Prevention of initial supercooling in progressive freeze-concentration

A physical method is proposed that uses a cooling plate with many small hol es to prevent initial supercooling in progressive freeze-concentration, and thus avoid serious contamination of the ice produced. The higher chance fo r ice nucleation of the water molecules in the holes due to the temperature gradient in the cooling plate resulted in the initial supercooling being c ompletely prevented. Accordingly, the purity of the ice initially formed wa s substantially improved when compared with that by the standard vessel wit hout holes in the cooling plate.