The analysis of ice can structure forms of ice block machine impacting on flow field of ice tank

CFD modeling method was applied on simulation analysis for ice can structure impacting on flow field of ice tank in this article. The cross section of existing ice cans was rectangular structure. Velocity between frontal side and lee side of ice cans was close to zero, fluid resistance was large. Contrast simulation results of three different kinds of ice cans A, B, C showed that using the circular-arc structure ice cans lowered fluid resistance and uniformed velocity distribution and enhanced heat transfer efficiency remarkably. In troduction Ice block machine was an indirectly ice making system, in which ice cans were setting in low temperature brine tank. Water in ice cans was turn into ice finally with salt water which was used as secondary refrigerant bringing its heat off. Ice cans were made into cuboid, the upper cross-sectional area was larger than the bottom, this kind of structure helped ice demould from ice cans easily. Ice was hard in density and uneasy to melt, it was stored and transported easily(1). At present, ice block machine was still the dominating ice-making equipment in fisheries. Compared with directly ice-making equipment, block ice machine was short in ice-making efficiency and consumed a large a mount of energy. Scholars at home and aboard have done some research on the optimization of ice machines. For example, Jiantao Zhan introduced 3D modeling and engineering graphics technology in design of ice mac hine products (2). Fluent software was used in simulation process. Peng Guan studied on how to improve the evaporator of ice machines. Improved methods were moving off fluid supply header from middle side on the top of evaporator and getting rid of gas return header, then connected it to main pipe of refrigerant tube bundles(3). Youming Zhuang put forward the saving methods of ice making process, such as using special supercooler and supercooling compressor to precool raw wa ter(4). Cengyi Lv proposed some ways to improve ice machine, for example, taking out all the bars, increasing the surface area of ice cans, lowering salt water temperature and reducing the thickness and increasing the height of ice cans(5). Lirong Qiu put other ways to improve ice machines, for instance, moving gas return header to the back-end of evaporator, increasing area of evaporator and adding an agitator (6). S cholars all over the world have put lots of good ways to improve ice machine. However, the research in improving flow field by using software CFD was ve ry rare. In this paper, flood velocity, temperature and pressure distribution of tank made of the existing ice cans and two improved ice cans were compared. After comparison, some good ways to perfect flow field were proposed.