Ice cream machine including a baffled evaporator

Abstract

An ice cream machine for cooling liquid ice cream into frozen ice cream includes an evaporator with baffles. The evaporator can be a flooded evaporator or evaporator having an auxiliary tank or section of the evaporator that can ensure that a cooling chamber is surrounded by liquid refrigerant during normal operation.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An ice cream making system, comprising: 
 an evaporator having a refrigerant input and a refrigerant output, the evaporator having an exterior surface and an interior surface, the interior surface defining a cooling chamber, the interior cooling chamber having an ice cream input and an ice cream output, the exterior surface and the interior surface defining an evaporator chamber, the evaporator chamber including a relatively horizontal baffle system between the refrigerant input and the refrigerant output;    a compressor having a compressor input and a compressor output, the compressor input being coupled to the refrigerant output; and    a condenser having a condenser input and a condenser output, the condenser input being coupled to the compressor output and the condenser output being coupled to the refrigerant input.    
     
     
         2 . The ice cream making system of    claim 1   , wherein the evaporator includes an auxiliary evaporator means for minimizing accumulation of vapor around the interior chamber by collecting refrigerant in a vapor form.  
     
     
         3 . The ice cream making system of    claim 1   , further comprising: 
 an auger disposed in the interior chamber; and    a motor coupled to the auger, the motor driving the auger.    
     
     
         4 . The ice cream making system of    claim 1   , wherein the baffle system includes thin stainless steel walls.  
     
     
         5 . The ice cream making system of    claim 4   , wherein the baffle system defines a path, the path being significantly longer in a horizontal direction than a vertical direction.  
     
     
         6 . The ice making system of    claim 5   , wherein the baffle system includes at least 6 (six) walls.  
     
     
         7 . The ice making system of    claim 6   , wherein the path has a cross-sectional area of approximately 0.5 square inches.  
     
     
         8 . A frozen custard making system, comprising: 
 a compressor having a compressor input and a compressor output;    a condenser having a condenser input and a condenser output, the condenser input being coupled to the compressor output; and    an evaporator system having a evaporator input and an evaporator output, the condenser output is coupled to the evaporator input, the evaporator output is coupled to the condenser input, the evaporator system having an interior surface defining a cooling chamber for chilling a custard product, the evaporator system including a horizontal baffle system between the evaporator input and the evaporator output whereby liquid refrigerant substantially covers a surface area of the cooling chamber.    
     
     
         9 . The frozen custard making system of    claim 8   , further comprising an auxiliary evaporator for collecting vapor refrigerant.  
     
     
         10 . The frozen custard making system of    claim 9   , wherein the horizontal baffle system evaporator is cylindrical.  
     
     
         11 . The frozen custard making system of    claim 10   , wherein the cooling chamber is cylindrical  
     
     
         12 . The frozen custard making system of    claim 8   , further comprising: 
 a temperature sensor coupled to determine a temperature associated with the evaporator system and to generate a temperature signal; and    a control circuit coupled to the temperature sensor, the control circuit providing indicia if the temperature signal is below a threshold.    
     
     
         13 . The frozen custard making system of    claim 12   , wherein the indicia is illumination of a warning light.  
     
     
         14 . The frozen custard making system of    claim 8   , wherein the evaporator system is substantially filled with a liquid refrigerant, wherein the liquid refrigerant completely fills the evaporator in the area by the cooling chamber and fills the auxiliary evaporator one-half to two-thirds full.  
     
     
         15 . The frozen custard making system of    claim 8   , further comprising: 
 an expansion valve having a valve input and a valve output, the valve input being coupled to the conveyor output, the valve output being coupled to the evaporator input.    
     
     
         16 . An ice cream freezing machine, comprising: 
 an evaporator having a refrigerant input and a refrigerant output, the evaporator having an interior surface defining an interior cooling chamber;    wherein the evaporator includes an auxiliary evaporator, the auxiliary evaporator avoiding accumulation vapor in the evaporator in an area by the interior cooling chamber, the evaporation including a baffle system disposed adjacent the interior cooling chamber;    a compressor having a compressor input and a compressor output, the compressor input being coupled to the refrigerant output;    a condenser having a condenser input coupled to the compressor output and a condenser output coupled to the refrigerant input;    whereby a refrigerant travels from the condenser through the evaporator to the compressor    
     
     
         17 . The custard freezing machine of    claim 16   , wherein the baffle system includes horizontal walls defining horizontal chambers.  
     
     
         18 . The custard freezing machine of    claim 17   , wherein the horizontal chambers have a cross-sectional area of less than 1.0 square inches.  
     
     
         19 . The custard freezing machine of    claim 16   , further comprising: 
 an expansion valve having a valve input and a valve output, the valve input being coupled to the refrigerant input.    
     
     
         20 . The custard freezing machine of    claim 16   , wherein an accumulator/heat exchanger having a first input coupled to the condenser output, a first output coupled to the valve input, the second input coupled to the evaporator output, and a second output coupled to the compressor input