Apparatus for making fine ice with salinity

Abstract

A device for making fine ice with salinity comprises: a water supply unit configured to supply a salt-containing fluid; an air supply unit including a spray nozzle configured to spray the fluid supplied from the water supply unit; and an ice-making unit configured to refrigerate the fluid sprayed from the spray nozzle and make salt-containing fine ice, wherein the ice-making unit includes: an ice-making chamber whose inner wall to be in contact with the fluid sprayed from the spray nozzle is configured to be refrigerated; and a scraper configured to scrape ice made on the inner wall of the ice-making chamber. By this device, fine ice with salinity can be efficiently generated.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A device for making fine ice with salinity, comprising:
 a water supply unit configured to supply a salt-containing fluid;   an air supply unit including a spray nozzle configured to spray the fluid supplied from the water supply unit; and   an ice-making unit configured to refrigerate the fluid sprayed from the spray nozzle and make salt-containing fine ice,   wherein the ice-making unit includes:   an ice-making chamber whose inner wall to be in contact with the fluid sprayed from the spray nozzle is configured to be refrigerated; and   a scraper configured to scrape ice made on the inner wall of the ice-making chamber.   
     
     
         2 . The device for making fine ice with salinity of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the ice-making chamber includes a refrigerant accommodation portion between the inner wall and an outer wall surrounding the inner wall.   
     
     
         3 . The device for making fine ice with salinity of  claim 2 ,
 wherein the ice-making chamber includes multiple fins that protrude in a direction from the inner wall toward the outer wall.   
     
     
         4 . The device for making fine ice with salinity of  claim 2 ,
 wherein the ice-making unit further includes a freezer configured to circulate a refrigerant through the refrigerant accommodation portion.   
     
     
         5 . The device for making fine ice with salinity of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the scraper includes:   a shaft that is located within the ice-making chamber;   a driving portion that is connected to the shaft to drive the shaft; and   a scraping blade that is rotated as connected to the shaft within the ice-making chamber and rotates to scrape the ice made on the inner wall of the ice-making chamber.   
     
     
         6 . The device for making fine ice with salinity of  claim 5 ,
 wherein the ice-making chamber is arranged in parallel with the shaft to be extended in a longitudinal direction and has a cylindrical shape whose upper end is equipped with the spray nozzle, and   the scraping blade rotates to scrape the ice made on the inner peripheral surface of the ice-making chamber.   
     
     
         7 . The device for making fine ice with salinity of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the ice-making unit further includes an ice storage chamber that communicates with the ice-making chamber to accommodate ice separated from the inner wall of the ice-making chamber by the scraper.   
     
     
         8 . The device for making fine ice with salinity of  claim 7 ,
 wherein the ice storage chamber includes:   a guide portion of which one end communicates with a lower end of the ice-making chamber and which is extended in a direction slanted with respect to the longitudinal direction in which the ice-making chamber is extended; and   a storage space that communicates with the other end of the guide portion.   
     
     
         9 . The device for making fine ice with salinity of  claim 8 ,
 wherein the scraper includes a guide blade configured to sweep a slanted inner surface of the guide portion.   
     
     
         10 . The device for making fine ice with salinity of  claim 7 ,
 wherein the air supply unit further includes:   a circulation air flow path whose both ends communicate with the ice storage chamber and the ice-making chamber, respectively; and   an air blower that is provided in the circulation air flow path and driven to form an air flow from the air storage chamber toward the ice-making chamber in the circulation air flow path.   
     
     
         11 . The device for making fine ice with salinity of  claim 7 ,
 wherein the air supply unit further includes:   a compressed air flow path whose both ends communicate with the ice storage chamber and the spray nozzle, respectively; and   an air compressor provided in the compressed air flow path and driven to collect air from the ice storage chamber and compress the air and then discharge the compressed air toward the spray nozzle.   
     
     
         12 . The device for making fine ice with salinity of  claim 10  or  claim 11 ,
 wherein the ice storage chamber includes a filter unit configured in the form of mesh to cover a path where air is discharged. 
 
     
     
         13 . The device for making fine ice with salinity of  claim 10  or  claim 11 ,
 wherein the spray nozzle is provided on an upper end of the ice-making chamber and the ice storage chamber is connected to a lower end of the ice-making chamber to help ice and a fluid flow from an upper side toward a lower side within the ice-making chamber. 
 
     
     
         14 . The device for making fine ice with salinity of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the water supply unit includes:   a water supply tank configured to accommodate the salt-containing fluid;   a salt supply unit configured to accommodate salt to be supplied to the water supply tank;   a fluid supply path configured to connect the water supply tank with the spray nozzle; and   a pump that is provided in the fluid supply path and driven to supply the fluid in the water supply tank to the spray nozzle.