Machine for making dry ice pellets

Claim 2

An ice pellet machine as specified in claim 2 wherein the die is formed as an internal ring gear with the draw hole openings extending from the gear teeth side of the die, and the extruder elements are gear pinions that rotate about the ring gear center in planetary motion and mesh with the die teeth for entraining and extruding snow at the draw holes.

Claim 3

An ice pellet machine as specified in claim 3 wherein gear teeth of the extruding die have draw holes that extend through the centers respectively of the teeth.

Claim 4

An ice pellet machine as specified in claim 3 wherein each tooth pitch throughout the periphery of the ring gear spans at least two peripherally spaced draw holes.

Claim 5

An ice pellet machine as specified in claim 5 wherein one draw hole of each tooth pitch extends from the top of the corresponding tooth to the exterior periphery of the ring gear, and the other peripherally spaced draw hole extends from the foot line of the tooth through the ring gear, whereby a snow charge carried between two adjacent pinion teeth is delivered to the first-named draw hole for extrusion therethrough and a following snow charge for the other draw hole is forced into the space between the corresponding die teeth by an adjacent pinion tooth.

Claim 6

An ice pellet machine as specified in claim 2 wherein the extruder elements are cylinder-like rolls that successively traverse the draw holes at the inner periphery of the ring die.

Claim 7

An ice pellet machine as specified in claim 7 wherein the rolls have gear teeth apart from the roll extruder surfaces, that engage corresponding teeth at the inner periphery of the ring die for causing positive rotation of the rolls in synchronism with the rotation of the carrier.

Claim 8

An ice pellet machine as specified in claim 7 wherein the rolls are mounted for free rotation.

Claim 9

An ice pellet machine as specified in claim 1 wherein liquid carbon dioxide is continuously flashed within a snow horn into said snow chamber, the horn having its exhaust opening opposite and over the extruding die for deposit of snow within the circumscribed ring area of the die.

Claim 10

An ice pellet machine as specified in claim 10 wherein a deflector is located between the horn exhaust and central ring area for radially directing the snow toward the ring die.

Claim 11

An ice pellet machine as specified in claim 11 wherein the deflector is a cone having its apex centrally of the horn exhaust and its base over the central ring area.

Claim 12

An ice pellet machine as specified in claim 10 wherein the snow horn and extruding die are mounted on common supporting structure and vibrator means is operatively connected to the structure for loosening collected snow within the horn and above the ring die area.

Claim 13

An ice pellet machine as specified in claim 10 wherein the horn is engaged by a vibrator operated by the power means, the vibrator including a percussion element for successively engaging the horn for freeing snow sticking to the inner surface thereof.

Claim 14

An ice pellet machine as specified in claim 10 wherein the longitudinal axis of the snow horn is deflected by a small angle from the projected axis of rotation of the extruder means for eccentric deposition of snow with respect to the extruder axis.

Claim 15

An ice pellet machine as specified in claim 10 wherein a flat ring dished at its inner periphery is mounted above and closely overhangs the inner side of the ring die and the traversing rotary extruder elements for guiding snow thereto, and a radially positioned snow leveler overhangs the dished ring.

Claim 16

An ice pellet machine as specified in claim 1, further including electrically powered means to prevent the sticking and accumulation of snow within the snow chamber.

Claim 17

An ice pellet machine as specified in claim 10 wherein the liquid carbon dioxide is directed through precooling coils surrounding the snow chamber prior to flashing in the snow horn, and excess carbon dioxide gas in the snow chamber is vented from the chamber for passing through precooling coils also surrounding the chamber.

Claim 18

A dry ice pellet machine comprising, housing means at least partly defining a snow chamber, carbon dioxide snow generating means at least partly within said chamber to direct snow into an extrusion means, said snow generating means including nozzle means and means to supply liquid carbon dioxide to said nozzle means under pressure, further means to remove carbon dioxide vapor from said snow chamber, said extrusion means at least partly defining the lower part of the snow chamber, said extrusion means including an annular extruding die positioned to receive the descending snow particles within its annular extent, said die having draw holes extending therethrough around the die periphery, rotary extruder elements mounted on a carrier for planetary motion within the annular die for successive traversing of the die draw holes, and power means for rotating the carrier for driving the rotary elements around the inner periphery of the extruding die for causing snow settling within the die area to be entrained and compressed between the rotary elements and die and extruded through the draw holes as ice pellets.

Claim 19

A dry ice pellet machine as defined in claim 19 wherein said snow generating means further includes a snow horn, and electrically powered means to counteract the tendency of the carbon dioxide snow to stick to the interior of the snow horn.

Claim 20

A carbon dioxide pellet machine for producing carbon dioxide ice pellets comprising, housing means at least partly defining a snow chamber, a frusto conical snow horn mounted in said chamber and being substantially vertically arranged with its wider end at the bottom, nozzle means at the upper end of the horn, means to supply liquid carbon dioxide to said nozzle means, means to remove carbon dioxide vapor from said chamber, extrusion means below said snow horn to receive the snow generated therein, said extrusion means including an extrusion ring die having an inner diameter greater than the diameter of the wider end of the snow horn so that the snow is deposited within the ring die, said ring die having draw holes extending therethrough around the ring periphery, extruder elements mounted within the ring die for successive traversing of the die draw holes, power means for driving the extruder elements for causing snow to be compressed by the extruder elements and extruded through the draw holes as ice pellets.

Claim 21

A pellet machine as set forth in claim 21 further including electrically powered means to free the snow horn from sticking snow.