A modular Absorption Refrigeration Unit that is completely open source could be used to reduce carbon output of refrigeration of food, medicines, and even possibly small residential air conditioning. Having the ability to refrigerate without any electricity and only requiring a heating source you could distribute this to locations that lack electricity and run it entirely off renewable resources such as solar, wind and geothermal.
There was a project that posted about 2 years ago. The idea was to build vaccine/medicine fridges using only materials available in the third-world.
Closed loop of stainless steel tubing that is partially evacuated with a specific quantity of alcohol (ethanol or methanol). Coil on the roof (exposed to sunlight) was filled with charcoal. Coil in a shaded area is the condenser. Coil in an insulated box is the evaporator (cold side).
During the day, charcoal gets hot and the ETOH boils out of it. The condenser allows the vapour to cool and the ETOH drips to the cold-side coil (evaporator).
Charcoal absorbs the ETOH when it is cold, lowering the pressure throughout the system. This causes any liquid ETOH (in the cold-side) to boil off, lowering the temperature inside the insulated box.
Admittedly, this model only allows for one cycle per day. HOWEVER, if there was a way to switch between multiple hot-side coils? louvers? shade panels? mad-science? then it would be possible to have more refrigerative cycles..
There was a project that posted about 2 years ago. The idea was to build vaccine/medicine fridges using only materials available in the third-world.
Closed loop of stainless steel tubing that is partially evacuated with a specific quantity of alcohol (ethanol or methanol). Coil on the roof (exposed to sunlight) was filled with charcoal. Coil in a shaded area is the condenser. Coil in an insulated box is the evaporator (cold side).
During the day, charcoal gets hot and the ETOH boils out of it. The condenser allows the vapour to cool and the ETOH drips to the cold-side coil (evaporator).
Charcoal absorbs the ETOH when it is cold, lowering the pressure throughout the system. This causes any liquid ETOH (in the cold-side) to boil off, lowering the temperature inside the insulated box.
Admittedly, this model only allows for one cycle per day. HOWEVER, if there was a way to switch between multiple hot-side coils? louvers? shade panels? mad-science? then it would be possible to have more refrigerative cycles..
Just a thought...