In an effort to conserve energy by energizing defrost heaters when-and-only-when frost is actually present, New Avionics Corporation - a provider of ice detection systems – has launched a new optical defrost controller, Ice*Meister 9734.
Suitable for OEM factory installation or installed aftermarkets, the new optical defrost controller is ideal for commercial walk-in refrigerators and reach-in refrigerated display cases, and other self-defrosting chiller systems in supermarkets, restaurants, school cafeterias, convenience stores, and refrigerated display cases for food items such as sushi, pastries, gelato, ice cream, and more.
Frost is one of the major concerns in the food-service industries. It is a thermal insulator that forms out of thin air and accumulates on refrigerator coils and fins, thereby interfering with proper heat transfer.
Generally, frost is removed by a defrost heater that gets hot and melts the frost away. However, applying heat inside a refrigerator is counter-productive to keeping the food cold, so defrost heaters should be energized as little and infrequently as possible. The defrost cycle control is normally under control of primitive electro mechanical timer clocks.
According to New Avionics Corp., the new Ice*Meister 9734-REFR optical defrost controller minimizes frost accumulations on refrigerator evaporator coils and fins, thereby providing huge energy savings.
Consequently, by replacing primitive defrost timers with the new optical de-frost heater control, all insulating frost can be prevented.
Priced at $299.95 for 100 units, the new optical de-frost heater control is NASA-tested and works by sensing the interaction between molecules of accumulating frost and photons of light. As said by officials, the controller conserves energy by operating defrost heaters when and only when frost is present.
With this, energy can be conserved. However, the quantified amount of energy to be saved depends on a number of local variables, such as time of the day, ambient humidity, temperature, season of the year, staff diligence, local customs, and more.
While in operation, the Ice*Meister can sense the very earliest appearance of frost on refrigerator coils. When frost starts appearing, the controller signals the compressor to turn OFF, and the heater to turn ON (News - Alert). With this, the frost begins to melt immediately. Once the frost is removed, the controller signals the heater to turn OFF and turns the compressor to turn back ON again.
The refrigerator then returns to normal operation, with its defrost controller sweeping back-and-forth across the frost-formation threshold, and actively keeping the condenser coils frost-free, said officials with New Avionics Corp. in the release.
According to New Avionics Corp., the Ice*Meister can be installed on any refrigerator at the factory, or retrofitted in the field as an aftermarket product. It not only eliminates defrost cycles when there is no frost to be removed, but also initiates defrost cycles immediately as frost appears on evaporator coils.
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Jayashree Adkoli is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Jayashree's articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Rich Steeves
