It’s funny how the phrase “Breaking the ice” came to be associated with conversation starters. Perhaps some clever guy back in the day decided to strike up a conversation with any stranger by going bragging how he could go “Karate” on blocks of Ice. Whatever may have been the theme or sentiment behind the expression, it clearly holds true to this day when its is used to refer to the chill between to complete strangers and turn them into chatty chums.

So now that we’ve rather discussed on the etymology of the phrase “Breaking the ICE”, let’s actually discuss how Ice comes. A lot of us can easily answer it in a one liner ”It comes from Freezing water”. A few others who know a bit of science would say “reducing the temperature of water to below zero degrees centigrade”. These statements hold true for why Ice is formed, but don’t say how Ice can be made. So, why let the ambiguity remain? Let’s explore the science behind making ice. 

Can Ice be made this way?

Or this way?

While it may be cool to imagine a world where ice can be produced by a Disney Princess (yes, we are talking about Elsa from Frozen), in the real world it’s a laborious and tech intensive process.

So how is Ice made?

In the ancient ages Ice was harvested in a manner not too different from the Ice cutters shown in above imagery. But today, ice is no longer harvested. It is rather produced on an industrial scale by equipment generically known as Ice machines. These ice machines which come in various shapes and sizes are used to produce ice in the hottest of environments. With varied uses such as food storage, processing, chemical manufacturing, concrete curing and retail packaging, Ice in itself is a very important commodity in today’s industrialized world. 

Moving on, let’s learn a thing or two about these “Ice machines”. Essentially they are all refrigeration equipment and they all work the same way. Ice machines are made of four key components; the evaporator, the condenser, the compressor and the throttle valve. They also require what is known as a refrigerant. A refrigerant usually has a very simple working principle. In layman terms, it is used to soak up the heat from water to the point that the refrigerant turns from a liquid into vapours while the liquid it came in contact with cools down. Liquid ammonia acts as a refrigerant in ice plants. Evaporation of a liquid needs heat energy. When liquid ammonia vapourizes, it absorbs large quantities of heat without changing its temperature. For these reasons, ammonia is widely used as a refrigerant.

As far as the equipment in the ice machines, they have their own uses. The function of a compressor is to compress low-pressure refrigerant (Liquid Ammonia) vapors into a high-pressure vapors, and deliver it to the condenser. In the condenser, the high-pressure vapor becomes a liquid with high-pressure and is drained out through the throttle valve to become a low-pressure liquid. This low pressure liquid which has a very low temperature is conducted to the evaporator. The evaporator, also called a heat exchanger is where the water is stored. The heat present in the water is absorbed by the liquid ammonia and in turn ice is created. The liquid ammonia turns into vapours and goes back to the compressor, thereby completing one complete refrigeration cycle. 

This is how all ice in the world is made artificially !  

Watch the following video to know more about these machines.