Abstract: [Task] To provide an automatic ice maker with improved corrosion resistance to prevent ice-making water and ice from being contaminated by a corrosion product such as rust, thereby enhancing the reliability of food sanitation. [Means for solution] The automatic ice maker produces ice having a required shape by supplying ice-making water in circulation to an ice compartment 10 that is cooled by a cooling pipe 48. The automatic ice maker has an electroless nickel-phosphorus plated coating 23 formed in a thickness of 15 ?m or more on an outermost layer of the ice compartment 10, which coating 23 contains a 10% to 15% phosphorus component.

Abstract: A multi-duct that is coupled to a surface of a cabinet including a plurality of spaces divided by one or more shelves in a refrigerator and that includes: a flow channel (i) that extends between a first end of the flow channel and a second end of the flow channel in a first direction, (ii) that passes through the plurality of spaces, and (iii) that guides cool air from the first end to the second end; an inlet; and a plurality of outlets, wherein the flow channel includes a first curved flow channel (i) that is configured to discharge cool air through a first outlet of the plurality of outlets and (ii) that has a concave shape that is curved toward a second direction opposite to a direction in which cool air is discharged through the first outlet is disclosed.

Abstract: A household refrigerator has a housing formed with a receiving space. An icemaker unit for dispensing ice is arranged in the receiving space. The icemaker unit has a tray in which shaping regions are formed for specifying a shape of shaped ice elements that are produced from liquid poured into the tray. The icemaker unit has a cooling device with which a cooling air flow is produced for cooling the tray. The cooling device has an evaporator and a fan. A fan wheel of the fan blows the cold produced by the evaporator in a cooling air flow. The fan wheel is arranged in a separate pressure chamber.

Abstract: A system for starting a refrigeration system includes a liquid line regulating valve, a liquid line charging valve, a suction line expansion valve, a suction line charging valve, and a controller. The controller is configured to override normal operation of the refrigeration system and transmit a demand signal to enable partial system operation. The controller is configured to operate the liquid line regulating valve and the liquid line charging valve to charge a receiver tank, gradually increase the demand signal to a predetermined level of partial system operation, and release the liquid line charging valve to normal operation. The controller is configured to operate the suction line expansion valve and the suction line charging valve to charge a suction line, gradually increase the demand signal to full system operation, and release the liquid line regulating valve, the suction line expansion valve, and the suction line charging valve to normal operation.

Abstract: A thermodynamic system for a container containing food products of the liquid and/or semi-liquid type includes a circuit including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion element, an evaporator and heat exchanger fluid. An exchanger includes a delivery duct and a return duct, the delivery duct connected on a first side to a condenser outlet to receive the fluid, and connected on the other side to the expansion element to release the fluid to the expansion element. The return duct is connected, on a first side, to a condenser inlet. A recirculation duct is connected to the second side of the delivery duct to receive the fluid, and to a second side of the return duct, opposite the first side, to release the fluid to the return duct. A further expansion element is positioned in the recirculation duct to allow the fluid circulating in the recirculation duct to expand.

Abstract: An evaporative cooling apparatus may include a heat transfer module having a vapor passage in fluid communication with a liquid refrigerant in a first container and a heat absorbing module having a drawing liquid selected to absorb the liquid refrigerant in the second container. The heat absorbing module also has a vapor chamber in the drawing fluid that receives vapor generated during evaporation of the liquid refrigerant. The vapor chamber has a selectively permeable membrane that: (i) transports the vapor to the drawing liquid, and (ii) blocks flow of the drawing fluid into the vapor chamber. The refrigerant may be liquid water, the vapor chamber may include a selectively permeable membrane having a pore size between 1 nm and 200 nm, and the drawing fluid may be glycerol.

Abstract: A fan assembly for a refrigeration appliance includes a fan for circulating air within a compartment of the refrigeration appliance. The fan includes a frame. A housing is provided for mounting the fan. The housing includes a plate with an opening extending through the plate. A plurality of walls extends from a surface of the plate. A first retaining member extends in a direction generally parallel to a surface of the plate and is disposed proximate the opening for hindering movement of the fan in a direction generally perpendicular to a surface of the plate. The plurality of walls and the first retaining member define a pocket for receiving the frame. A vibration damping member is provided for allowing the fan to vibrate relative to the housing and for hindering the transmission of vibrations from the fan to the housing.

Abstract: A refrigerator includes a cabinet, a refrigerant pipe extending in a vertical direction, a plurality of heat-exchange fins through which the refrigerant pipe passes, a pair of frames supporting both sides of the refrigerant pipe, an auxiliary defrost heater provided at an upper portion of the refrigerant pipe and configured to heat an upper region of the refrigerant pipe during a defrosting operation, a defrost heater disposed below a lower end of the refrigerant pipe and configured to heat the refrigerant pipe and air outside the refrigerant pipe during the defrosting operation, and a defrost heater cover disposed between the defrost heater and the lower end of the refrigerant pipe and covering an upper portion of the defrost heater. The defrost heater cover defines a plurality of air holes that allow air heated by the defrost heater to flow upward to the refrigerant pipe.

Abstract: Systems and methods of producing a frozen food product include dosing ingredients with a liquefied gas while mixing the ingredients using self-cleaning interlocking beaters. The beaters are optionally also disposed to clean a container in which the ingredients are frozen. The rate and amount of cooling is controlled by measuring the quantity of liquid nitrogen, measuring viscosity of the frozen food product, measuring temperature, and/or the like.

Abstract: The solar-powered refrigerating cooler in an insulated container. The interior space of the solar-powered refrigerating cooler forms a temperature controlled space within which items may be stored. The solar-powered refrigerating cooler comprises a refrigeration system that: 1) forms the interior space; and, 2) cools the interior space of the solar-powered refrigerating cooler. The refrigeration system is solar-powered. The solar-powered refrigerating cooler comprises a refrigeration system, one or more USB ports, a cutting board, a bottle opener, an extendable handle, and a power system. The one or more USB ports, the cutting board, the bottle opener, the extendable handle, and a power system are mounted on the refrigeration system.

Abstract: A liquid chiller system utilizing a refrigerant capable of possessing a liquid state and a gas/vapor state, the refrigerant being cycled through a closed loop assembly of a compressor, an eccentric condenser and an eccentric evaporator. The eccentric compressor has a lower integrated reservoir and the eccentric evaporator has an upper dedicated reservoir such that separate, dedicated separator or receiver vessels are not required. The eccentric condenser is positioned above the eccentric evaporator such that liquid refrigerant flows by gravity from the eccentric condenser to the eccentric evaporator.

Abstract: A heat pump includes an evaporator with an evaporator inlet and an evaporator outlet; a compressor for compressing operating liquid evaporated in the evaporator; and a condenser for condensing evaporated operating liquid compressed in the compressor, wherein the condenser includes a condenser inlet and a condenser outlet, wherein the evaporator inlet is connected to a return from a region to be heated, and wherein the condenser inlet is connected to a return from a region to be cooled.

Abstract: An ice crushing system includes multiple sets of interleaved blades with some of the blades being provided with a series of raised protrusions on one or more faces. With this arrangement, the spacing between the interleaved blades is reduced and a finer crushed ice consistency is established. In accordance with aspects of the invention, the raised protrusions are staggered along each side of a set of fixed blades, with the raised protrusions on one side of a fixed blade overlapping the raised protrusions on the opposing side.

Abstract: A method of and system for heating and/or cooling a fluid, the method comprising moving the fluid through a secondary side of a heat exchanger and controlling the temperature of a primary side of the heat exchanger such that the temperature of the primary side of the heat exchanger is maintained substantially at a determined temperature interval from a reference temperature which is a function of at least one of: a temperature of an inlet to the secondary side and a temperature of an outlet of the secondary side.

Abstract: A method for making ice cream including the following steps, performed in the following order: heating the side walls of the processing container to a preset preheating temperature; placing a basic ice cream mixture in the processing chamber after the step of heating the side walls of the processing container to a preset preheating temperature; deactivating any infectious agents which may be present in the basic mixture by activating the thermal treatment system in heating mode for a predetermined time in order to pasteurize the basic mixture inside the processing chamber; keeping the basic mixture, previously subjected to the thermal treatment inside the processing chamber, for a predetermined hold time.

Abstract: A tray assembly for a device for freezing a liquid, the assembly includes a frame defining an aperture. A thermally conductive tray is sized to be received within the aperture, the thermally conductive tray having a body and a lip circumferentially disposed about the body, the thermally conductive tray being seated within the aperture and defining a first surface and an opposite second surface, the first surface defining a recess and the second surface defining a plurality of receptacles. A gasket is included and sized to surround the body and to be disposed between the lip and the frame. An insulation chamber is coupled to the frame.

Abstract: A sorption module may include a housing enclosing a working chamber including a sorption zone and a phase change zone arranged therein. The sorption module may also include a sorption structure, which may be arranged in the sorption zone and coupled in a heat-transmitting manner to a sorption path for guiding a sorption path medium, and a phase change structure, which may be arranged in the phase change zone and coupled in a heat-transmitting manner to a phase change path for guiding a phase change path medium. The sorption module may further include a control device configured to control a fluidic connection through which a working medium may be reversibly displaceable between the sorption zone and the phase change zone. The control device may include an actuator configured to control the fluidic connection depending on an adjustment of the actuator and an actuating drive configured to adjust the actuator.

Abstract: An electronic expansion valve (1) is provided, comprising an inlet (9), an outlet (8), an armature (2), a stop member (3), a biasing member (4) and a solenoid coil (12). The biasing member (4) provides a biasing force on the armature (2) towards a closing direction while the solenoid coil (12) may be provided with a current to provide a magnetic force on the armature (2) towards an opening direction. It is intended to provide an electronic expansion valve that may be controlled more precisely and has a higher safety. To this end the pressure difference between the inlet pressure and the outlet pressure provides a differential pressure force on the armature (2) towards an opening direction to allow a fluid flow from the inlet (9) to the outlet (8), and furthermore the armature (2) is displaced away from the stop member (3) to allow a fluid flow from the inlet (9) to the outlet (8) if the sum of the magnetic force and the differential pressure force on the armature (2) exceeds the biasing force.

Abstract: An air conditioning system for a high-rise building includes a condenser unit and a compressor separate from the condenser unit and in fluid communication with the condenser unit. The compressor is to be located at a floor of a high-rise building that is below a location of the condenser unit at a roof top of the high-rise building. The system may also include an oil separator to separate oil from a refrigerant. The oil separator is in a path of the refrigerant from the compressor to the condenser unit, where the oil separator is distal from the condenser unit and proximal to the compressor.

Abstract: A cooling and heating apparatus for a vehicle cup holder is provided that has an improved performance for cooling and heating a drink by directly cooling or heating the drink in the cup. The apparatus includes a cup having a thermoelectric module and a first electroconductive part on an outer surface thereof and a cup holder that has a heat dissipating member and a second electroconductive part. Additionally, a controller is connected to the thermoelectric module to realize an electrical closed circuit and is configured to adjust an amount of an electric current applied to the thermoelectric module based on a desired temperature to heat or cool a drink in the cup.