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Evaporative Refrigerator

Evaporative Refrigerator

A group of students from the University of Calgary have developed a simple evaporative refrigerator. It was inspired by the way that animals and insects keep themselves cool.

Warm air from the surroundings is funneled into a pipe network to evaporate water moisture, which carries heat away from the air. Once the air is cooled, it moves into the chamber where the food is kept. The only power requirement to bring the temperature down to 4C is to power a small fan to move this cool air, which can be done with a very small battery setup powered by a small solar panel.  The refrigerator still works with no electricity but works best with the fan.

To learn more, go here: http://challenge.biomimicry.org/en/custom/gallery/view/2576

2 thoughts on “Evaporative Refrigerator

  1. Very interesting but how does this work in a hot and humid climate?

  2. On the evaporative refrigeration tutorial, Some of it was unclear. and it seems as though the commentary in the article, and the commentary in the video are talking about two different models. It seems the one in the video has another stage underground.
    What i see in this process is, the breeze is caught by the funnel which moves the warm air through the tubing, then the heat from the air warms the coiled tubing thus creating evaporation of the water, (which i didn’t see mentioned), the evaporation draws the heat away from the copper coil. Then the cooler air leaves the coil, and down under ground for a second stage that cools and stores the cooler temperature in it’s mass. Then the air ends up in the insulated cooler box where the cooler air drops into the pockets of the cooler box, and allowing the warmer air to escape through the tube at the top of the cooler box, and out the vent tube.
    If I have gotten this wrong at any stage, please grant me correction. I want to play with this at my off grid shop. and perhaps at the house as well.
    Who knows if we will have power without huge gaps in the future?! I believe what you have accomplished is very wonderful. Much better than the clay pot evaporative refrigeration by far.

    Thanks again.
    MUDDy

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