Solar Powered Fridge Technical Report - Essay Example

However majority of the mankind which lives in the developing or third world countries has just recently woken up to the benefits of refrigeration. As these countries continue to grow rapidly, their people will require refrigeration in some form or other. Refrigeration is required not only for keeping food fresh but is also needed for transportation of perishable products like meat, milk etc (score.uk, 2013). Although the need for refrigeration is huge, third world countries are suffering from immense energy crisis.

Most of these countries do not have the resources to provide electricity to the entire population. Where electricity is available, there are problem of irregular supply and voltage problems. A huge amount of capital is also required to set up power plants in order to provide electricity to all. Such huge amounts of capital are rarely available in third world countries. After the Kyoto protocol, there is also a raised concern of environmental sustainability of economic growth. The model of growth being followed by developed nation is simply not sustainable.

Solar power addresses both these concerns – neither does it require immense investment to ensure electricity supply nor does it harm the environment. Solar powered refrigerators thus provide an ideal solution to the refrigeration needs of the third world countries. This paper discusses the functioning of a solar powered refrigerator. It discusses the 2 prototypes - Evaporative Cooler fridge and absorption based heat driven coolers. Evaporative Cooler Fridge The most amazing thing about an Evaporative cooler fridge is its simplicity.

It is very simple to make and can be made with the use of minimal resources in third world countries. The diagram of an evaporative cooler fridge is shown below – Source: (score.uk, 2013) Construction The fridge consists of 2 cylinders. The outer cylinder can be made up of cardboard, plastic or any other material. It should have a lot of holes in it to allow the maximum access to solar energy .The inner cylinder should be made up of a good conductor of heat. Iron or steel are the best possible materials which are easily available and also good conductors of heat.

The inner cylinder should not have any holes. The space between the two cylinders needs to be filled up with a material which is a good absorber of water. Sand and wool works best here. Food or any other material which needs to be kept cool should be kept in the inner cylinder. The next section explains the working of this refrigerator. Working This fridge works on the simple principle of evaporation of water and conduction of heat. In order to “start the fridge”; pour water in the space between the two cylinders.

This water will be soaked by the sand. It is important to fill the space with sand in order to allow slow evaporation of water and ensure that minimum refills are required for the successful working of the refrigerator. As solar energy falls on the sand evaporation of water from the sand takes place. As water evaporates, the process of conduction of heat will ensure that heat is extracted from the inner chamber in order to help the water evaporate. This conduction of heat will keep the chamber cold and the products inside fresh.

The chamber can attain temperature of up to 6 degrees. In order to ensure that the fridge keeps working, the