Importance

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Abstract

Useful heat from an ice-maker is efficiently recovered and employed to heat water without any significant increase in the energy normally expanded in making ice. During ice-making, liquid refrigerant from a high-pressure receiver is expanded and supplied to an evaporator where ice-making occurs. Expanded refrigerant is returned to a compressor through an accumulator, and high-pressure vapor is condensed by heat-exchange with a circulating stream of water withdrawn from a storage tank. Condensed refrigerant is returned to the receiver through a restrictor. During the harvesting cycle, relatively warm, high pressure vapor from the receiver is fed to the evaporator, and any of it condensed to liquid therein is trapped in the accumulator. The compressor runs continuously throughout harvesting and ice-making, and any refrigerant trapped in the accumulator is used to subcool the high-pressure liquid prior to its expansion in the subsequent ice-making cycle.

First Claim