An ice maker includes a harvest motor and an ice tray operably coupled to the harvest motor. The ice tray has a plurality of heat sinks coupled to a bottom section of ice forming cavities on the ice tray. The harvest motor is operable to twist the ice tray for causing the plurality of heat sinks to move relative to each other for releasing ice pieces from the ice forming cavities.

A novel method for freeze-related separations, involving the combination of water with a selected concentration of biogenic ice nucleation proteins, freezing the combination, and separating the ice, potentially via centrifugation or sublimation. In some instances, the freezing conditions and the concentration of the at least one biogenic ice nucleation protein are selected such that the aqueous solution, upon freezing, forms a lamellar ice crystal structure having at least one property selected from the group consisting of a solute inclusion volume at least 30% smaller than in the first material alone, a hydraulic diameter at least 30% larger than in the first material alone, an inclusion width that is less than 10% of a crystal dimension, a hydraulic diameter that is less more than 1.5 times that of an inclusion width, a deviation of crystal orientation angle in the transverse direction of less than 45 degrees, an ice crystal length in the transverse direction that is at least 10% larger than in the first material alone, and a length of the ice crystal structure in the longitudinal direction that is at least 10% larger than in the first material alone. The use of these structures result in a significant efficiency improvement and energy savings.

A grain dryer having a mixed-flow heating section, a tempering transition section, and a vacuum-cooled crossflow cooling section. A fan positioned on the end of the dryer creates a negative pressure in the cooling plenum that pulls air through the grain, warming the air while cooling the grain. This warmed air is pulled through the fan and then passed through a heater to bring it to appropriate drying temperature. This air is then pushed into a heating plenum, where it passes through a mixed-flow grain column, drying the grain, and then exhausted to ambient air.

A refrigerator and a control method of the same are disclosed, wherein the refrigerator comprises an ice tray for receiving water to generate ices; a motor capable of being rotated in a forward or reverse direction; an ejector including a rotary shaft rotating the ices made in the ice tray to discharge the ices from the ice tray, rotated by being axially connected to the motor, and a protrusion pin protruded in a radius direction of the rotary shaft to adjoin the ices; a heater for selectively supplying heat to the ice tray; a door switching sensor for sensing a storage compartment door's opening or closing, the storage compartment door being provided with the ejector; and a controller for turning the heater on or off in accordance with a rotation position of the ejector.

A refrigerator includes an ice tray, a motor, an ejector including a rotary shaft and a protrusion pin, and a heater for selectively supplying heat to the ice tray. A control method of the refrigerator includes a first step of sensing whether the ejector is rotated to reach a first setup position; a second step of driving the heater and stopping driving of an ice making compartment fan if the first step is satisfied; a third step of determining whether the ejector is rotated to reach a second setup position; and a fourth step of stopping driving of the heater if the third step is satisfied, and wherein the ejector continues to be rotated while the second to fourth steps are implemented.

A multi-stage separation heat-exchange type drying system is provided. A plurality of first heat exchange blocks of the first main body are installed to be spaced from each other at a predetermined interval, and first vortex generating blocks are installed between the first heat exchange blocks. Also, a plurality of second heat exchange blocks of the second main body are installed to be spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval, and second vortex generating blocks are installed between the second heat exchange blocks. The heat exchange occurs in a manner that the first heat exchange blocks and the second heat exchange blocks corresponding to each other, positioned up and down, exchange a heat medium therebetween.

A refrigeration system includes a generator, a power generation engine, a refrigerator, an electric power converter, an output control unit, and a characteristic estimation unit that estimates a refrigerator characteristic of a refrigerator according to an outside air temperature and a temperature of a cooling target space. The refrigeration system includes an output calculation unit that calculates a drive output as a target drive output that optimizes an energy efficiency of the entire system based on the refrigerator characteristic estimated by the characteristic estimation unit, an engine characteristic of the power generation engine, and a generator characteristic of the generator. Further, the output control unit controls the drive output to approach the target drive output calculated by the output calculation unit.

The unit comprises two similar heat exchangers (2.1, 2.2) included in the thermodynamic medium circuit through an inlet collectors (7.1, 7.2) and outlet collectors (8.1, 8.2), wherein the inlet collectors (7.1, 7.2) are connected with the outlet collectors (8.1, 8.2) through the perpendicular tubular flow channels (5.1, 5.2), wherein final sections (10.1, 10.2) of the flow channel connections (5.1, 5.2) to the outlet collector (8.1, 8.2) are bent off the plate of the radiator (4) common for both exchangers (2.1, 2.2) by a dimension (e) greater that half the sum of the outside diameters of the inlet (7.1, 7.2) and outlet collector (8.1, 8.2), wherein the tubular nozzle distributors, having many nozzle orifices on the side, directed coaxially to the flow channels (5.1, 5.2), are introduced to the inside of the inlet collectors (7.1, 7.2), wherein the diameters of the nozzle orifices increase successively from the end of the thermodynamic medium supply.

A method of making clear ice including filling an ice piece forming tray having an axis of rotation, a distal end, a motor engaging end, and plurality of ice piece making compartments with water. Freezing the water into ice by providing heat sinks disposed on and thermally connected to a bottom side of the ice piece forming tray. Removing heat from the plurality of heat sinks. Removing defrost water from the heat sinks by providing at least one defrost water channel along the axis of rotation, providing at least one defrost water channel along one of the distal end and the motor engaging end and connected to the defrost water channel along the axis of rotation. And delivering defrost water to a drain or defrost water catch tray positioned at one of the distal end and the motor engaging end.

The device comprises a closed, a heat-insulated storage tank with a water reservoir embedded inside, wherein a plurality of inner chambers are separated by horizontally mounted and spaced apart units with tubular heat exchangers, wherein each unit comprises two similar heat exchangers included in parallel the thermodynamic medium circuit through the inlet collectors (7.1) and the outlet collectors (8.2), wherein the inlet collectors (7.1) are connected with the outlet collectors (8.2) through the perpendicular tubular flow channels (5.1), wherein final sections (10.2) of the flow channel connections (5.2) to the outlet collector (8.2) are bent off the plate of the radiator (4) common for both exchangers by a dimension (e) greater than half the sum of the outside diameters of the inlet (7.1) and outlet collector (8.2), wherein the tubular nozzle distributors (11), having many nozzle orifices on the side, directed coaxially to the flow channels (5.1), are introduced to the inside of the inlet collectors (7.1).