Thermal storage ice breaker apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10465994-B2
Application number	US-201615080311-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 24, 2016
Priority date	Mar 24, 2015
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

An internal melt ice thermal storage device having an ice build/melt coils with tubes fitted with extensions or “fins” that transfer heat from the thermal transfer medium in the tubes to distal portions of the ice rings that surround said tubes in order to define the shape of the liquid meniscus between the tube and ice allowing the ice to break free from the tube near the initiation of melt.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An internal melt thermal ice storage device comprising:
an ice build/melt coil mounted in an ice water tank configured to hold a thermal storage medium, said ice build/melt coil having a thermal transfer medium input end and a thermal transfer medium output end, both of which are connected to a thermal transfer medium source;
said ice build/melt coil comprising a plurality of tubes, wherein one or more of said tubes bear ice breaker projections configured to transmit heat from a thermal transfer medium circulating in said tubes to distal areas of an ice ring surrounding said tube thereby defining a shape of a liquid meniscus surrounding said tube and said ice breaker projections during a melt cycle of said internal melt thermal ice storage system; wherein each said tube has a first fin extending vertically up from a top exterior surface of said tube and a second fin extending vertically down from a bottom exterior surface of said tube, and wherein said first and second fins run along a longitudinal length of said tube.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said tubes have an oval shape with a vertically oriented major axis.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein each said tube has a third fin extending away from an exterior surface of said tube and running along a longitudinal length of said tube, wherein said first, second and third fins are spaced equally about said tube.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein each said tube has a third fin extending away from an exterior surface of said tube and running along a longitudinal length of said tube, wherein said first, second and third fins are spaced unequally about said tube.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said thermal storage medium is water.

6. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said thermal transfer medium is glycol.

Assignees

• Evapco Inc

Inventors

• Vadder Davey
• Kane Jeff

Classifications

• F25C5/10

  using hot refrigerant; using fluid heated by refrigerant · CPC title

• F24F5/0017

  using cold storage bodies, e.g. ice · CPC title

• F25D3/005

  combined with heat exchangers · CPC title

• C09K5/06 Primary

  the change of state being from liquid to solid or vice versa · CPC title

• F28F1/10

  Tubular elements and assemblies thereof with means for increasing heat-transfer area, e.g. with fins, with projections, with recesses (crimped or corrugated elements F28F1/06, F28F1/08) · CPC title