US20110120163A1

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Info

Publication number: US20110120163A1
Application number: US12/905,610
Authority: US
Inventors: Stephen M. Wadle; Robert K. Newton; Peter F. McNamee
Original assignee: Carrier Corp
Current assignee: Carrier Corp; Taylor Commercial FoodService LLC
Priority date: 2009-10-19
Filing date: 2010-10-15
Publication date: 2011-05-26

Abstract

A semi-frozen product dispenser (10 or200) is provided for at least partially freezing and dispensing a product. The product dispenser may include at least one freezing barrel (20-1) defining a freezing chamber (C1) configured to receive the product. A refrigeration system (60 or260) is provided for at least partially freezing product in the freezing chamber (C1). A fluid heating system (80 or280) is also provided to remove heat from the refrigeration system (60 or260) and use it in an auxiliary system, such as a water pre-heating system. The fluid heating system (80 or280) may include a fluid heat exchanger (102) disposed in a high pressure refrigerant line (67 or267), a fluid tank (82 or282), and a fluid pump (96). Fluid may be continuously circulated through the fluid heat exchanger (102 or302) when the refrigeration system is operated, thereby to continuously provide refrigerant cooling and fluid warming.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is an non-provisional US patent application claiming priority under 35 USC §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/252,828 filed on Oct. 19, 2009.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure generally relates to refrigeration systems and, more particularly, to apparatus for freezing and dispensing semi-frozen products.

2. Description of the Related Art

Semi-frozen product dispensers employ refrigeration systems to freeze the product dispensed thereby. By way of background, a refrigeration system uses a refrigeration cycle which is employed in refrigerators, heat pumps and air conditioners. The refrigeration system becomes a heat pump when it is used to produce a heat flow into or out of a building. When it causes a heat flow out of the building it is then also called an air conditioner. As shown in the background diagram ofFIG. 1, a refrigeration system includes acondenser2, a throttling orexpansion valve4, anevaporator6 and acompressor5. The refrigerant flows in either a gaseous or liquid state (sometimes a mixture of the two) by way of lines or piping, the direction of the flow being as indicated by thearrows8. In the refrigeration cycle, schematically illustrated inFIG. 2 the saturated liquid refrigerant passes through a throttling orexpansion valve4 and the liquid expands into a gas with some entrained liquid as shown at “b”. The gas, with a mixture of liquid, passes through theevaporator6 which, in the case of a refrigerator, allows heat to be removed from food stuffs and the like and transferred to the gas, liquid mixture. The amount of heat or energy removed from the food stuff is represented by the line bd. As the gas, liquid mixture picks up heat it expands and the volume increases. The gas is then compressed by thecompressor5 as illustrated in line de inFIGS. 1 and 2, and then passed through acondenser2 which gives off heat as the volume of the gas decreases and the pressure remains substantially constant. The energy of compression is represented by the line de projected onto the enthalpy axis. In the refrigeration cycle, as the gas is compressed from d to e, the gas increases in pressure with a decrease in volume. Refrigeration systems and heat pumps may be rated based on the coefficient of performance (COP). The COP is defined as the ratio of desired output divided by the required input. The COP is a measure of how well a refrigeration system or heat pump is operating. If the desired output is cooling, then:

COP_cooling=enthalpy change at evaporator/enthalpy change at the compressor

For the following equations, h represents enthalpy and the letter following h represents the refrigerant state onFIG. 2.

COP_cooling=(hd−hb)/(he−hd)

If the desired output is heating, then:

COP_heating=enthalpy change at condenser/enthalpy change at compressor

COP_heating=(he−ha)/(he−hd)

If the desired output is both cooling and heating, then:

COP_{cooling and heating}=(hd−hb+he−ha)/(he−hd)

It can be seen that the highest COP may be obtained from the COP_{cooling and heating}equation.

Semi-frozen product dispensers may dispense various types of food stuffs, such as soft-service ice cream, yogurt, custard and other semi-frozen food products, as well as semi-frozen drinks, sometimes referred to as slushes. The dispensers typically include a freezing cylinder through which the product is dispensed. The freezing cylinder, also referred to as a barrel, defines a longitudinally elongated freezing chamber. Typically, unfrozen liquid product mix is added to the freezing chamber at the aft end of the freezing cylinder and selectively dispensed at the forward end of the freezing cylinder through a manually operated dispensing valve. A rotating beater, typically formed by two or more helical blades driven by a drive motor at a desired rotational speed, scrapes semi-frozen mixture from the inner wall of the freezing cylinder and moves the product forwardly through the freezing chamber defined within the freezing cylinder as the product transitions from a liquid state to a semi-frozen state. The product within the freezing chamber changes from a liquid state to a semi-frozen state as heat is transferred from the product to a refrigerant flowing through an evaporator disposed about the freezing cylinder. The evaporator is operatively associated with and part of a conventional refrigeration system that also includes a compression device and a refrigerant condenser arranged in a conventional refrigerant cycle in a closed refrigerant circuit. Dispensing apparatus of this type may have a single freezing cylinder for dispensing a single flavor of product or a plurality of freezing cylinders, each housing a selected flavor of product, for dispensing each of the selected flavors and even a mix of flavors. U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,129, for example, discloses a semi-frozen food dispensing apparatus having a pair of freezing chambers.

As noted previously, heat is removed from the product within the freezing cylinder and carried away by a refrigerant circulating through an evaporator disposed about the freezing cylinder. In dispensing apparatus having more than one freezing cylinder, an evaporator is typically configured either as a tube wound around and in contact with the outside wall of the freezing cylinder or as an annular chamber from between the outside wall of the freezing cylinder and the inside wall of an outer cylinder disposed coaxially about the freezing cylinder.

Refrigerant exits the condenser primarily as vapor. The vapor is drawn through a compressor, which elevates both the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant vapor. An air heat exchanger, in combination with an air mover, is typically provided to cool the refrigerant vapor. This conventional arrangement, however, discharges heated air into the surrounding environment, thereby increases the load on any interior space HVAC system. Depending on the temperature of the vapor refrigerant, operation of the air heat exchanger may be excessive, thereby reducing the energy efficiency of the dispenser. Still further, the heated air is typically treated as a waste by-product that is simply discharged into the interior space.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, a semi-frozen product dispenser is provided for at least partially freezing and dispensing a product. The dispenser may include at least one freezing barrel defining a freezing chamber configured to receive the product, an evaporator operably coupled to the freezing barrel and including a refrigerant inlet and a refrigerant outlet, and a compressor having a suction inlet in fluid communication with the evaporator outlet through a low pressure refrigerant line and a discharge outlet. A high pressure refrigerant line may extend between the compressor discharge outlet and the evaporator refrigerant inlet, and an air heat exchanger may be operatively coupled to a portion of the high pressure refrigerant line. A fluid tank may be sized to hold a predetermined volume of fluid, and a fluid heat exchanger fluidly communicates with the high pressure refrigerant line to receive heated refrigerant and is configured to transfer heat from the heated refrigerant to the volume of fluid in the fluid tank.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a semi-frozen product dispenser is disposed in an interior space for at least partially freezing and dispensing a product. The dispenser may include at least one freezing barrel defining a freezing chamber configured to receive the product. A refrigeration system may be provided that includes an evaporator operably coupled to the freezing barrel, a refrigerant inlet, and a refrigerant outlet. The refrigeration system may further include a compressor having a suction inlet in fluid communication with the evaporator outlet through a low pressure refrigerant line and a discharge outlet, a high pressure refrigerant line extending between the compressor discharge outlet and the evaporator refrigerant inlet, and an air heat exchanger operatively coupled to a portion of the high pressure refrigerant line. The dispenser may further include a water heating system having a fluid tank sized to hold a predetermined volume of fluid, and a fluid heat exchanger fluidly communicating with the high pressure refrigerant line to receive heated refrigerant and configured to transfer heat from the heated refrigerant to the volume of fluid in the fluid tank.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the disclosure, a semi-frozen product dispenser is disposed in an interior space for at least partially freezing and dispensing a product. The dispenser may include an enclosure defining a housing space, and at least one freezing barrel disposed within the housing space and defining a freezing chamber configured to receive the product. An evaporator is disposed within the housing space, operably coupled to the freezing barrel, and includes a refrigerant inlet and a refrigerant outlet. A compressor is disposed within the housing space and has a suction inlet in fluid communication with the evaporator outlet through a low pressure refrigerant line and a discharge outlet. A high pressure refrigerant line is disposed within the housing space and extends between the compressor discharge outlet and the evaporator refrigerant inlet, and an air heat exchanger is disposed within the housing space and operatively coupled to a portion of the high pressure refrigerant line, the air heat exchanger discharging heated air into the interior space. A fluid heat exchanger is disposed in the high pressure refrigerant line and defines a refrigerant path and a fluid path, the fluid heat exchanger being configured to transfer heat from refrigerant in the refrigerant path to fluid in the fluid path. The dispenser may further include a fluid tank sized to hold a predetermined volume of fluid, the tank including a tank inlet fluidly communicating with the fluid heat exchanger fluid path and a tank outlet, and a fluid pump having a pump inlet in fluid communication with the tank outlet and a pump outlet in fluid communication with the fluid heat exchanger fluid path.

These are other aspects and features of the disclosure will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanied drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of a typical, idealized, closed cycle refrigeration system;

FIG. 2 is a pressure enthalpy diagram which indicates, for background purposes, the pressure enthalpy relationship of a refrigerant in the refrigeration system shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a semi-frozen product dispenser;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the semi-frozen product dispenser having an auxiliary fluid cycle constructed according to the present disclosure; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an alternative embodiment of a semi-frozen product dispenser having an auxiliary fluid cycle constructed according to the present disclosure.

While the present disclosure is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrative embodiments thereof will be shown and described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the drawings, and with particular reference toFIGS. 3 and 4, a semi-frozen product dispenser constructed in accordance with the teachings of the disclosure is generally referred to byreference numeral10. Thedispenser10 is capable of freezing and dispensing semi-frozen food products, such as by way of example, but not limited to, soft-serve ice cream, ice milk, yogurt, custard, shakes, and carbonated and/or non-carbonated ice slush drinks. While the following detailed description and drawings are made in reference to a semi-frozen product dispenser, it is to be understood that the teachings of the disclosure can be used in other types of refrigeration systems, including, but not limited to, cooled beverage dispensers, refrigerators, and the like.

In the illustrated embodiment, thedispenser10 is disposed inside aninterior space12 and includes two freezing chambers C1 and C2 for dispensing food products of different flavors or types. The freezing chambers C1 and C2 are defined within the axially elongated cylindrical barrels20-1 and20-2, respectively. Although shown as a dual barrel dispenser, it is to be understood that theapparatus10 may have only a single barrel for dispensing a single product or may have three or more barrels for dispensing a plurality of flavors or types of products. Each of the barrels20-1,20-2 includes aninner cylinder30, anouter cylinder40 circumscribing theinner cylinder30, and anevaporator50 formed between the inner cylinder and theouter cylinder40. Refrigerant is supplied from arefrigeration system60 to theevaporators50 of the respective barrels20-1,20-2 for refrigerating product residing inside the respective freezing chambers C1 and C2.

Abeater22 is coaxially disposed and mounted for rotation within each of the chambers C1 and C2. Eachbeater22 is driven by adrive motor23 to rotate about the axis of its respective barrel20-1,20-2. In the embodiment ofFIG. 3, a single drive motor (when energized) drives each of thebeaters22 in rotation about the axis of its respective barrel20-1,20-2. It should be understood, however, that eachbeater22 may be driven by a dedicated motor. Respective product supplies24 are operatively associated with the barrels20-1,20-2 for supply product to be frozen to the respective chamber C1 and C2 with which the product supply is associated. Theapparatus10 is also equipped with a dispensingvalve system11 that is selectively operable to dispense the semi-frozen product from the barrels20-1,20-2.

Therefrigeration system60 includes a singlerefrigerant vapor compressor62 driven by acompressor motor65 operatively associated with thecompressor62, and acondenser64 connected with theevaporators50 in a refrigerant circuit. Thecompressor62 is connected in refrigerant flow communication by highpressure outlet line61 connected to the refrigerant inlet of thecondenser64, and the refrigeration outlet of thecondenser64 is connected through a high pressurerefrigerant supply line63 to refrigerantflow control valves66. Each refrigerantflow control valve66 is operatively associated with a respective one of theevaporators50 by arefrigerant line67. A respective refrigerant outlet of each evaporator50 is connected through a low pressurerefrigerant return line69 and anaccumulator68 to the suction side of thecompressor62 throughline27. The refrigerantflow control valves66 may comprise, for example, on/off solenoid valves of the type which can be rapidly cycled between open and closed positions. Thevalves66 may be pulse width modulated solenoid valves, electronic motor operated valves, automatic expansion valves, or similar restriction devices.

Different products have different thermal heat transfer rates and different freezing points. Therefore, operation of therefrigeration system60 will vary depending upon the products being supplied to the freezing chambers C1 and C2. Acontrol system70 may control operation of therefrigeration system60 by controlling operation of thecompressor drive motor65, thebeater motor23, and theflow control valves66. Thecontrol system70 includes aprogrammable controller72 having a central processing unit with associated memory and temperature sensors for sensing the temperature of the product within the chambers C1 and C2. For a more thorough discussion of the design and operation of anexemplary control system70, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,129, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

In the depicted embodiment, each barrel20 is equipped with a selectivelyoperable dispensing valve11 disposed at the forward end of the barrel20 for receiving product form the freezing chamber. The dispensing valve system, however, may include a third dispensing valve selectively operable to dispense a mix of the two flavors or types of products present in the mixing chambers C1 and C2. The dispensing valve system may also comprise a single selectively operable valve that is selectively positionable in a first position to dispense product from chamber C1 only, a second position to dispense product from chamber C2 only, and a third position to dispense a mix of the products from both chambers C1 and C2.

Briefly, in operation, product to be frozen is supplied to each of the chambers C1 and C2 from therespective product supply24 associated therewith from asupply tube27 opening into the chamber at the aft end of each barrel20-1,20-2. The product supplies24 are arranged to feed as required a liquid comestible product mix and generally, but not always, an edible gas, such as for example air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, or mixtures thereof, in proportions to provide a semi-frozen food product having the desired consistency. The liquid comestible product mix may be refrigerated by suitable apparatus (not shown) to pre-cool the product mix to a preselected temperature above the freezing temperature of the product mix prior to delivery to the chambers C1 and C2. Eachbeater22 rotates within its respective chamber C1, C2 to churn the product mix resident within the chamber and also move the product mix to the forward end of the chamber for delivery to the dispensingvalve11. The blades of thebeaters22 may also be designed to pass along the inner surface of theinner cylinder30 as the beater rotates, thereby to scrape product from the inner surface of theinner cylinder30. As the product mix churns within the chambers C1 and C2, it is chilled to the freezing point temperature to produce a semi-frozen product ready on-demand for dispensing. If gas is added to the product mix, the gas is thoroughly and uniformly dispersed throughout the product mix as the beaters rotate.

A simplified schematic of therefrigeration system60 coupled to one freezing chamber C1 is shown inFIG. 4. Theevaporator50 is shown disposed around the freezing chamber C1. Thelow pressure line69 connects the suction inlet of thecompressor62 to the outlet of theevaporator50. Thehigh pressure line67 connects the compressor outlet to the inlet of theevaporator50. Thecondenser64, which is shown as an air heat exchanger, is disposed in thehigh pressure line67. An optionalsuction heat exchanger74 is shown having afirst line76 in fluid communication with thehigh pressure line67 and asecond line78 in fluid communication with thelow pressure line69. The first and

second lines

76,78 may be configured so that heat is transferred from thefirst line76 to thesecond line78, thereby to cool the refrigerant traveling through thehigh pressure line67.

Afluid heating system80 for heating a fluid, such as water, is also illustrated inFIG. 4. Thefluid heating system80 may be provided for pre-heating water for use in an auxiliary system used at the facility. For example, pre-heated water may be provided to a water heater which may then be used as needed on site. Alternatively, the pre-heated water may be used directly in other auxiliary systems, such as coffee makers, washing machines, or other equipment.

As best shown inFIG. 4, thefluid heating system80 may include afluid tank82 for holding a reservoir of fluid. The water tank may include acold water inlet84 fluidly communicating with awater source86 provided to the facility, acold water outlet88, awarm water inlet90, and awarm water outlet92 fluidly communicating with the auxiliary system, such as awater heater94. Thetank82 may be formed of any material suitable for handling fluid, such as water, at a temperature of approximately 32-140 degrees F. (0-60 degrees C.). While thetank82 may be sized to handle substantially any volume, it is expected that a tank volume of approximately 15-40 gallons (57-151 liters) should be sufficiently for most applications.

Thefluid heating system80 may also include apump96 for circulating fluid through the system. In the illustrated embodiment, thepump96 has aninlet98 fluidly communicating with the tankcold water outlet88 and anoutlet100. While any known pump suitable for circulating fluid may be used, thepump96 may be configured and/or rated for use in a potable water system.

Thefluid heating system80 may further include afluid heat exchanger102 for transferring heat from therefrigeration system60 to fluid in theheating system80. In the illustrated embodiment, thefluid heat exchanger102 includes afluid path101 having afluid inlet104 in fluid communication with thepump outlet100 and afluid outlet106 in fluid communication with the tankwarm water inlet90. Thefluid heat exchanger102 may further include arefrigerant path107 having arefrigerant inlet110 and arefrigerant outlet108, both of which may fluidly communicate with thehigh pressure line67 of therefrigeration system60. Thefluid heat exchanger102 may be configured to transfer heat from refrigerant in therefrigerant path107 to fluid in thefluid path101, thereby to preheat the water while simultaneously cooling the refrigerant. In certain applications, thefluid heat exchanger102 may be configured and/or sized to heat water flowing therethrough by at least approximately 10 degrees. The pre-heated water then flows from thefluid heat exchanger102 to thetank82.

While thepump96 is shown inFIG. 4 as located upstream of thefluid heat exchanger102, it may be located in other positions. For example, thepump102 may be positioned downstream of thefluid heat exchanger102, as illustrated bypump96ashown in phantom lines inFIG. 4.

Anoptional temperature sensor112 may be provided with thetank82 to provide temperature feedback regarding the fluid in thetank82. In certain embodiments, thetemperature sensor112 and pump96 may be operatively coupled to the controller72 (FIG. 3). Thecontroller72 may be programmed to operate thepump96 based on the temperature feedback from thesensor112 and its relation to a predetermined set point. Alternatively, thecontroller72 may be programmed to operate thepump96 whenever thecompressor62 is operated, thereby to cool the refrigerant whenever therefrigeration system60 is operated.

The location of thefluid heat exchanger102 may enhance operation of both therefrigeration system60 and theheating system80, and may be selected based on a user's desired objectives. With thefluid heat exchanger102 positioned upstream of theair heat exchanger64, as illustrated inFIG. 4, the water may be heated to a higher temperature while cooling of the refrigerant may be limited by the capacity of the downstreamair heat exchanger64. The pre-cooling of refrigerant may lead to energy savings in therefrigeration system60 because theair heat exchanger64 may operate less frequently or at lower speeds. Reduced operation of theair heat exchanger64 will also reduce the amount of heat discharged into the interior space, thereby reducing the heating load on any HVAC system provided for that interior space. Alternatively, if the fluid heat exchanger is positioned downstream of the air heat exchanger64 (as shown byheat exchanger102adrawn in phantom lines inFIG. 3), the refrigerant may be cooled to a lower temperature while less heat may be available for transfer to the water in thefluid heating system80.

Thefluid heating system80 may be integrally housed with therefrigeration system60, such as for new equipment, or it may be provided in modular form for retrofit applications. As schematically shown inFIG. 4, thecompressor62,evaporator50,air heat exchanger64, freezing barrel C1, and other refrigeration system components are disposed in anenclosure120. Thefluid heat exchanger102,fluid tank82,fluid pump96, and other heating system components are shown as disposed anenclosure122. In certain embodiments, the

enclosures

120,122 are integrally provided. In other embodiments, such as retro-fit applications, theenclosure120 may be pre-existing at the facility, in which case theenclosure122 enclosing the heating system components is provided as an auxiliary enclosure, and the appropriate fittings for connecting theheating system80 to therefrigeration system60 may be provided.

An alternativesemi-frozen product dispenser200 is illustrated inFIG. 5. Thedispenser200 is nearly identical to thedispenser10 described above, except for afluid heat exchanger302 being disposed in afluid tank282, as described more fully below. Accordingly, similar reference numerals have been used to identify the various components of thedispenser200, including acompressor262, anevaporator250, anair heat exchanger264, an optionalsuction heat exchanger274, and a freezing barrel C1.

As briefly noted above, thefluid heat exchanger302 is disposed within thefluid tank282, thereby to directly transfer heat from the heated refrigerant to the fluid in thetank282. Thefluid heat exchanger302 may include a refrigerant line forming aheat exchange section330 in fluid communication with the high pressurerefrigerant line267. Theheat exchange section330 is disposed in heat transfer relationship with the fluid in thetank282, such as by being submersed in the fluid. Thetank282 may include acold water inlet284 fluidly communicating with acold water source286 and awarm water outlet292 fluidly communicating with an auxiliary system, such as awater heater294. This alternative embodiment does not require a pump to circulate fluid from thefluid heat exchanger302 to thetank282, and therefore it has been omitted. Theheat exchange section330 may be oriented to create a counterflow arrangement in which hot refrigerant enters a top of thetank282 thoughinlet290 while cooled and at least partially condensed refrigerant exits a bottom of thetank282 throughoutlet288. Thedispenser200 may operate in a manner similar todispenser10 described above.

It is to be understood that while the foregoing description has been given with reference to a semi-frozen product dispenser, the teachings of this disclosure can be used in conjunction with other types of refrigeration systems known to those of ordinary skill in the art to remove heat from the high pressure side of the refrigeration system and add heat to a water tank provided on the premises associated with the refrigeration system, thereby to improve the energy efficiency of the refrigeration system as well as the energy requirements of the surrounding environment.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

Based on the foregoing, it can be seen that the present disclosure sets forth a dispenser for flowable products, such as but not limited to, milkshakes. The teachings of this disclosure can be employed to use waste heat from a refrigeration system in an auxiliary process to heat a fluid such as water. Such an arrangement may decrease operation of an air heat exchanger, thereby lowering the energy cost for operating the dispenser. Additionally, reduced air heat exchanger operation will reduce the amount of heat discharged into the interior space in which the dispenser is disposed, thereby lowering the heat load on the HVAC system provided with the interior space. Still further, energy costs associated with the auxiliary system, such as a water heater, are reduced due to the pre-heating of the water.

While only certain embodiments have been set forth, alternatives and modifications will be apparent from the above description to those skilled in the art. These and other alternatives are considered equivalents and within the spirit and scope of this disclosure and the appended claims.

Claims

1. A semi-frozen product dispenser (10 or200) for at least partially freezing and dispensing a product, comprising:

at least one freezing barrel (20-1) defining a freezing chamber (C1) configured to receive the product;

an evaporator (50 or250) operably coupled to the freezing barrel (20-1) and including a refrigerant inlet and a refrigerant outlet;

a compressor (62 or262) having a suction inlet in fluid communication with the evaporator outlet through a low pressure refrigerant line (69 or269) and a discharge outlet;

a high pressure refrigerant line (67 or267) extending between the compressor discharge outlet and the evaporator refrigerant inlet;

an air heat exchanger (64 or264) operatively coupled to a portion of the high pressure refrigerant line (67 or267);

a fluid tank (82 or282) sized to hold a predetermined volume of fluid; and

a fluid heat exchanger (102 or302) fluidly communicating with the high pressure refrigerant line (67 or267) to receive heated refrigerant and configured to transfer heat from the heated refrigerant to the volume of fluid in the fluid tank (82 or282).

2. The semi-frozen product dispenser (10) ofclaim 1, in which the fluid heat exchanger (102) defines a refrigerant path and a fluid path and is configured to transfer heat from the refrigerant in the refrigerant path to fluid in the fluid path, and the fluid tank (82) includes a cold water inlet (84), a cold water outlet (88), a warm water inlet (90) fluidly communicating with the fluid heat exchanger fluid path, and a warm water outlet (92).

3. The semi-frozen product dispenser (10) ofclaim 2, further comprising a fluid pump (96) having a pump inlet (98) in fluid communication with the cold water outlet (88) and a pump outlet (100) in fluid communication with the fluid heat exchanger fluid path.

4. The semi-frozen product dispenser (10) ofclaim 3, further comprising a temperature sensor (112) disposed in sensing relationship to an interior of the tank (82) and operably coupled to the pump (96).

5. The semi-frozen product dispenser (10) ofclaim 3, further comprising a controller (72) operably coupled to the compressor (62) and the fluid pump (98), the controller (72) being programmed to operate the fluid pump (98) whenever the compressor (62) is operated.

6. The semi-frozen product dispenser (200) ofclaim 1, in which the fluid heat exchanger (302) is disposed in the fluid tank (282) thereby to directly transfer heat from the refrigerant to the fluid in the fluid tank (282).

7. The semi-frozen product dispenser (10 or200) ofclaim 1, in which the fluid heat exchanger (102 or302) is disposed upstream of the air heat exchanger (64 or264).

8. The semi-frozen product dispenser (10 or200) ofclaim 1, in which the dispenser (10 or200) is disposed in an interior space (12), and in which the air heat exchanger (64 or264) discharges heated air into the interior space (12).

9. The semi-frozen product dispenser (10 or200) ofclaim 1, further comprising a suction heat exchanger (74 or274) having a first line (76 or276) in fluid communication with the high pressure refrigerant line (67 or267) and a second line (78 or278) in fluid communication with the low pressure refrigerant line (69 or269), wherein the first and second lines (76,78 or276,278) are disposed in heat transfer relationship with each other thereby to transfer heat from the high pressure refrigerant line (67 or267) to the low pressure refrigerant line (69 or269).

10. A semi-frozen product dispenser (10 or200) disposed in an interior space (12) for at least partially freezing and dispensing a product, comprising:

a refrigeration system (60 or260) including:

a high pressure refrigerant line (67 or267) extending between the compressor discharge outlet and the evaporator refrigerant inlet; and

an air heat exchanger (64 or264) operatively coupled to a portion of the high pressure refrigerant line (67 or267); and

a water heating system (80 or280) including:

a fluid tank (82 or282) sized to hold a predetermined volume of fluid; and

11. The semi-frozen product dispenser (10) ofclaim 10, in which the fluid heat exchanger (102) defines a refrigerant path and a fluid path and is configured to transfer heat from the refrigerant in the refrigerant path to fluid in the fluid path, and the fluid tank (82) includes a cold water inlet (84), a cold water outlet (88), a warm water inlet (90) fluidly communicating with the fluid heat exchanger fluid path, and a warm water outlet (92).

12. The semi-frozen product dispenser (10) ofclaim 11, further comprising a fluid pump (96) having a pump inlet (98) in fluid communication with the cold water outlet (88) and a pump outlet (100) in fluid communication with the fluid heat exchanger fluid path.

13. The semi-frozen product dispenser (10) ofclaim 12, further comprising a temperature sensor (112) disposed in sensing relationship to an interior of the tank (82) and operably coupled to the pump (96).

14. The semi-frozen product dispenser (10) ofclaim 12, further comprising a controller (72) operably coupled to the compressor (62) and the fluid pump (98), the controller (72) being programmed to operate the fluid pump (98) whenever the compressor (62) is operated.

15. The semi-frozen product dispenser (200) ofclaim 10, in which the fluid heat exchanger (302) is disposed in the fluid tank (282) thereby to directly transfer heat from the refrigerant to the fluid in the fluid tank (282).

16. The semi-frozen product dispenser (10 or200) ofclaim 10, in which the fluid heat exchanger (102 or302) is disposed upstream of the air heat exchanger (64 or264).

17. The semi-frozen product dispenser (10 or200) ofclaim 10, further comprising a suction heat exchanger (74 or274) having a first line (76 or276) in fluid communication with the high pressure refrigerant line (67 or267) and a second line (78 or278) in fluid communication with the low pressure refrigerant line (69 or269), wherein the first and second lines (76,78 or276,278) are disposed in heat transfer relationship with each other thereby to transfer heat from the high pressure refrigerant line (67 or267) to the low pressure refrigerant line (69 or269).

18. A semi-frozen product dispenser (10) disposed in an interior space (12) for at least partially freezing and dispensing a product, comprising:

an enclosure (120) defining a housing space;

at least one freezing barrel (20-1) disposed within the housing space and defining a freezing chamber (C1) configured to receive the product;

an evaporator (50) disposed within the housing space, operably coupled to the freezing barrel (20-1), and including a refrigerant inlet and a refrigerant outlet;

a compressor (62) disposed within the housing space, the compressor (62) having a suction inlet in fluid communication with the evaporator outlet through a low pressure refrigerant line (69) and a discharge outlet;

a high pressure refrigerant line (67) disposed within the housing space and extending between the compressor discharge outlet and the evaporator refrigerant inlet;

an air heat exchanger (64) disposed within the housing space and operatively coupled to a portion of the high pressure refrigerant line (67), the air heat exchanger (64) discharging heated air into the interior space (12);

a fluid heat exchanger (102) disposed in the high pressure refrigerant line (67) and defining a refrigerant path and a fluid path, the fluid heat exchanger (102) being configured to transfer heat from refrigerant in the refrigerant path to fluid in the fluid path;

a fluid tank (82) sized to hold a predetermined volume of water, the tank (82) including a cold water inlet (84), a cold water outlet (88), a warm water inlet (90) fluidly communicating with the fluid heat exchanger fluid path and a warm water outlet (92); and

a fluid pump (96) having a pump inlet (98) in fluid communication with the cold water outlet (88) and a pump outlet (100) in fluid communication with the fluid heat exchanger fluid path.

19. The semi-frozen product dispenser (10) ofclaim 19, in which the fluid heat exchanger (102), fluid tank (82), and fluid pump (96) are also disposed within the housing space.