Slurry Ice Machine
1. Category Introduction
DAXTRO slurry ice machines produce pumpable ice slurry, a mixture of microscopic ice crystals and water that flows like a liquid at around minus 1.5 degrees Celsius. Daily capacity ranges from 300 kg to 50 tons.
Because the slurry can be pumped through pipes and hoses, it reaches places that solid ice cannot: into fish holds, along conveyor lines, into mixing tanks. And because the crystals are tiny and soft, the slurry does not damage the surface of the product, which is why slurry is the premium choice for high value seafood.
The evaporator is a scraped surface cylinder with a mechanical blade that continuously removes the ice layer before it can build into a solid. Ice contact surfaces are 316L stainless steel, CE marked and built under ISO 9001.
2. Working Principle
How the slurry is made
Seawater or fresh water is pumped through a cylindrical evaporator while refrigerant boils on the outside of the cylinder. Ice crystals form on the inner wall almost immediately, and a rotating scraper blade lifts them off before they can bind into a solid layer.
Why it stays liquid
The crystals stay small, typically well under a millimetre, and remain suspended in the carrier liquid. The result is a two phase fluid with a very high ice fraction that still flows, so it can be pumped rather than shovelled.
Why it cools fastest
Slurry makes full contact with every surface it touches, including inside a fish body cavity, and it sits at a stable sub zero temperature. Heat transfer is direct and continuous, with no air gaps and no melt water dilution.
3. Performance Advantages
▪ Pumpable, so it reaches the product. Slurry flows through hoses and pipes into holds, tanks and lines. No manual shovelling, no dead zones, no handling labour at the point of use.
▪ Protects the product surface. Microscopic soft crystals chill fish and seafood without abrasion or pressure marks, preserving skin and flesh quality and therefore price.
▪ Highest ice fraction of any ice type. A high proportion of the mass is actual ice, so a small volume of slurry removes a large amount of heat.
▪ Stable temperature, no stratification. Because it is pumped and circulated, temperature stays uniform through the whole load instead of varying with depth as it does with solid ice.
▪ Seawater or fresh water. The same machine can run on seawater for on board use or fresh water for land based processing, which simplifies spares and training across a fleet.
▪ Small footprint per ton of cooling. The evaporator is compact relative to the cooling delivered, useful where deck or plant space is tight.
4. Applications
▪ Seafood, on board and on shore. Slurry in the hold, pumped around the catch, keeping fish at temperature without pressure damage. The standard for premium tuna and pelagic handling.
▪ Supermarket fresh counters. A pumpable ice bed that can be topped up through a hose, keeping display temperature even across the counter.
▪ Poultry and meat chilling. Rapid, uniform chilling in tanks and on lines, with slurry circulating rather than sitting static.
▪ Concrete cooling. Pumped into the mix or used to pre cool aggregates on mass pours where access is difficult.
▪ Chemical and pharmaceutical. Controlled, pumpable cooling for reactors and process lines where a steady temperature is critical.
▪ Vegetable and produce pre cooling. Fast removal of field heat immediately after harvest, extending shelf life without surface damage.
5. After-Sales Service
▪ Global spare parts stock. Nine service hubs hold scraper blades, shaft seals, pumps and control components. Seals and blades are consumables and kept in stock.
▪ Seal and blade service. Shaft seal condition is the main wear point on a scraped surface evaporator. A replacement schedule and setting guidance are supplied, with remote support for the change out.
▪ Remote commissioning and support. Concentration control, blade clearance and pump settings are reviewed before shipment and during commissioning by video.
▪ Documentation package. Operation manual, electrical drawings, refrigerant and slurry circuit schematics and spare parts list in English.
▪ Warranty and response. Twelve months warranty on the machine, longer on the compressor per its own terms. Inquiries answered within one working day.
