Driven by Industry 4.0 and China’s “dual-carbon” goals, a new form of “flowing ice” is quietly transforming industrial refrigeration. Known as flow ice, this technology produces a slurry-like mixture of ice crystals and water that delivers the cooling capacity of solid ice while flowing like liquid through pipes. It has proven highly effective in sectors such as seafood preservation and pharmaceutical logistics. In 2024, China’s slurry ice machine market reached 4.87 billion yuan, a year-on-year growth of 12.6%, reflecting its rising popularity.
The core advantage of slurry ice lies in its unique physical state. Instead of solid blocks, it consists of millions of micron-sized ice crystals suspended in low-temperature liquid—forming a smooth, delicate ice slurry. This material offers up to 80 times the cooling capacity of water and can be piped directly to any point of use, addressing the longstanding issues of uneven cooling and inconvenient handling found in traditional ice systems.
Focusun, a leading player in the industry, has achieved notable breakthroughs. Their slurry ice making machines utilize dynamic supercooling technology, enabling rapid ice formation while saving over 30% more energy than conventional systems. Even more impressively, the size and concentration of the ice crystals can be precisely adjusted: ultra-fine crystals protect the appearance of delicate seafood, while higher ice concentrations meet the needs of chemical cooling processes requiring rapid temperature drops.
An intelligent control system further enhances efficiency—operators can monitor real-time performance and ice output directly from their smartphones, with automatic alerts for any abnormalities, significantly reducing labor costs. Focusun’s marine-grade models, designed for the confined spaces of fishing vessels, can adjust cooling temperatures between -2°C and -6°C, extending the freshness of catches by more than 50%.
This technology is being adopted across a wide range of industries. On fishing boats, flow ice evenly coats fish and shrimp, rapidly lowering temperatures without damaging delicate surfaces—far superior to traditional flake or block ice. In meat processing, it cools carcasses quickly after slaughter, inhibiting bacterial growth and extending shelf life. In the pharmaceutical sector, it ensures stable low-temperature environments for vaccine transport and medical waste management. Its rapid cooling response also makes it ideal for new-energy battery testing, which requires highly precise temperature control. In chemical reactors, flow ice cools 30% faster than traditional chilled water, shortening production cycles and improving efficiency.
Government policies and market forces are accelerating adoption. China offers subsidies of up to 300,000 yuan for high-efficiency slurry ice machines and has earmarked 860 million yuan to support technological innovation, with the goal of achieving 85% domestic production of core components. Local governments are even more aggressive: Guangdong subsidizes 30% of investments in slurry ice systems for cold-chain centers, and 61.4% of Jiangsu’s aquatic product regions have already embraced the technology.
Industry leaders such as Haier, Gaolan Energy Saving, and Focusun are now dominating the market. Their intelligent models are being exported worldwide, collectively accounting for 34.5% of global market share—showcasing the strength of modern Chinese manufacturing.
Looking ahead to 2025, the slurry ice refrigeration market is expected to reach 5.53 billion yuan, with smart-system adoption exceeding 28%. As cold-chain industries become increasingly automated and digitalized, companies like Focusun will continue to launch more energy-efficient and precision-controlled systems. This “fluidized refrigeration revolution” is set to deliver cost-effective, high-performance cooling solutions to a growing number of industries.
