Prevention of Initial Supercooling in Progressive Freeze-concentration.

A physical method is proposed that uses a cooling plate with many small holes to prevent initial supercooling in progressive freeze-concentration, and thus avoid serious contamination of the ice produced. The higher chance for ice nucleation of the water molecules in the holes due to the temperature gradient in the cooling plate resulted in the initial supercooling being completely prevented. Accordingly, the purity of the ice initially formed was substantially improved when compared with that by the standard vessel without holes in the cooling plate.