How Does a Commercial Ice Maker Work – Complete Detail

Read all about how does a commercial ice maker work. I will share all the important things a commercial ice maker requires to work and give you the best freezing ice.

Since our forefathers began making ice over a century ago, the process has now become easier. We used to fill the tray up with water and put it in the freezer. After that, we would wait for an hour or longer. When we finally used to open the freezer, we would have seen that the water had frozen and turned into ice.

Commercial ice makers are vastly superior to those used by our grandparents’ generation. Today it is one of the important part of hospitality equipment. It is widely used by the commercial freezer. In this blog, we’ll explain what a commercial ice maker is and how it works.

Contents

What is a commercial Ice Maker?

Commercial ice makers are vertically integrated, capable of producing vast quantities of ice within short periods of time. This equipment is ideal for restaurants, hotels, stadiums, and other locations. In addition, these type of ice makers produces ice that freezes clean and isn’t foggy like ice you’d get out of the freezer, so these machines are perfect for processing ice.

How Does a Commercial Ice Maker Work?

The commercial ice maker can be set to work with any refrigeration system, water supply, and method of collecting the ice formed. The steps below illustrate how does a commercial ice maker work and gives clear ice.

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  • Heating and Cooling Ducts

    This is the first step towards learning how a commercial ice maker works. In a system similar to the one found on the back of your refrigerator, metal ice trays are connected to a set of heat-exchange pipes. A compressor propels a stream of refrigerant fluid through a continuous condensation-expansion cycle. Generally, the compressor compresses the refrigerant in a narrow tube (called the condenser) and discharges it into an evaporator, where it expands.

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  • The Compressor of the Ice Maker

    The compressor is where the ice machine’s refrigerant is heated and pressed to a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure. Condensation occurs as the refrigerant travels through the condenser coils, losing heat to the ambient air. This is an important way to prepare the refrigerant for massive expansion.

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  • The Expansion Valve

    Compressed liquids evaporate and expand as they travel through expansion valves, becoming gaseous as they do so. Heat is absorbed by the metal pipes and by the surrounding air during evaporation. The thermal expansion valve rapidly expands to relieve pressure in the refrigerant. Expansion of a highly pressured substance results in rapid cooling sudden pressure changes. In response, the tubes and the associated metal ice tray are cooled.

  • Reservoir

    To keep the ice cubes from melting, a pump takes water from a reservoir and sprays it across the chilled ice cubes. During the cooling process, ice cubes form when water passes over the tray’s surface. The icemaker activates a solenoid valve linked to the heat-exchanging coils after a certain period of time. By turning this valve on or off, the refrigerant flow is altered. The compressor’s tiny condenser is replaced with a large bypass tube to push out hot gas.

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  • Evaporator

    A water cycle is created between the evaporator and the heated gas without condensing. This hot gas pushes through the pipes of the evaporator, which causes the ice cubes to loosen as a result of the rapid heating of the pipes and ice tray. Water cools to the point of freezing as it runs over the evaporator. The water freezes into the shape of an ice cube over time.

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Conclusion

Thus, the preceding procedure concludes by instructing you on how a commercial ice maker works. This type of ice maker equipment is commonly found in hotels and restaurants because it makes ice cubes of uniform shape and size.