NanoICE is unique compared to other commercial ice producing systems as it introduces novel generator design enabling minimization and adaptability of ice producing facilities along with a scrapping method, leading to better produce quality and longer shelf life. NanoICE technology has applications in various industries. The immediate market for roll out after seafood is vegetables and fruit and thereafter, regulation dependent, in poultry, pork and beef. It is anticipated that more applications will be identified in the future. Some of the other applications include chilling grapes for wine making and fresh cut flower preservation.
The causes of food losses and waste are mainly connected to financial, managerial and technical limitations in harvesting techniques, storage and cooling facilities in difficult climatic conditions, infrastructure, packaging and marketing systems. The invention of nanoICE molecular ice technology occurred following the identification of considerable inefficiencies in the seafood industry and the cold chain. The motivation behind the novelty is that a technological improvement leading to facility optimisation, increased shelf life, produce quality and improved cost/benefit ratio, can be felt through the value chain all the way to the end consumer.
nanoICE ice particles are different from the ordinary flake or slurry ice typically used in the fresh food preservation industries today. nanoICE crystals are less than 1 micron in diameter, more than 150 of which could fit on the width of a human hair. Effective direct chilling is all about surface area. The more surface area (ice contact to product) the faster the rate of cooling, the less bacteria, the less waste and the better the shelf-life.
Spiral Chamber Design:
In other ice making evaporator designs, the refrigerant will stay contained within a tube wrapped about the freezing wall, which does not allow for consistent, optimal freezing across the surface area due to its lack of direct contact with the freezing wall. While this inferior design creates an even flow of refrigerant through the freezing chamber, it will not be as efficient in cooling or as quick to react to changing environments within the chamber.
Scrapping Method:
nanoICE generator scrapping design utilizes free floating scrapping and vortex generation for consistent and reliable ice making. These scrappers float freely on specialized winged pins that rotate around the central axis of the generator. The floating scrapper method is unique because it utilizes the centrifugal force of the scrappers around the rotating axis to apply uniform pressure on the freezing wall without any other mechanisms, such as springs seen in other systems, to maintain consistent scrapping force. An added benefit of this design is that scrappers are more resilient to debris in the generator and are free of moving parts that can fail or need to be replaced.
