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Variable Power, Voltage and Frequency Insensitive Vapor Phase Compressor Cycle Ice Plant--Lynntech, Inc., 7610 Eastmark Drive, College Station, TX 77840-4023; 409-693-0017
Dr. Craig C. Andrews, Principal Investigator
Dr. G. Duncan Hitchens, Business Official
DOE Grant No. DE-FG03-98ER82609
Amount: $750,000
As a means of providing electricity to rural and developing regions, alternative forms of power generation have been utilized. However, it has not been possible to use this electricity for manufacturing ice, (needed for produce packing, food storage, and quality of life). This is because typical ice plants require continuous operation at full capacity while alternative power generation systems may not provide this capacity. This project will apply novel refrigeration techniques with an off-the-shelf compressor and icemaker to develop an ice plant that produces quality ice with variable power consumption. The power system is designed to be suitable for use with wind turbines or other alternative energy sources. In Phase I, a 3-5 ton per day ice plant was fabricated and tested with power settings from 9,000 watts to below 900 watts. This effort included the development of the control program and hardware for the refrigerator system. In Phase II, the ice plant will be installed in the field and directly coupled to a 10 kw turbine. A scaled-up ice plant (approximately 30 ton) will be fabricated, tested and demonstrated.
Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: This technology should be applicable to the manufacturing of ice in situations where the energy source is incompatible with standard refrigeration systems. Applications include produce packing, fishing, and medical use as well as refrigeration for cold storage and comfort air conditioning.