I have a lot of technical designs I hope to apply to the real world, even if they only suit me personally because they are either too impractical or simply undesirable for most. Anyone who has read any of my…
Blog Archives
A Philosophy Behind Technological Development.
Tagged with: appropriate technology, cradle to cradle, downcycling, modular design, recycle, social benefit, sustainability, sustainable, technical nutrients
Posted in Philosophy, Refrigeration
Posted in Philosophy, Refrigeration
Discourse On Dehumidifiers
I’d like to talk about dehumidifiers; what they are, how they work, design failures and improvements I’d make. The dehumidifiers I write of are a specific kind, but probably the most common. They are the small white plastic towers people…
Tagged with: capillary tube, compressor, dehumidifier, dessicant, dew point, flash gas, humidity, pressure drop, propane, psychrometrics, R-12, R-134a, R-22, refrigerant, refrigerator, subcool, vapor pressure
Posted in Dehumidifiers, Refrigeration
Posted in Dehumidifiers, Refrigeration
Excerpts from “Elementary Mechanical Refrigeration” by Fred E Matthews, 1912
The following are several pages taken from the above mentioned book. A similar explanation is more or less copied in “Power’s Principles of Refrigeration” of which I have a 1921 copy. Take special note of the beautiful illustration below. Clicking…
Tagged with: back pressure, condenser, evaporator, heat engine, heat pump, refrigeration, steam engine, temperature pump, thermal potential
Posted in Old Refrigeration Texts, Refrigeration
Posted in Old Refrigeration Texts, Refrigeration
On the Subject of Compressors
The refrigeration compressor is where all the ‘magic’ happens. To understand the process of compression is to understand the fundamental principles of mechanical refrigeration. A compressor is the mechanism that allows us to reuse that same refrigerant over and over.…
Tagged with: clearance volume, compressor, discharge valve, ice machine, refrigerant, refrigeration, refrigerator, suction pressure, suction valve, volumetric efficiency
Posted in Refrigeration
Posted in Refrigeration
Recycling Hot Water
There are a number of different ways to heat domestic water for bathing, washing clothes, dishes and whatever else people need. Electric Resistive, Natural Gas, Propane, Kerosene, BioMass, Solar, Heat Pumps and even Compost Heaps come to mind. Obviously, some…
Tagged with: appropriate technology, biochar, COP, heat pump, hot water, refrigeration, sustainable, water heater
Posted in Hot Water, Refrigeration
Posted in Hot Water, Refrigeration
Hand Crafted Refrigerators
I’ve been collecting antique refrigeration books for a little while now and so far, my favorites have been two editions of ‘Household Refrigeration’ by H.B. Hull. It is a beautifully laid out book covering both thermodynamic engineering principles relating to…
Tagged with: air space, cabinet, cork, insulation, refrigeration, refrigerator, sliding door, thermal mass
Posted in Old Refrigeration Texts, Refrigeration, Refrigerator
Posted in Old Refrigeration Texts, Refrigeration, Refrigerator
An Outlook On Phase Change Materials
Phase Change Materials, usually abbreviated as PCM’s are wonderfully useful for thermal storage applications. These materials make it possible to store large amounts of heat relative to a substance’s mass. They do this in a similar way to the working…
Tagged with: glauber's salt, ice, paraffin, PCM, phase change material, refrigeration, refrigerator
Posted in Refrigeration
Posted in Refrigeration
Some Old Refrigerating Machines
I recently purchased these two books from abebooks.com. They are the second and fourth editions, 1926 and 1933 respectively. I don’t remember what they cost, but I would have easily payed double. They are filled with illustrations and descriptions of…
Tagged with: evaporator, GE, heat pump, high side float, ice box, low side float, monitor top, refrigeration, refrigerator
Posted in Old Refrigeration Texts, Refrigeration
Posted in Old Refrigeration Texts, Refrigeration
Some Thoughts On Refrigerants
Refrigerants are the blood of a vapor compression system. They are pumped round and round in an infinite loop of compression and expansion. The types of materials selected for use in refrigeration are based on a number of factors, the…
Tagged with: ammonia, appropriate, heat pump, hydrocarbon, refrigerant, refrigeration, refrigerator
Posted in Refrigeration
Posted in Refrigeration
The KillCap Refrigerator
As it stands right now, the machine I would most like to develop is a pedal powered refrigerator and possibly freezer. The compressor and drive mechanism will consist of a metal framework supporting a heavy flywheel perhaps 40 centimeters across…
Tagged with: appropriate technology, PCM, refrigeration, refrigerator
Posted in Refrigeration, Refrigerator
Posted in Refrigeration, Refrigerator
A Better Refrigerator
If you ask most people, “What are the most important things we are going to need in a peak oil world?”. I can guarantee that a better refrigerator won’t make it into their top 20. It probably won’t even come…
Tagged with: appropriate technology, peak oil, refrigeration, refrigerator
Posted in Refrigeration, Refrigerator
Posted in Refrigeration, Refrigerator
Household Refrigeration 1927
Notice the individual cabinet like doors on the refrigerator and the swinging drawer at bottom. Most units were belt driven external drive in this book. There was extensive use of flooded evaporators with low side floats at this time. I…
Tagged with: flooded evaporator, ice, refrigeration, refrigerator
Posted in Old Refrigeration Texts, Refrigeration, Refrigerator
Posted in Old Refrigeration Texts, Refrigeration, Refrigerator
I Caught the Refrigerator Bug
I caught the refrigerator bug again. It happens every few months, I get a job, I quit a job, I change my musical taste, I read a few books; but then, it comes back with a fury. That damned refrigerator…
Tagged with: appropriate technology, heat pump, refrigeration, refrigerator
Posted in Refrigeration, Refrigerator
Posted in Refrigeration, Refrigerator
musings on entropy 