Innovative Vapor Compression Ice Maker for Theatre of War

Current methods of supplying ice to the soldier are limited to using small commercial ice makers in field kitchens (for very limited quantities of ice) and manufacturing ice at remote factory locations by trucking this ice to forward operating bases. In Phase I, Mainstream designed, fabricated, and tested a field-deployable ice making system that operates on military tactical generators. Compared to the current Army ice making solution, equipping military bases with Mainstream"s ice maker can save $363,000,000 over 15 years. The return on investment time is 10 months for an optimized Phase II solution. In Phase II, Mainstream will finalize the design and deliver a second-generation system at the end of the first year. Following field tests, life tests, and Army evaluations, Mainstream will fabricate the third-generation, production-version system, which will be available to the military at the end of the second year.