solar powered refrigeration

[connorcrush]

I only got one hit opn a previous post but I know there is nore info out there. Who does solar powered refrigeration for trailers? I'm looking for groups wjho work with either over the road units or still in R&D phase. Anyone?

[Latte]

Hi Connorcrush,
I have only seen one solar reefer unit over here so assume it was running trials. It was on a Sainsburys (Supermarket) 26 board (33 euro boards) 38ft trailer, so i assume it would have been a Carrier Unit. Just looked on both Carrier & Thermo-king websites but can't find anything. Reeferjon is the UK training manager so if anyone knows anything about it he should.

Any news on MTK(C) John,

Regards

Raymond

[chemi-cool]

hi connorcrush,

how much refrigeration do you think you can get under the european sun?


chemi

[connorcrush]

chemi-cool, we're actually looking at the sun in your neck of the woods. The power is there, its the conversion into cooling that isn't, but as you say, its only impossible at the present!!

[Reeferjon]

As far as I am aware there are no usable solar units... Peltier does not have the performance on this scale.

Cryo (C02) units use a Solar panel to augment the battery charging system but thats about it.
John.

[connorcrush]

Is that Cryo as in a manufacturer or all CO2 cryogenic units?

[Peter_1]

chemi-cool, we're actually looking at the sun in your neck of the woods. The power is there, its the conversion into cooling that isn't, but as you say, its only impossible at the present!!

Same for the following no excisting unit (as far as I have found): absorption unit on the very hot exhaust of a car engine. Huge heat loads, high efficiency due to the hot temperatures (economically usable from 95°C but the higher temperatures the better) and more then energy enough to provide cooling for the AC of a car.

It doesn't consume one drop of fuel and is more environment friendly then the systems now used (with compressors)

I'm walking already more then 10 years with this idea.

[connorcrush]

Pete;
no paper attached. What have you got for 10 years worth of sweat? If you've got some research done I may know someone who is interested in making use of cooling from the exhaust of a portable boiling water tank that we use. It uses JP-8 fuel but that should'nt bother you, the effluent is close to diesel's.

[chemi-cool]

hi guys,

solar power has been used for many years in Israel, mainly to heat water for domestic use,

by law, every new house have to be eqipped with solar collectors to heat water. there is a heating element asistance.

its basicly made of tubes, copper or SS in a steel frame painted in black and glass sheet to protect it from the weather.
I will post some pictures in the next days.

there is one very large absorption solar powered system that I have seen some 25 years ago but I've heard that its been shot down.
the reason was dirty collectors and they didnt clean it often enough,

for someone who lives in a desert for the past 52 years, all I can tell you, beware of the sun, it kills!!

personaly I am sceptical of man kind`s ability to tame the solar power on a long basis.

exhaust pipe heat is not a bad idea but to keep a fridge running long enough, I'm afraid peter, that you will have to travel allthe way to paris and if you want to freeze than I will keep my door open for your visit.

but... as M,L King said "I have a dream..." its down to personal willpower.

chemi

[Peter Croxall]

Hi Peter 1
You might say your idea is an Electrolux on wheels ?

[chemi-cool]

hi peter`s

such fridges, absorption ones, running on propan or viecle electrics are running for many years.


chemi

[MRW]

Hi
there was a company called isovel that used a solar powered unit
it was fitted to an vehicle run by a company called Alpha Flight sevices,and used a voltage invertor system to power an electric motor which powered the compressor.
worked quite well unti the invertor went pop,also wiring very comlicated..

[frank]

Hi chemi

The latest trend over here is to run the solar collecter copper tubes inside single blackened glass tubes that are evacuated. They are called "evacuated tubes" Apparently, this gives a sizeable increase in heat transfer .

Have a look at this link http://www.eere.energy.gov/erec/fact.../solrwatr.html

Frank

[coolwithsolar]

Seems like it's been a while since anyone has posted on this topic. But SunDanzer in Tucson AZ develops solar powered refrigeration equipment.

[Lc_shi]

Solar heat can apply in AC by adsorption cycle,you can refer to the website:
http://www.adsorption.com/publications.htm

Shanghai Jiaotong University have many research on this topic. But it's efficiency is low and still need more improvement.

rgds
LC-

[duke]

what is wrong with the idea of an off the shelf propane freezer (amonia absorption)... immerse the heating coil in 125C fluid from solar trough? not for car but great for frozen smothie stand on a beach in bali. buy a few units and have some a/c bungalos too.

[The MG Pony]

thats what I plan on seting up in a remote cabin, a system that's designed to keep the generator at 120C either from solar/propane or electric, what ever is suplying the most heat wins and the rest shuts down untill it is needed to generate the heat.

[mohamed khamis]

Same for the following no excisting unit (as far as I have found): absorption unit on the very hot exhaust of a car engine. Huge heat loads, high efficiency due to the hot temperatures (economically usable from 95°C but the higher temperatures the better) and more then energy enough to provide cooling for the AC of a car.

It doesn't consume one drop of fuel and is more environment friendly then the systems now used (with compressors)

I'm walking already more then 10 years with this idea.

Hi Peter_1

Yes it is very interesting idea, but I am wondering if there is an alternative safely refrigerant instead of ammonia/water used in the automobile absorption system because if there is a leakage in the cooling coil the ammonia can enter the car cabin and unwelcome conditions can be occurred. The coolant medium of the condenser and absorber will be air-based or water-based i.e. the condenser and absorber will be cooled by the wind velocity typically like existing one or by water-cooled. I think it will be fine if is suitable to be air-cooled otherwise u need to burden on the engine radiator or make a particular heat exchanger to expel the sum of absorber and condenser heat, am I right or wrong. The design will be established on peak engine load (up hilling) or partial load (cruise speed), I think on the peak load condition because if the design is conducted on the partial load, there is problem may be existed which is when the car goes up stiff hill (peak engine load) the flue gas temperature may be raised
above the design temperature of 95°C and boils off the water with the ammonia in the generator and most likely the water vapor is passed thru the condenser and condenses as a liquid and makes a weak solution with the liquefied ammonia and inefficient evaporator performance at this moment, am i right or wrong. The flue gas has very poor heat transfer coefficient and thus it needs large surface area to denote by its heat available to the solution inside the generator, so it means a long run of the exhaust manifold to offset this large area otherwise u can use interior fins, but these fins will increase the pressure drop inside the gas path impairing the engine performance, am i right or wrong. I wish u clarify to me these points if u don not mind.

Best regards

[mohamed khamis]

Solar heat can apply in AC by adsorption cycle,you can refer to the website:
http://www.adsorption.com/publications.htm

Shanghai Jiaotong University have many research on this topic. But it's efficiency is low and still need more improvement.

rgds
LC-

Hi everybody
The solar powered refrigeration can be used in any type of the refrigeration i.e. absorption, adsorption, thermoelectric cooling, even vapor compression system. The solar power works as the prime mover for the compressor in vapor compression system or the heat addition in the absorption and adsorption, and the supplying electrical current by using photovoltaic cells. The problem with the using of solar energy it needs a huge surface area to ensure the amount of required of heat transfer, the average solar intensity here in Malaysia 1 kW/square meter of incident area, that means if u want to heat 1 lit/s of water by 10 K u need area of 40 sq.m plus the solar energy has an intermittent strength along the day time it has a shape of sine wave . Therefore, it needs a storage medium such as paraffin wax or sand to complete its path during the night time. In short, the utilization of solar energy is more feasible in the dessert where clear sky without scattering the beams in many places plus the free space and the solid foundation to establish the planet. I think the automobile applications have not all these talents to be a fearstile enviromnt to host the solared power refrigertion.

Cheers

[dextercath96]

Ideal for camping or emergency power outages, the
Sun Power Port is a portable generator that when used
to its full potential will pay for itself in less than two years.
In one day of full sunshine, the solar panel easily charges
the 12 volt (standard automobile) battery. An inverter
changes the DC current to AC. From there the electrical energy
is easily accessible to most standard 110 volt small
appliances used in North America. What are the advantages of a solar generator? If you don't know, check out sunpowerportcom. The featured generator will run most small electrical appliances. It is great for camping or emergency backup. No noise. No fumes. For more details see sunpowerportcom

[abbsnowman]

Can't fool nature. Energy is a fine circle. You can't create energy only borrow it. The sun will not give you enough energy to refrigerate. Think about it, your asking it to fight itself. Never work.
Brakes on a truck, now your thinking.
Just a thought....

[pdvjak]

Gentlemen,
We are a renewable energy integrator in Indonesia and have been asked by the Marine Resources Department to develop a 'solar powered cold storage container' for use on (100's of) remote islands. We already looked at (and build a prototype based on) absorption chilling with Ammonia/Water BUT now that solar photovoltaic modules have become so much cheaper, we feel the doors are beginning to open to just power a compressor based unit with solar electricity IF the compressors and other equipment are super-energy-efficient. I thought about using Danfoss DC compressors (in a bank), DC fans, etc.... Any other ideas? What is the most energy efficient technology/product out there?

[coolwithsolar]

SunDanzer.com is making such units.

[rkmoorthy]

all thats link is not open

[coolwithsolar]

www dot sundanzer dot com

[Blender]

Solar panels and units from Seafreeze of Bellingham, Washington, USA. They have been making small freezers and coolers for over 25 years that I know of.

[UKGENT]

The Uk Solar Sainsbury trailer was a concept by the University of Southampton and recharged a bank of forklift batteries under the chassis. Might be worth asking them.

[Magoo]

Interesting reading everyones comments. The original post was 6 years ago.

[UKGENT]

Who ever said engineers were quick ?

[jumper]

In the seventies HamiltonSunstrand and another division of United Technologies each built a steam powered air conditioner using water as refrigerant. Solar collector raised steam to drive turbine to power a turbocompressor for low pressure water vapor. They reported results at an ASHRAE conference but I've been unable to find publication.

[abbsnowman]

Solar panels and units from Seafreeze of Bellingham, Washington, USA. They have been making small freezers and coolers for over 25 years that I know of.

I would be interested in talking to you Mr. Blender.
mark@futureclimates.ca maybe a coffee to exchange ideas?