About 200,000 commercial ice machines go into service every year. A lot is demanded of them during their lifetime. They must deliver cubes in quantity to meet the demands of the business they serve, and the cubes must be uniform and crystal clear because in almost every instance, they not only provide cooling, but also contribute to the visual appeal of consumable food and beverage products.
The refrigeration system in a commercial ice machine typically includes a thermal expansion valve (TXV)-fed evaporator, compressor, condenser, and a hot gas solenoid valve that bypasses the condenser and the TXV so that hot gas can be briefly circulated in the evaporator to free the cubes during the harvest phase of the operating cycle.