CA1286888C - Method and apparatus for cooling fish on board a ship - Google Patents

Method and apparatus for cooling fish on board a ship

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Publication number
CA1286888C
CA1286888C CA000572586A CA572586A CA1286888C CA 1286888 C CA1286888 C CA 1286888C CA 000572586 A CA000572586 A CA 000572586A CA 572586 A CA572586 A CA 572586A CA 1286888 C CA1286888 C CA 1286888C
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
ice
vessel
brine
outlet
making machine
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Fee Related
Application number
CA000572586A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Vladimir L. Goldstein
David La
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Sunwell Engineering Co Ltd
Original Assignee
Sunwell Engineering Co Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Sunwell Engineering Co Ltd filed Critical Sunwell Engineering Co Ltd
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1286888C publication Critical patent/CA1286888C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

Links

Abstract

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for cooling fish on board a ship is provided. The apparatus includes an ice-making machine for producing fine particles of ice in a brine solution to form an ice-brine sluury. Coupled to the ice-making machine are means for directing the ice-brine slurry from the ice-machine machine to either a vessel containing brine solution or to a catch of fish. A method of cooling fish on board a ship comprising the steps of producing a slurry of fine particles in brine solution in an ice-making zone and directing the slurry onto either a catch of fish or into a vessel containing brine solution is also provided.

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method of cooling fish on board a ship.

It is desirable in fishing operations on board ships to cool fish soon after 5 they are caught to ensure that they do not spoil. Conventionally, this is done by manually spreading large pieces of ice over the fish on board the ship. The disadvantages of doing this are that the fish are not cooled quicldy, because the contact area between the ice and the fish is small. Furthermore, the ice tends to freeze the fish because of the large amount of salt that is generally trapped in large pieces of ice.
10 This freezing of the fish may result in spoilage of the fish due to later thawing and refreezing of the fish.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the above-mentioned disadvantages by providing a novel apparatus and method for lS cooling fish on board a ship.

Accord;ng to the present invention there is provided an apparatus for cooling fish on board a ship comprising:
an ice-making machine for processing fine ice particles in a brine 20 solution to form an ice-brine slurry, said ice-making machine having an inlet and an outlet, said outlet for dispensing said ice-brine slurry;
a vessel for containing seawater9 said vessel having an inlet for receiving said ice-brine slurry and an outlet, the inlet of said ice-making machine being connected to the outlet of said vessel via conduit means to permit ice-brine slurry held 5 in said vessel to be conveyed to said ice-making machine; and transport means connected to the outlet of said ice-making machine, said transport means being operable to direct said ice-brine slurry along one of at least two paths to either said vessel containing seawater or to a catch of fish.

In another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of cooling fish on board a ship comprising the steps of:

~L

;888
- 2 -produc;ng a slurry of fine ice particles in a brine solution via an ice-making machine located on said ship;
directing said slulTy from said ice-making machine onto either a catch of fish or into a vessel containing seawater for storing fish, and S recirculating pre-chilled slurry held in said vessel to said ice-making machine.

In still yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided in combination, a ship and an apparatus for cooling fish, said apparatus comprising:
an ice-making machine disposed on said ship for producing fine ice particles in a brine solution to form an ice-brine slurry, said ice-making machine having an inlet and an outlet, said outlet for dispensing said ice-brine slurry;a vessel disposed on said ship for containing seawater, said vessel having an inlet for receiving said ice-brine slurry and an outlet, the inlet of said ice-making machine being connected to the outlet of said vessel via conduit means to permit ice-brine slurry held in said vessel to be conveyed to said ice-making machine; and transport means disposed on said ship and being connected to the outlet of said ice-making machine, said transport means being operable to direct said ice brine slurry along at least one of at least two paths within said ship to either said vessel containing seawater or to a catch of fish.

The present method and appartus allow fish to be cooled in situ on board a ship, either by spraying ice directly ehereon or by immersing the fish in a vessel containing salt water with ice on the surface thereof. Different types of fish require one or the other of these different methods of cooling. Also, the use of fine ice particles provides for better cooling of the fish because the particles have a larger surface area and the brine drains quicldy therefrom. The brine quickly cools the fish while it drains and the fine ice particles completely cool the fish without freezing them.

rP
- 3 -Moreover, the use of A vessel containing salt water and ice provides a thermal storage unit which can increase the capaci~y of the ice-making machine. Pre-chilled seawater optionally containing ice particles can be obtained from this vessel to provide pre-chilled water for the ice-making machine and/or to provide chilled water S for the condenser of the ice-making machine.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will be further described, by way of illustration only, with reference to the ~llowing figures in which:
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of an apparatus for cooling fish on board a ship;
Figure 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of an alternative embodiment of an apparatus for cooling fish on board a ship;
Figure 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of another alternative embodiment of an apparatus for cooling fish on board a ship;
Figure 4a is a partial sectional view of a portion of the devices illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3; and Figure 4b is a cross section of the portion illustrated in Pigure 4a taken along line A-A.

Referring first to Figure 17 it can be seen that an apparatus 10 for cooling fish on board a ship comprises an ice-making machine 12 capable of producing a slurry of fine particles of ice in a brine solution to form an ice-brine slurry. The ice-making machine is of one of the designs disclosed in either U.S. Patent No.
4,551,159 issued November 5, 1985 (Goldstein) or U.S. Patent No. 4,796,441 issued on January 10, 1989 (Goldstein).

Brine enters the machine 12 through an inlet 14, and a slurry of fine ice particles in a brine solution exits the machine through an outlet 16. The ice-making machine preferably produces a slurry of 30-60% ice. The outlet is connected to apump 18 which is connected to a flexible hose 20. This hose 20 can be carried to B

~Z8~888 either a vessel 22 containing salt water or to a catch of fish 24 to direct the ice-brine slurry produced by the ice-making machine 12 directly to the catch of fish 24 or (as indicated by the dotted line) to the vessel 22.

S Figure 2 shows an alternative embodiment of the apparatus for cooling fish on board a ship. Components similar to those in Figure 1 will be given the same reference numeral, followed by the suffix "A". In this embodiment, the outlet 16A
of the ice-making machine 12A is connected by a three-way valve 26 to either thevessel 22A or to the catch of fish 24A.
A line 28 leads from the three-way valve 26 to the vessel 22A to transfer ice-brine sluITy to the vessel 22A. A second line 30 leads from the valve 26 to a separator 32 in which ice is at least partially separated from brine and is directed through the flexible hose 20A to the catch of fish 24A. The separator 32 comprises a screw conveyor with a screen disposed therebelow. The brine from the separator32 is sent by a line 34 to line 28 via a pump 35 and is thereby sent to the vessel 22A.

Makeup brine is sent to the vessel 22A via a direct seawater line 36 or from a brine storage unit 38. An outlet 40 in the lower portion 42 of the vessel 22A
is connected to the ice-making machine 12A to transfer pre-chilled brine to the ice-10 making machine. Agitators, such as water jets 44, are optionally provided in thevessel 22A to agitate the ice so that some ice is entrained in the pre-chilled`brine sent to the ice-making machine 12A.

In this embodiment, the efficiency of the ice-making unit is increased, 15 resulting in substantial cost savings and reduced space requirements for the ice-making machine, by using pre-chilled brine in the ice-making machine.

Figure 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the apparatus of Figures 1 and 2. Elements similar to those shown in Figures 1 and 2 will be referred to by .~

1zt3~888 the same reference numeral followed by the suffix "B". In this embodiment, some of the pre-chilled brine is sent to a condenser 46 of the ice-making machine 12B by a line 48. The warmed brine from the condenser 46 is then returned to the top of the vessel 22B for cooling via line 50. The use of the pre-chilled b~ne as a heat exchange S medium for t~e condenser of the ice-making machine results in further increased capacity of the ice-making machine.

Referring to Figures 4a and 4b, an embodiment of the discharge end 60 of the flexible hose 20 used in any of the above-mentioned systems 10 is shown. This 10 embodiment includes an ice slurry drier 62 comprising a housing 64 of circular cross-section having a sloped bottom wall 66, the bottom wall being provided with a drain 67. The housing includes an inlet 68 connected to the flexible hose 20 having a diameter greater than the diameter of the flexible hose 20. An outlet 70 is alsoprovided in the housing and has a diameter larger than that of the hose but less than that of the inlet 68. A closure flap 72 is pivotally connected to the outlet 70 ~o cover the housing outlet when ice-brine slurry is not being pumped therethrough.

A cylindrical sieve 74 is provided in the housing 64 and extends between the inlet and outlet 68 and 70 thereof. The sieve 74 has a diameter substantially the 20 same as the flexible hose 20 and directs the ice-brine slurry through the housing. The sieve 74 is also provided with a plurality of spaced slots 76 on a portion of its circumference that extend along the entire length of the sieve 74.

In operation, the ice-brine slurry produced by the ice-making machine 25 12 that is being discharged through the flexible hose passes from the hose 20 into the sieve 74. The longitudinally extending slots 76 do not impede the flow of the ice-brine slurry but allow excess brine to be drained from the ice-brine slurry. Theexcess brine passes through the slots 76 as ~e slurry moves along the sieve 74 and falls to the bottom of the housing 64. The sloped bottom wall 66 directs the excess 30 brine to the drain 67 so that the brine can be released from the housing. The drained ,~ .

28615~88 ice-brine slurry passes through the sieve 74 to the outlet 70 causing the flap 72 to open thereby allowing the ice-brine slurry to be applied to the catch of fish 24 or to the vessel 22. It should be noted that the drained brine can be re-circulated into the system 10 or the drain can be closed to prevent the drained brine from being released
5 from the housing 64.

It should also be realized that the drier 62 can be used in combination with the separator 32 to increase further the drying of the ice-brine slurry or can be used in the systems 10 without the separator to permit the drainage of brine from the 10 ice-brine slurry if desired.
B

Claims (24)

We Claim:
1. An apparatus for cooling fish on board a ship comprising:
an ice-machine machine for producing fine ice particles in a brine solution to form an ice-brine slurry, said ice-making machine having an inlet and an outlet, said outlet for dispensing said ice-brine slurry;
a vessel for containing seawater, said vessel having an inlet for receiving said ice-brine slurry and an outlet, the inlet of said ice-machine machine being connected to the outlet of said vessel via conduit means to permit ice-brine slurry held in said vessel to be conveyed to said ice-machine machine; and transport means connected to the outlet of said ice-making machine, said transport means being operable to direct said ice-brine slurry along one of at least two paths to either said vessel containing seawater or to a catch of fish.
2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 further including agitation means located in said vessel.
3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said ice-making machine has a condenser and wherein said apparatus further includes a connection between the outlet of said vessel and the inlet of said condenser, and wherein the outlet of said condenser is connected to said vessel.
4. An apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said transport means comprises a pump connected to a flexible hose.
5. An apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein the outlet of said ice-making machine is connected by a three-way valve to both a flexible hose and to a line leading to said vessel.
6. An apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein an ice and liquid separator is associated with said transport means to separate ice from brine.
7. An apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein said separator is connected to a line leading from an outlet of said ice-making machine, and wherein an ice outlet of said separator is connected to a flexible hose and a brine outlet of said separator is connected to said vessel.
8. An apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said flexible hose includes means for separating ice from brine.
9. An apparatus as defined as defined in claim 8 wherein said means for separating ice from brine includes a cylindrical sieve having longitudinally extending slots formed therethrough.
10. An apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein said sieve is provided in ahousing, said housing having a sloped bottom wall and a drain formed in said bottom wall, said bottom wall directing brine passing through said slots towards said drain.
11. An apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein said housing further includes a closure flap pivotally connected at the outlet end thereof.
12. A method of cooling fish on board a ship comprising the steps of:
producing a slurry of fine ice particles in a brine solution in an ice-making machine located on said ship;
directing said slurry from said ice-making machine onto a either a catch of fish or into a vessel containing seawater for storing fish; and recirculating pre-chilled slurry held in said vessel to said ice-making machine.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein at least some of the brine solution is removed from said slurry prior to directing said slurry onto said catch of fish.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein the removed brine solution is sent to said vessel.
15. The method of claim 12 wherein the contents of said vessel are agitated.
16. The method of claim 12 wherein the pre-chilled brine solution recirculated from said vessel is directed to a condenser in said ice-making machine and wherein warmed brine solution from said condenser is directed to said vessel.
17. In combination a ship and an apparatus for cooling fish, said apparatus comprising:
an ice-making machine disposed on said ship for processing fine ice particles in a brine solution to form an ice-brine slurry, said ice-making machine having an inlet and an outlet, said outlet for dispensing said ice-brine slurry;a vessel disposed on said ship for containing seawater, said vessel having an inlet to receive said ice-brine slurry and an outlet, the inlet of said ice-machine machine being connected to the outlet of said vessel via conduit means to permit the ice-brine slurry held in said vessel to be conveyed to said ice-making machine; and transport means disposed on said ship and being connected to the outlet of said ice-making machine, said transport means being operable to direct said ice-brine slurry along one of at least two paths within said ship to either said vessel containing seawater or to a catch of fish.
18. The combination of claim 17 further including agitation means located in said vessel.
19. The combination of claim 17 wherein said ice-making machine has a condenser and wherein said apparatus further includes connections between the outlet of said vessel and the inlet of said condenser and the outlet of said condenser and the inlet of said vessel.
20. The combination of claim 18 wherein said transport means comprises a pump and a flexible hose.
21. The combination of claim 18 wherein the outlet of said ice-making machine is connected by a three-way valve to both a flexible hose and a line leading to said vessel.
22. The combination of claim 18 wherein an ice and liquid separator is associated with said transport means to separate ice from brine.
23. The combination of claim 22 wherein said separator is connected to a line leading from an outlet of said ice-making machine and wherein an ice outlet of said separator is connected to a flexible hose and a brine outlet of said separator is connected to said vessel.
24. The combination of claim 21 wherein said flexible hose includes means for separating ice from brine.
CA000572586A 1987-07-20 1988-07-20 Method and apparatus for cooling fish on board a ship Expired - Fee Related CA1286888C (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US7546587A 1987-07-20 1987-07-20
US075,465 1987-07-20

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1286888C true CA1286888C (en) 1991-07-30

Family

ID=22125938

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000572586A Expired - Fee Related CA1286888C (en) 1987-07-20 1988-07-20 Method and apparatus for cooling fish on board a ship

Country Status (2)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1286888C (en)
ZA (1) ZA885265B (en)

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ZA885265B (en) 1989-06-28

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