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Author Topic: Donkey's Solar Refridgerator  (Read 15603 times)

jeanna

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Donkey's Solar Refridgerator
« on: May 04, 2008, 03:57:01 AM »
Last spring I took a class in 'natural building'. Mostly we learned how to build with cob. Cob is clay and sand and some straw mixed in. It has pretty nice properties, but the reason I mention the cob is that it is what the walls are made of in this solar fridge.

It is a walk in fridge and the designer whose name really is Donkey  ;) told us that the house was being air conditioned while he was building it. (before he put the door in place.)

He said 'open source' when someone asked him about design patent etc. He told us to share it.

So, here it is. It is modeled after the ice caves from Idaho, where the temp can be 120F outside but there is ice inside.

A metal grate on the floor allows you to add water as needed.

A flu in the black stovepipe allows you to adjust the wind inside.

The hotter the sun the more air is drawn into the cooler and the cooler it gets inside.

A burlap bag is wet and hangs below the grate and drips water into a pot and the breezes enter through a pipe from the side of the hill.

The beer cans are aluminum and that metal when moist has extra cooling potential, and in case the temp inside gets too cold the beer will not freeze.

Have a look. This is brilliant.

I made this drawing quickly and I may have missed something.

jeanna

ResinRat2

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Re: Donkey's Solar Refridgerator
« Reply #1 on: May 07, 2008, 07:58:42 AM »
Hi Jeanna,

I like the aluminum beer-filled cans. Nice touch. I am amazed that it gets that cold.

This would probably be a good candidate for the Seebeck effect.

I am not pursuing it right now, but I may in the future.

I hope someone can give something like this a try.

Thanks

pese

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Re: Donkey's Solar Refridgerator
« Reply #2 on: May 07, 2008, 10:44:34 AM »

jeanna

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Re: Donkey's Solar Refridgerator
« Reply #3 on: May 07, 2008, 03:50:54 PM »
See also:

http://eplaya.burningman.com/viewtopic.php?t=12911

Pese
;D ;D ;D lol pese,

I doubt if that did much to cool off the playa !

jeanna

triffid

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Re: Donkey's Solar Refridgerator
« Reply #4 on: April 07, 2009, 02:33:14 PM »
great design,one could call it free energy cooling?Triffid

triffid

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Re: Donkey's Solar Refridgerator
« Reply #5 on: April 09, 2009, 01:50:41 PM »
I saw a design years ago for a smaller icebox.Pan of water on top of the  metal box .Burlap bag in the pan of water and burlap bag pulled down on all sides of the  metal box.As the water seeped down the  burlap sides the water would evaporate pulling heat away and cool down whatever was stored inside.I thoght I saw it in boy scouts or some camping magazine I guess.The Donkey design adds a solar tower to the design so I guess more air equals more cooling.Triffid

triffid

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Re: Donkey's Solar Refridgerator
« Reply #6 on: April 09, 2009, 01:57:59 PM »
A little known fact is that hydrogen gas draws heat away quickly.Inside the blimps of yesteryear.People would freeze because the bags of hydrogen gas would suck the heat out of the guys who worked inside the blimps .Hydrogen might be used in some kind of cooling system.I read this in a book about the old gasbags people used to travel in before the hendenburg fire.Triffid

retroworm

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Re: Donkey's Solar Refridgerator
« Reply #7 on: April 09, 2009, 03:27:57 PM »
I wouldn't call it a little known fact, any expanding gas readily absorbs heat from the surroundings. That's the most common method of refridgeration, but hydrogen in particular has somewhat nasty habit to permeate through metals, which makes it less ideal for that purpose. It has excellent heat conductivity though.

jeanna

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Re: Donkey's Solar Refridgerator
« Reply #8 on: April 10, 2009, 12:14:49 AM »
I think the only real issue with this design is the regulation.

On a sunny day the air being drawn in from the hillside through the underground pipe will go up and out the black painted chimney very fast and cause major cooling.

On a foggy or cloudy day the ambient air outside of the house may be cooler, but the upward force will be much slower.

Donkey put in the chimney flu to help regulate this. If you go away for 2 weeks, and there is a major change in sun from the day you left, you could have a big change in the ice compartment.

Having the frige be underground in the side of the hill will, of course help regulate and maybe there would be no problem.

I have never been to the ice caves in Idaho, and I don't know if the ice is still around in the spring and fall as the heat outside changes. I imagine it is.

So, Triffid,
You gonna build one?

jeanna

Pirate88179

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Re: Donkey's Solar Refridgerator
« Reply #9 on: April 10, 2009, 12:28:24 AM »
@ Jeanna:

This is a fascinating topic here.  I am glad you started it.

Bill

triffid

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Re: Donkey's Solar Refridgerator
« Reply #10 on: April 14, 2009, 04:25:17 AM »
I saw the King Tut exhibit today here in dallas,and saw stone jars from ancient egypt which had comments stating that stone jars kept their contents freasher and longer than jars made from other materials.So stone jars were very common back in those times because they stayed colder all the time.I thought I would pass it on here.Triffid

triffid

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Re: Donkey's Solar Refridgerator
« Reply #11 on: April 14, 2009, 04:29:04 AM »
That info is over 3200 years old.Triffid