Water when made into a solid mass by the application of cooling is known as ice. It is one of the essential medium for short-term preservation of highly perishable commodities such as marine foods, fresh meat and poultry products, dairy products and fruit and vegetables. These goods can be stored for about 2 to 3 days with ice. This fact facilitate the transportation of these foods to the consumer market. Ice is also used in the chemical, pharmaceutical, canning and freezing industries. Besides, it is being used for children and serving synthetic or fruit beverages, Jellies, etc.
The term ice plant is used in this note to mean a complete installation for the production and storage of ice, including the icemaker itself, that is the unit that converts water into ice together with the associated refrigeration machinery, harvesting and storage equipment, and the building.
Ice plants are usually classified by the type of ice they produce; hence there are block ice plants, flake ice plants, tube, slice or plate ice plants and so on. Ice plants may be further subdivided into those that make dry or wet ice. Dry ice here means ice at a temperature low enough to prevent the particles becoming moist; the term does not refer in this note to solid carbon dioxide. In general, dry subcooled ice is made in plants that mechanically remove the ice from the cooling surface; most flake ice plants are of this type. When the cooling surface of an icemaker is warmed by a defrost mechanism to release the ice, the surface of the ice is wet and, unless the ice is then subcooled below 0°C, remains wet in storage; tube ice and plate ice plants are of this type.
The global ice maker market will grow steadily during the next four years and post a CAGR of more than 8% by 2021. The increasing demand for ice makers in the healthcare industry as one of the primary growth factors for this market. The healthcare industry increasingly uses ice maker machines for various critical applications such as storing organs and for rehabilitation procedures. Additionally, a number of biochemistry, microbiology, biotechnology, and genetic engineering laboratories also have a constant need for ice to store biological samples and warrant transportation to other facilities. Moreover, the rising popularity cryotherapy that is mainly used in the treatment and healing of various sports injuries, will also increases the demand for ice for ice bath and massage, in turn, fueling the demand for ice making machines.
