A refrigerator includes: an ice maker for generating ice; an ice bin for storing the ice and including a rotational blade that is rotated in order to discharge the ice; a motor for generating power for rotating the rotational blade; a manipulation pad provided on the door of the refrigerator and manipulated to discharge the ice from the ice bin; a manipulation sensing part for detecting the manipulation of the manipulation pad; and a controller for operating the motor when the manipulation of the manipulation pad is detected by the manipulation sensing part, wherein the controller rotates the motor in one direction to discharge the ice from the ice bin and the controller rotates the motor in the other direction, which is the opposite direction of the one direction, for a set period of time when the manipulation of the manipulation pad is no longer detected.

A method for controlling an operation of an ice-making machine configured to make ice by cooling a medium to be cooled, through heat exchange with a refrigerant. The method includes increasing an evaporation temperature of the refrigerant to be supplied to the ice-making machine when a drive current for an ice scraper of the ice-making machine is more than a first current value.

An apparatus for generating and storing in a tank 22 a flowable slush 2 of frozen particles usable inter alia in Ice Pigging™ includes a control system 100 which is arranged to monitor an operating parameter OP of an agitator 23 in the storage tank. The control system initiates a slush comminution and separation or dewatering cycle when a control parameter CP based on the operating parameter OP reaches a threshold value CPt. The control parameter may represent a cumulative energy input to the storage tank 22. Comminution may be performed prior to separation, with the treatment cycle being terminated when a sensed rheometric parameter RP of the slush circulating in the treatment flowpath reaches a target value RPt.

an ice making system includes a tank that stores a medium to be cooled, an ice making machine that cools the medium and makes ice, a pump that circulates the medium between the tank and the ice making machine, a de-icing mechanism that heats the medium and melts the ice in the ice making machine, and a control device that controls operations of the ice making machine, the pump, and the de-icing mechanism. The ice making machine includes a cooling chamber that cools the medium, an inflow port through which the medium flows into the cooling chamber, and a discharge port through which the medium is discharged from the cooling chamber. The control device activates the de-icing mechanism when a pressure difference between a pressure of the medium at the inflow port and a pressure of the medium at the discharge port exceeds a predetermined value.

An ice making system includes a tank that stores a medium to be cooled, an ice making machine that cools the medium and makes ice, a pump that circulates the medium between the tank and the ice making machine, a de-icing mechanism that heats the medium and melts the ice in the ice making machine, and a control device that controls operations of the ice making machine, the pump, and the de-icing mechanism. The ice making machine includes a cooling chamber that cools the medium, an inflow port through which the medium flows into the cooling chamber, and a discharge port through which the medium is discharged from the cooling chamber. The control device activates the de-icing mechanism when a pressure difference between a pressure of the medium at the inflow port and a pressure of the medium at the discharge port exceeds a predetermined value.

A refrigerator according to the present invention includes: an ice maker for generating ice; an ice bin for storing the ice generated by the ice maker and including a rotational blade that can be rotated in order to discharge the ice; a motor for generating power for rotating the rotational blade; a manipulation pad provided on the door of the refrigerator and manipulated to discharge the ice from the ice bin; a manipulation sensing part for detecting the manipulation of the manipulation pad; and a controller for operating the motor when the manipulation of the manipulation pad is detected by the manipulation sensing part, wherein the controller may rotate the motor in one direction to discharge the ice from the ice bin and the controller rotates the motor in the other direction, which is the opposite direction of the one direction, for a set period of time when the manipulation of the manipulation pad is not detected by the manipulation sensing part during the process of discharging the ice.

An apparatus for generating and storing in a tank 22 a flowable slush 2 of frozen particles usable inter alia in ice pigging comprises a control system 100 which is arranged to monitor an operating parameter OP of an agitator 23 in the storage tank. The control system initiates a slush comminution and separation or dewatering cycle when a control parameter CP based on the operating parameter OP reaches a threshold value CPt. The control parameter may represent a cumulative energy input to the storage tank 22. Comminution may be performed prior to separation, with the treatment cycle being terminated when a sensed rheometric parameter RP of the slush circulating in the treatment flowpath reaches a target value RPt.

An ice-making method includes obtaining temperatures affecting ice making, determining, based on the temperatures affecting ice making, an operation sequence and a running mode for a refrigeration system and an ice scraping assembly of an ice-making apparatus, and controlling, based on the operation sequence and the running mode, the refrigeration system and the ice scraping assembly to operate.

An ice-making method includes detecting an actual operating current flowing through a drive motor of an ice scraping assembly of an ice-making apparatus. The drive motor is configured to drive an ice scraping blade of the ice-scraping assembly to rotate. The method further includes determining that the drive motor reaches a safety protection condition based on the actual operating current of the drive motor, and controlling, in response to the determination that the drive motor reaches the safety protection condition, the drive motor and a refrigeration system of the ice-making apparatus to stop operating.