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Integrated ice plants

An integrated ice plant is usually designed as a complete turnkey package to integrate into a new or existing production process. These plants can produce either granular flake ice or freshwater StreamIce® and consist of one or more ice production units paired with one or more ice storage / buffer units with automatic ice extraction.
     

Granular Flake Ice Systems

Granular flake automatic ice systems produce the ice into a silo or mini ice silo, which extracts the ice from the bottom of the silo via an auger system. This ensures that the first ice in is the first ice out, thus eliminating stale ice gathering in the bottom of the silo. The granular flake machines are intrinsically hygienic with their single pass water system design and the silo is made from easy to clean food grade polymer. We also have Hygiene + features that can be added to increase the hygiene further including UV filtration and automatic cleaning and sanitising systems for the machines.
     
 

The unit pictured on the left shows a UBE 3.500-2 granular flake ice machine in a stacked configuration, paired with an AS 500 mini ice silo. The ice machine produces 3.5 tonnes of ice per day, while the AS 500 holds around 500kg of ice as a buffer. A measured amount of ice is then dispensed as required into a BR 80 ice cart or similar receptacle ready for use within the recipe.

This automatic production, storage and dispensing of ice is much more hygienic than the manual handling of ice. The remote condensers pictured would be located outside the building for maximum production efficiency.

     

If room can be found immediately above the mixer / bowl chopper, then we can take this to the next logical step and introduce the measured ice straight from the ice buffer storage into the mixer, bowl chopper etc, thus eliminating another manual step in the process and another potential for contamination.

The unit pictured on the right has been designed to be located on a mezzanine or standard floor above the process floor and discharge ice into two mixers / bowl choppers close to each other below.

The small unit pictured next to the ice plant is an automatic cleaning / sanitising system that cleans and sanitises the internal water pathways within the machine, automatically maintaining ice hygiene. 

 

 
     
 

If no room can be found directly above the mixer / bowl chopper, then the plant can be offset and a screw conveyor used to take the ice horizontally to a point directly above where it is required to gravity feed the equipment below.

We can install up to three ice machines per silo in a system, arranged as shown in the image on the left.

     

Freshwater StreamIce® Systems

Freshwater StreamIce® (SIF) automatic ice systems produce their ice into an ice storage and agitation unit called an SIB-F 450. The SIF machines are intrinsically hygienic with their single pass water system design and the tank is made from easy to clean food grade polymer. We also have Hygiene + features that can be added to SIF systems to increase the hygiene further, including UV filtration and automatic cleaning and sanitising systems for the machines.
     
 

The unit on the left consists of a single stacked ice production unit feeding an SIB-F 450 storage tank.

The production unit feeds SIF ice into the tank. Chilled water can be used to supply the system instead of mains water to increase the thermal capacity of any given system. The agitation and conditioning system built into the SIB-F 450 keeps the Freshwater StreamIce (SIF) in a ready to use state. Once the ice is called for, the control system activates the built in pumping and dosing system and sends the required amount of ice to the designated point of use.

     

While SIF is not as energy dense as granular flake ice, it has the advantage that due to its binary nature it can be pumped over large distances. This means a single centrally located system of sufficient size can supply multiple spaced points of use.

The system on the right shows a single plant supplying ice on demand to multiple mixers within a production room. Also note the remote condensers located outside the building and the automatic cleaning and sanitising system next to the ice plant.

 
     
 

The ice machines feed ice by gravity to the SIB-F 450, so in situations where there is limited space on the production floor, either the whole system could be located on the floor above (height allowing) and pump down to the delivery points, or the ice machines could be moved up to a mezzanine or floor above the SIB-F 450 unit(s) which could remain below as per the image on the left.

There are many ways to configure these systems to suit various applications.

If you would like to speak to someone about one of these systems please contact us