The working principle of the ice maker

By connecting the water supply valve, water automatically flows into a water storage tank, and then passes through a flow control valve to be pumped by a water pump to a head. At the head, the water is evenly sprayed onto the surface of the ice maker， flowing like a water curtain over the wall of the ice maker. The water is cooled to the freezing point and does not evaporate and freeze. The water that has not been frozen and evaporated will flow through the porous tank into the water storage tank and start the cycle again.

When the ice reaches the required thickness (the thickness can be chosen by the operator/user at will)， the hot air discharged by the compressor is redirected back into the inner walls of the ice maker to replace the low-temperature liquid refrigerant. Thus, a layer of water film is formed between the ice and the evaporator wall. This water film will lubricate when the ice layer falls freely into the lower tank due to gravity.

1. The chilled water in the water storage tank is continuously circulated through plate or compartmentalized evaporators by a water pump；

2. After the compressor starts， it undergoes suction - compression - exhaust - condensation (liquefaction) - throttling - and then evaporates again in the evaporator at a temperature of -10 to -18 degrees Celsius. The chilled water continuously condenses into ice layers at a lower temperature than 0 degrees Celsius on the surface of the evaporator. When the ice layer reaches a certain thickness， the evaporation temperature of the refrigerant reaches the set temperature of the temperature control， and the defrosting electromagnetic valve is connected to achieve ice removal. This enables the next cycle to start.

Ice-making process

Through the water supply valve， water automatically flows into a water storage tank， and then is pumped by a water pump to the分流 pipe. The分流 pipe evenly distributes the water to the evaporator cooled by the low-temperature liquid refrigerant. The water is cooled to the freezing point， and these water layers will solidify into ice. The water that has not been frozen and evaporated flows into the water storage tank and starts the cycle again by being pumped by the water pump.

When the ice block reaches the required thickness， it enters the defrosting state. The high-pressure hot air discharged by the compressor is redirected through the reversing valve to the evaporator to replace the low-temperature liquid refrigerant. Thus， a layer of water film is formed between the ice block and the evaporator wall. When the ice block falls freely into the lower storage tank due to gravity， this water film lubricates it.

Main classification

Ice makers can be divided into commercial ice makers， household ice makers， and industrial ice makers.

Ice makers are classified by the shape of the ice： there are granular ice (cylindrical， square， crescent-shaped)， snowflake-shaped， flake ice， plate ice， tube ice， and the latest spherical ice， etc.

Granular ice is divided into spray type， flow type， and immersion type according to the ice-making method.

Cylindrical ice is generally spray type ice-making. This ice-making method has a low freezing point， reaching below -20 degrees Celsius. The contact surface between the cylindrical ice blocks is small， making it less likely to stick together. It is convenient to use. Cylindrical ice blocks have high hardness and low temperature， and the ice is crystal clear， suitable for cooling of alcoholic beverages. The slow melting speed will not dilute the alcoholic beverages and affect their taste. The disadvantage of cylindrical ice makers is that the ice production efficiency is relatively low and is generally used for small bar-style ice makers for production.

Spherical ice has a temperature of -6°C to -12°C， which is most suitable for industrial processing and the cooling of perishable items. It is often used for seafood display on supermarket fresh food counters， and large spherical ice can also be used in cement plants， chemical plants， meat processing plants， and marine fisheries.

Refrigeration methods can be divided into： water-cooled ice makers and air-cooled ice makers.