Patented heat exchanger
The heat exchanger is specially designed for the sp.ICE. A large heat exchange surface is required to effectively produce ice at an average production temperature of approximately -2.5°C. In the sp.ICE, this is achieved by using capillary tubes with a diameter of only 4.5 mm. The individual capillary tubes are connected to a manifold and are only 10 mm apart.
Individual heat exchangers are interconnected to form a module. The entire ice storage tank has several of these modules, which are then hydraulically connected to form a single unit.
Characteristics of the sp.ICE heat exchanger
Thanks to its patented design, the sp.ICE ice storage module has excellent heat transfer capabilities.
- The heat transfer surface is many times larger than that of conventional ice storage tanks.
- Thermal resistance is very low.
- Due to the small pipe diameter, the possible ice filling level is extremely high.
The patented pipe arrangement means that the entire space around the heat exchanger can be frozen. This allows the charging temperature to be kept comparatively high and the charging time extremely short. The available storage space is optimally utilised.
Heat exchanger design
Comparison of the pipe layout for a conventional ice store and the sp.ICE. The distance between the tubes is much larger in a conventional ice store. The spaces between the tubes are not frozen. The sp.ICE achieves a much larger transfer surface thanks to the capillary tube technology. The fine-structured heat exchanger also enables complete freezing of the interstitial spaces.
