GB2388650A - Drink cooling assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

An assembly for use in cooling the contents of a drinks can or container 29, comprises a housing 21 extending around a heat exchanger 22. The housing may be filled via an inlet (24, Fig.7) with a water/antifreeze fluid. The assembly is placed in a freezer to reach a sub-zero temperature. A further amount of water/antifreeze fluid is then placed in the assembly via a port 25, and the assembly rotated by drive means (23, Fig.7) causing the further water/antifreeze fluid to coat the inner wall of the heat exchanger 22. A can 29 is placed in the assembly and also caused to rotate with the housing thus cooling the contents of the can. A fan (26, Fig.7).

Description

( "A cooler for cooling drinks" This invention relates to fluid cooling

and is concerned more particularly with but not exclusively with the cooling oi'drinks.

Sub zero drinks coolers arc known and in use today The limitations 5 on their efficiency is that the fluid in the container is notedly turbulent and relies on the graduation oPhcat loss to remove all of its heat It is the object of this invention to provide a cooler fair ccolin=, fluid elf increased performance Accorc,in. to the present invention thy.> is provided a coolant chamber for the placement, inversion and rotation of at lutist one drinks container in a sub 10 zero anti-fi-eeze cookant cir adulated via a heat enchanted and r oration means to rotate said diinL;s container within the coolant Such ar arrangement is particularly a:anta<'eous as improved heist loss occurs betvcei, r!:e drinks container coolant an.l heat exchantref' the rate of which is subject to the laws of heat loss I'he invention will now be expl,ined by Oval of'example with reference to Fi>ures 7 and 8 of' the accornpariyin, dry wh >s Figures I and are an isometric vies\ of the fluid cooler' Fit Lure, is an isometric view of a stationary ice mould7 Figurc is a through section akin line C'""C" ol' the fluid À ogler t'or the removal of heat front the Natcr, I figure is a 0 cross section of this fluid cooler with the propulsion means for the rotation of the fluid container for the extraction of heat from the fluid container, and inure Is a cross section of the fluid cooler with the pr:,pul:iion means in its lowest most position For ease of understandin;, the fluid container will be referred to hereafter as the can.

-2 Rcferring to Figures 4-6 to initiate the cycle the water I is placed in a flexible container and the heat exchancr 3 with the contour 90 is placed on and seals the flexible container 2 The optional cooling fan 4 is switched on and all placed into a breezier The expansion of the ice is accommodated by the flexible container 2 and the heat exchanger /mould remains Mid to form the required contour in the ice When frozen the heat exchanger 3 is removed, the drive assembly 5 is slotted onto a pivot 6 and the can 7 is placed onto the contoured moulded ice The rotor 8 exerts rotary motion and downward pressure onto the can via the =rip rin' 9 10 'I'he rotation ol'the can produces a standin'wae 10 in the fluid which in torn helps to produce turbulence in the fluid 11, the eNer changing face of the fluid iri relation to the can transfers its heat into the can which in turn is in direct communication with the moulded ice thus losing, most of its he-at between point A and point 13 Tests have shown that a 500 ml can rotating at 2,00 rp In can be 1. cooled Prom 20 (I to 5 C in under minutes.N non-lnear curve is produced bc!ween heat l..ess and speed ol'rotatio.: Put for the-se purposes heat loss increases with speed The heat loss combined with the smooth running' of the can in the ice prevent carbonated drinks,,assiny up As the ice melts and the can 7 descends the drive assembly follovvs its progress by means of the pivot and can maintain the 90 can/ice interface by way of gravity or mechanical encouragement even when the L can may be buoyant in the melted ice The melted ice \vil} act as a lubricant to ensure smooth running The ice can be moulded in any way to accommodate any shape suitable for rotation As a precaution against end float, that is the propensity for the can to

(, -3 make contact with the outer casing during rotation, end stops can be moulded into the ice at either end of the contour to act as thrust washers or bearings, ends However, once the can has started its descent iTltO the ice these will be self:Iormin,, provided the length of the ice is sufficien!l\; longer than the can and the can is placed centrally to the ice When the process is finished the drive assembly 5 is removed and the heat exchanger Ed is replaced. the water is relearned to the shape of'the contour by displacement and replacel into the freezer The rc- freeze time will be lard determined by the aunt of heist ahorbed fTom the can(s) and the ambient 1() temperature of the freezer If'a fan Is Vised to speed the process it could he clock Fork to <void usin' batteries or powered by an ultra thin ribbon cable (as used to connect PC'E3s) stuck across the freezer door surround to prevent damage to the f'reel.er door seal T!,c drive assembly hits a motel 1. a drive belt 13 and pulleys 14- 15 1. When the drive assembly is louvered onto the can 7 the switch 17 supplies current from the power source I vat a variable- timer arid variable speed control 19 to the mentor 10 Once the ice has incited and the drive assembly is in its lowest pompon (Fi,,ure) the limit switch 16 will be tripped to stop rotation The drive assembly can be clock work OT cranked by hand if needs be At) Any number of drive wheels can be run from any nunbcr of motors to propel any number of fluid] containers It may be beneficial to reverse the direction of the motor periodically to produce increased turbulence and to produce an even melt rate on either side of the ice, or the contour coukl be offset from the centrc line of the ice

( -4 Figure 3 is a stand alone ice mould to produce replacement moulded ice in times of greatest demand It should be appreciated that the device could be self cooling' with any appropriate refrigerant apparatus, for example a Ivw friction contour surface could 5 replace the ice mould and the heat drawn out through the refrigerant or a bed of ice cubes could be used Figure 7 is an isometric view of the rotary heat exchan her and rotary ice mould Figures 8 is an isometric view of the control box, Fixtures 9 is a view alone' lines "13" -"O" of a rotary heat exchanuei and rotary ice rnould 10 Referring to l':urc 7 the flexible container 2 I contains a heat exchanger 22 is rotated by rotary means 23 and fluid is placed into filler port 24 The flexible container 21 is filecd faith a fluid such as water/antit'reeze through the filler port 24 and placed on the rotary means 23 The assembly is placed into a freezer and the fan 26, if fitted, is switched on eirculatin' cold air in and around the heat exchanger 15 When the fluid has reached sub-zero temperature a measured amount of water/ ntitreeze may be placed In the cooling port 2 which acts as a fluid conveyor and the heat e Schafer assembly 22 Is rotated by the drive melons 03 (which in this case f'ollQ.vs the principles of a stone polishing tumbler) fitted with spiked rotors, not shown, for maximum grip when icy The r>tatio,n causes the fluid to ride up the sides 20 of the heat exchanger coating the inner wall and when frozen forms a wall of slush or ice 28 thus moulding the ice dynamically by rotation The object to be cooled 29 is placed in the cooler port 25, when the heat exchanger assembly is switched on at the control box 27 the rotation of the heat exchanger causes the can to rotate at a ratio determined by the can diameter over the inner wall diameter and loses its heat in a

f -5 manner previously described The heat from the can Is dissipated into the slush/ice 98, in turn into the heat exchanger 22 and then into the slushfice in the flexible container 21, if fitted, or directly into the freezer When the can is removed (by a can shovel not shown) the heat exchanger continues to rotate thus re-coating the walls of 5 the heat exchanger with fluid which turns back into slushfice The control box 27 can be fitted with speed control and produce periodic rotation to present moving parts from icing up. thermostatic control timer, and a warnings device to prevent the freezer from over heatin<'. all theses controls are known arid prove n The system as described can be used dry by dispensin<' with the flexible contain Or The periphery oi 1() the heat exchanei 2 can be any size or shape Fir example oval to produce a stop-start notion it could be cor,,cal to allow a can to., pro ices from one end to another during= its rotation 'Ihis technique could be used for the cooling of any fi-eezer produce that benefits from heat loss such as some dairy products The apparatus can be built at a permanent fixture in a freezer with its I own separate door if r equired durin' manufacture or a removable addition Furthermore the arran.ú'enent can be used as a dehumidifier to reduce host in the freezer When the fan is on' the chill factor will reduce the temperature of' the heat exchanger malting it more likely to attract water particles This can easily he defrosted by soaking in warm water

Claims (1)

1. -6 CLAIMSi

   I A coolant chamber for the placement, immersion and rotation of at least one drinks container in a sub zero anti-freeze coolant circulated Via a heat exchanger and rotation means to rotate said drinks container within the coolant