Brine Ice maker system , how can i make water freeze faster ?

Hello,

I have a brine block ice system , you can see it working here in the video


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_Kq5jRpprk

My question is how can i make the water in the cans freeze faster , normally it takes 2 days before the water has been frozen .

put a lid on it, insulate it, use less brine

Hi,

thanks for the reply , it's already has a lid with foam inside the lid just removed the lid to make a video so you all can see all the cans .

So less brine would make the cans freeze faster ?

-Precool the water in the cans
-Less water in the cans
-Change the shape of the cans so that they becomes narrower
-Alter the shape of the cans to give more surface area per volume (cylinder or star?)
-Colder brine

Or any combination of the above...

:cool:

.

What is the temperature of the brine?

The temperature of the brine is 15 c at the moment , it used to be -10 couple months back .
I also noticed that there is like 20 cm layer ice on the bottom of the brine tank on the copper pipes where the ***** gas flows .

Should i add more salt in the tank ?

The temperature of the brine is 15ºC ???

If that is the case then no water will freeze regardless of how long it is left in the cans.
Water only freezes when it get colder that 0ºC, the further below 0ºC the brine is the quicker the ice will form.

20cm of ice covering the refrigerant pipes will effectively isolate the rest of the tank from the pipes' cooling effect. That ice will have to be removed and the brine concentration checked and adjusted (add more salt).

The quickest way of removing the ice from the bottom of the tank, assuming there is no defrost, would probably be to turn the refrigeration plant OFF but leaving the pumps running, if the solution in the tank is 15ºC then it won't take long.
After the ice is melted you can check the concentration and amend as necessary.


EDIT: Pumps could be substituted by the agitator...


Good luck,

:cool:

.

I added 100kg of salt into the tank and the temperture of the brine tank is now 10 o c . Ice blocks can now be harvested in 30 hours, how much more salt should i add in the tank? Is there a way to measure the sulotion?

http://www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/.../saltsoln.html
23% salt-will reach its eutectic point- adding more will have no more refrigeration effect
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refractometer

I should replace your mixer with a pump which takes water out at the opposite where it takes the water in.
If your water is 15°Cand I see so heavily frosted lines, then I should say hat you have to increase the size of your evaporator. You should work with a DT of +/- 5K. So water of 15°C must give you a TE of 10°C and not -10°C like you propably have now.

You have little flow around your ice trays (which as stated if were thinner, would freeze faster). I would install air agitation. (a pipe (with small holes) fitted at the bottom of the tank under the ice trays), this may also aid in heat transfer of the evap. Which type of salt are you using!
Get rid of ice on the refrig pipes. (turn off for a while)

suggest for a start to change direction of agitation prop to down flow so as warmer brine is forced down over coils and back up and around cans. A higher flow rate over coils will keep them from icing up.