Making Gigantic Ice Cubes In My Garage

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Yep - it's another refrigeration video. This time, instead of trying to go as cold as possible, I'm trying to go as big as possible, and I'll be building a 1,600-watt refrigeration system to freeze 25-gallon blocks of ice weighing over 200 lb.

Like other refrigeration systems I've built, this system uses rotary compressors and R290 (ordinary propane) as a refrigerant. But this particular system has a twist: it uses two compressors with different power levels running in parallel. As weird as that may sound, it works perfectly. The first compressor was made for R410A, so it was underloaded when it was used with propane, but instead of replacing it, I simply plumbed a second compressor made for R22 into the same refrigeration circuit.

Both compressors have their own condenser coils / fans, but the condenser outputs converge on the expansion valve (which is actually a needle valve for manual tuning). The evaporator consists of nearly 100 ft of 1/2" copper tubing, providing over a square meter of surface area for cooling.

The 25-gallon pot sits inside the evaporator coil in a tub filled with a 30% calcium chloride solution to maximize heat transfer to the ice without freezing. The solution does still freeze between -10C to -15C but it makes soft, crumbly ice that's easy to remove the 25-gallon pot from.

To remove the giant ice block from the cooling bath, a crane with a winch is used to hoist it up, move it clear of the bath, and lower it onto the garage floor. The pot is then flipped upside down, and as the outer surface warms, the ice inside slides clear of the pot. The Ice is then moved either by pushing or wheeling it on a dolly.

The ice blocks are then subjected to various experiments for the sake of YouTube entertainment. I'm really not sure if this project has any practical use (aside from maybe a thermal battery?), but the giant ice blocks are a ton of fun to play with, especially in Florida where there's almost never naturally-occuring snow or ice.

Music Used:

Kevin MacLeod - Local Forecast - Elevator
Kevin MacLeod - Bossa Antigua