Liquid or pasty product ice cube maker

Abstract

The invention concerns a method and an equipment for making ice cubes of liquid or pasty products comprising a honeycomb conveyor belt transporting the product to be processed along a path passing through at least the following three zones: a zone for metering and depositing the product to be processed in the cells; a cold input zone where preferably a cryogenic liquid solution completes the freezing of the ice cubes; and a stripping zone. Further, the honeycomb belt is bottomless, and located in an upstream zone opposite a cooled surface acting as a base of the partial mold formed by the cells, so as to harden the part of the product in contact with the cooled surface, thereby producing the base of the ice cube.

1 - 7 . (canceled) 
   
   
       8 . An item of equipment for producing ice cubes from liquid or pasty products, comprising a honeycomb conveyor belt capable of conveying the product to be treated in the equipment along a treatment path passing through various zones of the equipment, and employing the following arrangements:
 a) the equipment comprises successively at least the following three zones:
 1) an upstream zone comprising a device for metering and depositing the product to be treated in the cells of the belt; 
 2) a zone for providing cooling; and 
 3) a stripping zone; 
   b) said conveyor belt is a bottomless honeycomb belt; and   c) the belt is located in said upstream zone opposite a cooled surface that acts as a bottom for the partial mold made up of the cells.   
   
   
       9 . The item of equipment for producing ice cubes of  claim 8 , wherein said cooled surface is a metal plate of a cryogenic liquid exchanger. 
   
   
       10 . The item of equipment for producing ice cubes of  claim 8 , wherein said zone for providing cooling is a bath of cryogenic liquid into which the belt passes on leaving said upstream zone, the height of the bath being preferably at least equal to the height of the bed of product in the cells. 
   
   
       11 . The item of equipment for producing ice cubes of  claim 8 , wherein said zone for providing cooling comprises one or more processes for providing cooling among the following processes: mechanical cooling, sprays of cryogenic liquid, a porous belt that can be impregnated with cryogenic liquid. 
   
   
       12 . The item of equipment for producing ice cubes of  claim 8 , wherein the stripping zone comprises a shaft fitted with positive impressions around which the belt is rolled up, that can in this way not only drive the belt but can also be forced into the cells of the belt in order to push the ice cubes out of these cells. 
   
   
       13 . A method for producing ice cubes from liquid or pasty products, in an item of equipment comprising a honeycomb conveyor belt capable of conveying the product to be treated in the equipment along a treatment path passing through various zones of the equipment, the equipment comprising at least the following three zones:
 a) an upstream zone comprising a device for metering and depositing the product to be treated in the cells of the belt;   b) a zone for providing cooling; and   c) a stripping zone,   
     and employing the following measures:
 d) said conveyor belt is a bottomless honeycomb belt; 
 e) the belt is located in the zone upstream from where the product to be treated is deposited, opposite a cooled surface that serves as a bottom for the partial mold made up of the cells, so as to produce crusting of the part of the product in contact with the cooled surface and to create in this way the bottom of the ice cube; and 
 f) complete or partial freezing of the ice cubes is carried out in the zone for providing cooling. 
 
   
   
       14 . The method for producing ice cubes of  claim 13 , wherein the ice cubes are frozen in the zone for providing cooling by causing the belt to pass through a bath of cryogenic liquid, of which the height is preferably at least equal to the height of the bed of product in the cells.