinder.

Projecting upwardly from the shaft portion 24 of the auger is an intermediate cylindrical portion 32 of smaller diameter than the shaft portion. A cylindrical end portion 34 of still smaller diameter projects upwardly from the portion 32. These portions 32 and 34 are concentrically arranged with respect to the shaft portion 24.

The upper bearing cage 36 is a tubular cylindrical member the lower end of which is disposed adjacent the upper end of the shaft portion 24 of the auger. The lower portion of the bearing cage is designated 38. Its outer cylindrical surface 40 is of substantially the same diameter as the shaft portion 24. As shown, the outlet 27 through the cylinder wall is opposite the cylindrical surface 40. The inner cylindrical surface of the lower portion 38 encircles the portion 32 of the auger, permitting free rotation thereof.

The outer cylindrical surface 43 of the upper portion 44 of the bearing cage 36 is of substantially the same outside diameter as the chamber wall 28 and fits snugly therein. A radially outwardly extending annular flange 46 on the upper end of the bearing cage rests upon the upper end of cylinder 12. A nut 50 threads upon the upper end of the cylinder and has an inwardly extending annular flange 52 which engages the flange 46 of the upper bearing cage and clamps it tightly against the upper end of cylinder 12, preventing the upper bearing cage from rotating.

A hearing surrounds the top portion 34 of the auger and has an annular outer race 62 resting upon the shoulder 64 within the upper bearing cage. This shoulder 64 connects the smaller diameter cylindrical surface 66 and the larger diameter cylindrical surface 68. The bearing occupies the space in the upper bearing cage surrounded by the cylindrical surface 63 and may be installed by insertion through the open upper end thereof.

The inner race 70 of the bearing closely surrounds the upper reduced portion 34 of the auger and rests on the shoulder 72 separating the portions 32 and 34 of the auger. The inner race of the bearing is clamped upon shoulder 72 by the head of a bolt 76 threaded into the upper end of the auger. The opening in the top of nut 50 permits access to the bolt. Washer 78 is disposed between the bolt head and the inner race. arate the races to permit free rotation of the inner race and auger.

The freezing chamber is cooled by a freezing coil 86 which extends helically around the outer surface of cylinder 12. A suitable coolant such as freon from a compressor, n t shown, is flowed through the freezing coil, entering through pipe 81 and expansion valve 82 and returning to the compressor by way of the pipe 83.

Salt water is conducted through the inlet pipe to the precooling coil 32 which surounds the lower portion of the freezing coil. The outlet pipe 94 from the lower end of the precooling coil then enters the freezing chamber at the lower end through the inlet 96. The precooling coil 92 preferably is separated from the freezing coil by a thin insulation strip of cylindrical form designated 98. Accordingly the salt water is precooled before it enters the freezing chamber, but the insulation strip prevents the salt water from becoming frozen and clogging in the precooling coil.

The coolant in the freezing coil is preferably at a temperature such that the interior of the chamber is maintained at about -50 P. which is a sufiiciently low tem- Balls sepperature to freeze salt water relatively rapidly. The salt water is conducted into the freezing chamber through the inlet 96 and on contact with the wall 28 of the freezing chamber it rapidly changes into a slush which is elevated through the freezing chamber by the blade or rib 26 of the auger for discharge in a chipped or flaked, but solid state, through the outlet 27. Chute 1110 leads from out let 27 to a suitable collection bin.

The upper bearing cage has a frusto-conical surface 102 which connects the outer

cylindrical surfaces

40 and 43 of the bearing cage 36. This frusto-conical surface flares radially outwardly in an upward direction and at its outer extremity is in contact with the wall 28 of the freezing chamber. The frusto-conical surface 102 is located at about the level of the upper edge of the outlet 27. This surface 102 serves to deflect the chips of ice toward the discharge opening.

An upper chamber cleaning pin 110 is provided to prevent ice from building up or caking on the bearing cage, particularly the

surfaces

40 and 102 thereof, and on the adjacent surfaces of the wall 28 of the freezing chamber, particularly around the outlet 27. One end of the pin extends into the shaft portion 24 of the auger and is permanently secured thereto, and the exterior portion of the pin extends vertically upward in the space between the surface 40 of the bearing cage and the wall 28 of the freezing chamber. When the auger rotates the pin 110 sweeps across'the outlet 27 and breaks up any ice which may be caked upon the adjacent surfaces of the freezing chamber and upper bearing cage.

In operation, the precooled salt water admitted to the freezing chamber at the lower end rapidly changes into a slush as it is advanced upwardly through the freezing chamber by the blade 26 of the rotating auger. The auger chips and breaks the ice away from the freezing chamber and ultimately it is discharged into the chute 100 through the outlet 27. The deflecting surface 102 causes the chipped ice to be deflected toward the outlet, and the cleaning pin 110 breaks up any accumulated ice and in general prevents any substantial build-up of ice about the upper bearing cage and adjacent surfaces of the freezing chamber, particularly around the outlet 27.

The upper end surface 112 of the cleaning pin is beveled at substantially the same angle as the frusto-conical surface 102 to more effectively break up ice which may tend to build up on such surface.

A housing including a shell 115 and end plates 117 surrounds the unit, filled with insulation material 116.

While the machine is especially suited to make ice from salt or sea water, fresh water may also be used.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. An ice making machine comprising an upright cylinder defining an elongated cylindrical freezing chamber therein, said cylinder having an inlet adjacent its lower end for the introduction of water to said chamber, means for chilling said chamber to form ice on the wall thereof, said cylinder having an outlet adjacent the upper end thereof for the discharge of ice formed on said chamber wall, an auger mounted in said chamber for rotation and having a helical rib for removing ice formed on said chamber wall and delivering the same axially toward said outlet, a combined bearing and ice deflecting member secured to said cylinder within the upper end of said chamber and providing a bearing for the upper end of said auger, said member having a lower portion presenting a cylindrical surface opposite said outlet, said cylindrical surface being of smaller diameter than said chamber wall and concentric therewith to provide an annular space between said cylindrical surface and said chamber wall, said member having an outwardly and upwardly flaring frusto-conical surface at the upper end of said cylindrical surface extending outward to said chamber wall to deflect ice delivered upwardly by said auger in an outward direction through said outlet, and a disintegrating member carried by and rotatable with said auger and extending into said annular space for breaking up and preventing an accumulation of ice about said deflecting member and outlet.

2. The ice making machine defined in claim 1, wherein said frusto-conical surface at its outer extremity is located at approximately the level of the upper extremity of said outlet.

3. The ice making machine as defined in claim 2, wherein said disintegrating member is a pin having a vertical terminal portion extending into said annular space so as to sweep across said outlet upon rotation of said auger.

4. The ice making machine defined in claim 3, wherein the upper end of said pin is disposed closely adjacent to and is inclined at substantially the same angle as said frusto-conical surface.

5. An ice making machine as defined in claim 4, wherein said combined bearing and ice deflecting member is tubular and has an upper portion above said frustoconical surface in contact with said chamber wall, said auger has an upper end portion of reduced diameter extending rotatably within said tubular member, and said tubular member has a bearing element within said upper portion thereof rotatably receiving said upper end portion of said auger.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,877,632 3/1959 Chaplik et al. 62320 2,962,878 12/1960 Keller 62320 3,126,719 3/1964 Swatsick 62-320 3,245,225 4/1966 Wallace 62320 FOREIGN PATENTS I 187,531 10/1956 Austria.

ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner.

W. E. WAYNER, Assistant Examiner.