Cooling system for ice flake maker

Abstract

A cooling system for a drum type ice-making machine is provided. The cooling system circulates refrigerant to cool a drum of the drum type ice-making machine. The system includes an expansion nozzle inserted into a refrigerant supply pipe, a preliminary cooling unit wound around an outer circumferential surface of a refrigerant recovering pipe, a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of a drum, and, a controller for adjusting a start time point of the drum based on the temperature. Thus, the temperature of the refrigerant can be stably maintained to improve the ice making quality, the production cost of the system can be reduced, and the constant production amount of the ice can be maintained.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cooling system for a drum type ice-making machine, wherein the cooling system circulates refrigerant to cool a drum of the drum type ice-making machine, the system comprising:
 a refrigerant supply pipe for supplying refrigerant into the drum;   a refrigerant recovering pipe for recovering and discharging the refrigerant out of the drum;   a compressor for compressing the refrigerant from the refrigerant recovering pipe to a high pressure;   a condenser for liquefying the refrigerant from the compressor;   an expander for expanding and decompressing the refrigerant from the condenser; and   an evaporator for evaporating the refrigerant from the expander and discharging the evaporated refrigerant into the drum,   wherein the expander includes an expansion nozzle inserted into the refrigerant supply pipe at a position of the refrigerant supply pipe adjacent to a refrigerant inlet into the drum.   
     
     
         2 . The cooling system of  claim 1 , wherein the expansion nozzle includes a body and a nozzle cap coupled to the body, wherein the nozzle cap has a through hole at a center thereof,
 wherein the nozzle cap has an inner concave hollow hemispherical portion and an outer circular portion surrounding the inner portion,   wherein the body is formed in a pipe shape fitted into the refrigerant supply pipe, wherein the body has one end having a recess defined therein to receive the inner portion of the nozzle cap.   
     
     
         3 . The cooling system of  claim 1 , wherein the system further includes a preliminary cooling unit wound around and in contact with an outer circumferential face of the refrigerant recovery pipe, wherein the preliminary cooling unit pre-cools the refrigerant using a temperature difference between the refrigerant supply pipe and the refrigerant recovering pipe before the refrigerant is supplied to the evaporator. 
     
     
         4 . The cooling system of  claim 1 , wherein the system further includes a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the drum; and a controller for receiving the measured temperature from the sensor, wherein the controller is configured to control a start time point of the drum based on the measured temperature. 
     
     
         5 . The cooling system of  claim 4 , wherein the temperature sensor is installed on the refrigerant recovering pipe at a position thereof adjacent to a refrigerant outlet from the drum.