A stirrer includes a stirring shaft; a plurality of mixing wings extending from the lower end of the stirring shaft and spaced from each other around the stirring shaft; and a conical hub connecting the lower ends of the mixing wings.

A freezing detection device to be applied to a liquid cooling apparatus including a liquid tank for storing a liquid whose freezing is to be detected and a cooling unit located inside the liquid tank to cool the liquid, the freezing detection device comprises: a temperature detecting unit located at a predetermined distance from the cooling unit; and a determining unit configured to determine whether or not the liquid has frozen around the temperature detecting unit based on an output from the temperature detecting unit, the determining unit determining whether or not the liquid has frozen around the temperature detecting unit based on whether the output from the temperature detecting unit is fluctuating or not.

A drinking-water cooling system for cooling, storing and filtering drinking water, wherein at least one drinking-water reservoir for storing the drinking water and at least one cooling unit for cooling the drinking water stored in the drinking-water reservoir and at least one filter unit for filtering and/or purifying the drinking water to be cooled and stored, said filter unit comprising at least filter water, are provided, wherein the drinking-water reservoir comprises at least one inflow opening for filling and/or for the inflow of the drinking water to be cooled and stored and one outflow opening for the removal and/or outflow of the cooled and stored drinking water, is proposed, wherein the design complexity and economic expenditure and/or the energy consumption is reduced as much as possible in comparison with the prior art and/or convenience is improved for the user. This is achieved in one example in that a fixing unit comprises at least one first coupling element of a coupling unit for releasably fixably coupling the filter unit, so that the filter unit is in the form of an exchangeable filter unit.

The present invention provides a cold water tank. In the cold water tank, an accommodation space for accommodating a fluid is partitioned by means of partition walls alternately disposed in the transverse direction such that the fluid flows straight along the partition walls, and an evaporator having m evaporation pipes forming an offset and m1 connection pipes connecting the m evaporation pipes is disposed in the accommodation space opposite to the partition walls so as to be heat-exchanged with the fluid. Therefore, the cold water tank has increased contact surface area heat-exchanged with the fluid and prevents excessive ice formation, and thus provides an enhanced cold water dispensing performance.

A drink station is provided with an alkaline filter cartridge in fluid communication with an ambient temperature water line provide alkaline water, and with a chilled water mixed with the alkaline water at a spigot to provide chilled alkaline water. A hot water heating element is located below the spigot so hot water flows upward for dispensing from the spigot, with a vent line between the heating element and spigot helping hot water to flow from the spigot to the heating element. A refrigeration system and a carbonation system is also provided. The refrigeration system uses the ice-bank technology. A submersible agitator pump improves heat exchanged between ice-bank and water by forced convection. The agitator pump operating based on the temperature of the drinking water. A figure eight evaporator coil can provide two cylindrical ice banks and two chilled water coils to increase the chilled water capacity.

A water dispenser includes a filter unit filtering raw water supplied from a raw water supply unit to produce purified water, a cold water tank assembly cooling purified water to produce cold water, a refrigerating cycle device maintaining cooling water filled in a cooling water accommodation unit at a low temperature, a cooling water flow channel supplying water to the cooling water accommodation unit, a flow rate sensor measuring a flow rate of water supplied to the cooling water accommodation unit, a stirrer to stir the cooling water filled in the cooling water accommodation unit, and a controller determining whether cooling water has been filled up to a reference water level on the basis of a rotation speed of the stirrer per unit time.

An apparatus (100) for purifying liquid comprises an irradiation chamber (102) upon which are disposed a plurality of UV-LEDs (112) which irradiate a flow (110) of liquid as it passes therethrough; a coolant conduit (104) is disposed about said irradiation chamber (102) and UV-LEDs (112), which conducts a flow (126) of a coolant fluid through it thereby cooling the flow (110) of liquid and the plurality of UV-LEDs (112).

A thermoelectric wine pouch cooler/dispenser apparatus powered by household current has a thermally insulated cabinet that sits on a countertop or other flat surface and has a thermoelectric cooling system. The cabinet has at least one thermally insulated compartment that receives a removable bag support housing containing a collapsible flexible wine-filled bag from a bag-in-box wine container and its dispensing valve. The bag support housing includes a spring biased plate to facilitate emptying of the contents of the bag. The temperature of each compartment is individually controlled by a digital temperature controller and a thermoelectric cooling assembly which includes a fan and a cold plate engaged on a thermally conductive heat transfer block at the top of each compartment which engages the bag support housing.

An apparatus for cooling a containerized fluid apparatus has a refrigerant-delivery assembly axially depending from a handle assembly. The handle assembly forms a receptacle for receiving a canister of refrigerant such as pressurized liquid carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2). The refrigerant-delivery assembly comprises a supply tube through which refrigerant is fed from the canister in the handle assembly to a refrigerant-containment compartment enclosing an exit port of the supply tube and entry ports of one or more expansion tubes. The refrigerant-containment compartment places the supply tube in fluid-flow communication with the expansion tubes. The expansion tubes are rotatable about the axis of the supply tube. The expansion tubes are made to rotate by either a nozzle-turbine feature or a motor-and-gear subassembly. As refrigerant expands in the expansion tubes it takes on heat in accordance with thermodynamic properties thereby cooling the containerized fluid.

A bottled water dispenser is disclosed that includes a water bottle, a cold tank, and an ozone generator, which is fluidly coupled to a Y-connector. The dispenser includes a first tube that is fluidly coupled to a first port of the Y-connector, with the first tube being configured to deliver ozone gas to the cold tank. The dispenser further includes a second tube that is fluidly coupled to a second port of the Y-connector, with the second tube being configured to deliver ozone gas to the water bottle. The ozone gas is effective to sterilize and prevent biofilm formation within the interior areas of the cold tank and water bottle. The dispensers further include an in-line flow restrictor positioned in-line with either the first tube or second tube, which helps balance the flow of ozone that is delivered to the cold tank and water bottle.