ARPN Journal of Science and Technology::Design and Performance Evaluation of an Ice Block Making Machine

ABSTRACT The ambient temperature of tropical countries like Nigeria is as high as 40C during the dry season. This ultimately gives rise to increase in demand for ice which is used to reduce the temperature of water, soft-drinks as well as other uses. This increase in demand for ice block makes the design and construction of a machine which can be used for the production of ice within a short period of time in order to save energy and time imperative and a worthwhile venture. This paper presents the design and performance evaluation of a model ice block making machine that can freeze water quickly. In order to achieve quick freezing, certain design consideration, such as the quantity of water to be frozen, the choice of cooling system and the methodology of attaining the desired result. The methodology adopted involves increasing the area of heat transfer and employing a vapour compression refrigerating system to generate the refrigerating effect. The design analysis of the evaporator, compressor and condenser are presented in details. This paper also reports on the material selection, fabrication methods and the experimental procedures and results. A temperature of -14C was achieved in the freezing chamber and a freezing duration of 70 minutes for 1kg of ice block as test results.