A heat exchanger has at least one inlet and outlet to permit circulation of refrigerant therethrough. Each heat exchanger includes a plurality of thin sections of material arranged between a pair of thin flat outer plates. Each of the thin sections of material is comprised of parallel flow paths, al
A heat exchanger has at least one inlet and outlet to permit circulation of refrigerant therethrough. Each heat exchanger includes a plurality of thin sections of material arranged between a pair of thin flat outer plates. Each of the thin sections of material is comprised of parallel flow paths, allowing for the refrigerant to flow through the inlet, then from one section to the next, and finally out the outlet. The arrangement of the sections of parallel flow paths allows for the refrigerant to come into contact with the majority of the inside wall of the outer plates, allowing for maximum heat exchange. In use for cooling liquids, the heat exchangers are arranged within a frame and brought into contact with the liquid to be cooled. When the heat exchangers are used to cool liquid sufficiently to produce ice crystals, a rotating scraping device sweeps across the surface of the heat exchanger, removing any ice crystals that have formed.
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1. An apparatus for heat exchange, comprising: at least one fluid inlet;at least one fluid outlet;at least two outer plates comprising a first outer plate and a second outer plate, wherein the first outer plate and the second outer plate each have an inner surface and an outer surface; andan inner l
1. An apparatus for heat exchange, comprising: at least one fluid inlet;at least one fluid outlet;at least two outer plates comprising a first outer plate and a second outer plate, wherein the first outer plate and the second outer plate each have an inner surface and an outer surface; andan inner layer sealingly sandwiched between the outer plates including an outer boundary portion and a flow portion, wherein: the outer boundary portion surrounds the flow portion between the outer plates providing a sealed outer periphery;the flow portion comprises a plurality of sections of material, each section of material comprising a plurality of bends, each bend having a foot portion substantially coplanar to the outer plates for sealingly joining the inner layer to the outer plates, and each bend further having a wall portion extending between the plates and integrally joined to the foot portion, and wherein for each section, at least one series of adjacent flow channels is provided by the inner surfaces of the outer plates, and by the foot portions and the wall portions of the plurality of bends, wherein the wall portions of the plurality of bends provide barriers between the flow channels of the at least one series of adjacent flow channels; andthe flow portion comprises a plurality of continuous flow paths extending between the at least one fluid inlet and at the least one fluid outlet for directing a fluid through the plurality of sections of material, and wherein for each section in the plurality of sections of material, each channel in the at least one series of adjacent flow channels for that section is part of an associated continuous flow path between the at least one fluid inlet and the at the least one fluid outlet; andwherein the plurality of sections of material are mated together in a puzzle type arrangement, such that in the puzzle type arrangement, each section in the plurality of sections has at least one adjacent section in the plurality of sections, and each channel in the at least one series of adjacent channels of that section is substantially aligned, at a non-zero angle with a corresponding channel of the at least one series of adjacent channels of the at least one adjacent section, such that each resulting pair of aligned channels defines at least part of a continuous flow path in the plurality of continuous flow paths. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each continuous flow path in the plurality of continuous flow paths comprises a sequence of successive channels in a sequence of successive sections extending from the inlet to the outlet, and for two continuous flow paths in the plurality of continuous flow paths comprising different sequences of successive channels in the same sequence of successive sections, a first continuous flow path of the two continuous flow paths comprises a flow channel in one section of the sequence of successive sections and a flow channel in another section of the sequence of successive sections;a second continuous flow path of the two continuous flow paths comprises a shorter flow channel in the one section of the sequence of successive sections and a longer flow channel in the other section of the sequence of successive sections, the shorter flow channel being shorter in length than the flow channel of the one section of the first continuous flow path, and the longer flow channel being longer in length than the flow channel of the other section of the first continuous flow path. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of sections comprises a set of outer sections, each of the outer sections having an extended side that borders the outer boundary portion, the set of outer sections comprising a sufficient number of outer sections to provide approximately uniform cooling to at least one of the at least two outer plates. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the set of outer sections comprises at least six outer sections defining at least six flow channels, such that each outer section in the at least six outer sections defines a single outer flow channel extending alongside an adjacent sector of the outer boundary portion. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the continuous flow paths are substantially equal in length and are configured to provide substantially uniform cooling to the outer plates. 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sections of material in the plurality of sections of material are made of corrugated sheet metal. 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of continuous flow paths occupy an approximately cylindrical space. 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flow portion is adjacent the at least one outer plate only within an area of a circular portion of the inner surface of the at least one outer plate, and at least about 75% of the area of the circular portion of the inner surface of the at least one outer plate is adjacent to the flow portion. 9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inner layer is sealingly sandwiched to withstand a pressure of up to 450 psi. 10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each flow channel has a channel width, and wherein each inner layer wall portion has a wall portion thickness, and wherein the ratio of the wall portion thickness to the channel width is less than approximately 1:8. 11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the approximate ratio of the wall portion thickness to the channel width is between about 1:18 and about 1:25. 12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the outer plates is not more than approximately 0.12″ (3 mm). 13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the wall portion thickness is approximately 0.008 inches. 14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inner layer comprises an inner boundary portion configured for providing a sealed inner periphery, wherein the plurality of sections of material surrounds the inner boundary portion. 15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one series of adjacent flow channels of at least one section of material of the plurality of sections of material are aligned with the at least one series of flow channels of at least two adjacent sections of the plurality of sections of material. 16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein different continuous flow paths of the plurality of continuous flow paths within one or more sections of the plurality of sections of material are configured to direct the fluid in opposite directions. 17. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one continuous flow path of the plurality of continuous flow paths, and the flow channels in at least one resulting pair of aligned flow channels defining at least part of the continuous flow path, are aligned at an obtuse angle. 18. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one continuous flow path of the plurality of continuous flow paths, and the flow channels in at least one resulting pair of aligned flow channels defining at least part of the continuous flow path, are aligned at an angle of 90 degrees or less. 19. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sections of material consist of bends which are shaped such that the wall portions are at approximately 90 degree angles to the foot portions. 20. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a scraper for removing any ice crystals that form on the cooling surface. 21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the scraper is part of scraping system that includes a shaft passing perpendicularly through the center of the outer plates; a carrier connected to the shaft, wherein the carrier extends parallel to the outer surfaces of the outer plates; a plurality of scrapers positioned along the length of the carrier; and means for keeping the scrapers in contact with the outer plates.
Lyon Douglas J. (Yeronga AUX) Jensen Stefan S. (Wavel Heights AUX) Cage Jeffrey B. (Macgregor WA AUX) Niblock Robert R. (Seattle WA), Ice making apparatus.
Lyon Douglas J. (Yeronga AUX) Jensen Stefan S. (Wavel Heights AUX) Cage Jeffrey B. (Tarragindi AUX) Niblock Robert R. (Coorparoo AUX), Ice making apparatus.
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