Portable Thermoelectric Ice Maker
Team Members Heading link
- Robert Filec
- Corey Goetz
- Enrique Miranda
- Taylor Tsinonis
- Thomas Xiong
Advisor: Michael Brown, PhD
Sponsor: Michael Brown, PhD
Project Description Heading link
The purpose of this project is to create a portable ice maker that can be carried comfortably and used by campers/backpackers. Constraints given by the sponsor emphasized the weight of the ice maker to be under 5 lbs. The ice maker should be powered by an alternative source such as solar or a campfire and have a filtered water input. The output should be at least 25 cubes an hour once the system is stabilized. Reverse engineering an existing ice maker was vital to discovering what components took up the most size and space, and which could be removed. The team decided to investigate TEC/TEG (Thermoelectric Cooler/Generator) modules to be the heart of the ice making system. These devices are lighter, cheaper, and remove heat as well as create electricity depending on the application of a temperature difference or a power supply. An assembly composed of a blanket of TECs and a heat sink was fabricated to generate power. Through a temperature difference using a heat source placed under the assembly and a cold source in a tray above it, power can be generated. An assembly with a CPU fan, heat sink, TEC module and aluminum plate was placed inside the ice cube container to aid temperature transfer.
See supporting documentation in the team’s Box drive.