KAB-Ice’s ice and ice water plants for the concrete cooling industry boast a 30 to 50 per cent higher energy efficiency compared to competitive products on the market, according to the German manufacturer.

This quality has helped the company secure a place as a member of the ‘Export Energy Efficiency’ initiative in its home country, says a spokesman for the company.
The company will promote its broad range of advanced concrete cooling systems at The Big 5, with the spotlight being on its new ice storage and weighing system – the patented 60-tonne KAB-Ice ice storage unit.
KAB-Ice’s ice and ice water plants offer high performance even under the most arduous of environmental conditions, according to the spokesman. “Even under the extremely demanding weather conditions in the Middle East, a single KAB88 ice machine can produce up to 88 tonnes of ice or alternatively up to 244 cu m of chilled water to 1 deg C per day. If larger volumes are needed then up to four ice machines can be combined where individual systems are linked via standard hose connections,” he says.
Elaborating on how the system works, he says: “During ice production, the water flows over stainless-steel, honeycomb-shaped cushions ‘pillow plates’ which are filled with liquid ammonia. The low temperature of the pillow plates leads to water cooling or freezing. The operator can select either ice or chilled water mode, which will adjust the ammonia temperature inside the plates allowing either ice or chilled water to be generated from the same module.
“During ice production, 4-mm to 7-mm-thick, ice sheets accumulate on the pillow plates with the thickness controlled by a timer. When the desired ice thickness is achieved, the ice plate is expanded to remove the ice.
“The transition from cold water to ice production is controlled by a switch. When operating several units together, the product to be supplied can be selected individually per each system module. This system gives the operator great flexibility to choose between ice or chilled water production responding to the amount required on each day.”
Another advantage of the system is its portability ensured by the set-up in a container. The ice machines are incorporated in a 40-inch cube container, which makes both set-up and transport easier. The standardised interfaces used throughout
the entire KAB-Ice system ensure quick on-site commissioning.
“The ice production technique adopted in the KAB-Ice system results in very high energy-efficiency, while still ensuring the production of large ice volumes. The KAB88 system consumes only about 135 kW/h for the production of 88 tonnes of ice per day, which – when compared to conventional flake-ice systems with a similar output – corresponds to energy savings of approximately 40 to 50 per cent,” the spokesman says. “In recognition of this, KAB was recently awarded the most energy-efficient product in its class by the German Ministry of Economy and Technology.”
Up to four KAB-Ice machines can be combined on a single ice storage facility. Such a plant extension can be implemented at any time. In addition, customised solutions including more than four ice systems or customer-specific adjustments to existing ice-conveying and/or storage units are possible.
Turning to the 60-tonne KAB-Ice unit, the spokesman says maximum reliability of ice supply is ensured by this ice storage unit which, contrary to most other commercially-available systems, does not require additional cooling!
These units employ the ‘Fifo’ (first in, first out) principle, where the oldest ice is consumed first. “This principle eliminates dead stock issues as older ice is more likely to conglomerate with long holding times as is seen in competitor units where operators need to routinely clean hardened ice from ice storage,” the spokesman says.
The freshly produced ice falls from the KAB-Ice machine directly onto the patented augers screws at the base of the storage unit. These screws convey the ice to the transverse/discharge screw at the head of the ice storage unit. The discharge screw can be operated on its own and can convey ice to two separate outlets in the standard design. These outlets can then be used to feed ice into two separate batch plants from the single storage.
Due to the special consistency of the KAB system ice, the screws are able to convey the ice over long distances and at an angle exceeding 45 degrees, which is not possible with conventional systems, he claims.
Prior to dosing into the mixer, the ice passes through a weighing system. The completely galvanised weighing container has a very robust design and can be positioned either above a conveyor or directly above a mixer. It has a standard capacity of 450 kg of ice but custom quantities are possible.
KAB-Ice will be present at Stand P133 within the Zabeel Hall.