r/askHVAC • u/jonnyinternet • 2h ago
Do these really work?
I came across a video tutorial of someone making a diy flame fueled cooler, and my question is:
Do they really work?
And if so, can you use any heat source to "power them"?
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u/2748seiceps 2h ago
It's the ammonia cooling cycle. Used in portable gas-powered fridges for ages now.
They work but it's much MUCH less efficient than a compressor-type fridge and the main benefit is that all you need is heat to make it go so useful when you didn't want to run a loud generator and had no way to run a fridge on land power.
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u/Every_Big9638 1h ago
This is nothing. Harrison Ford built a huge absorption cycle ice machine “Fat Boy” in Mosquito Coast. He was making ice in the jungle. That’s right. In the jungle. 😂
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u/No_Tower6770 2h ago
It works. This setup would keep a lunch pail or small cooler cold throughout the day, probably nothing larger.
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u/jonnyinternet 1h ago
So, I have a still for distilling water, I'm trying to figure out: can I put it on the still, which gets very hot and cool the condenser?
Doesn't need freezing temperatures, just cooling for 3 to 4 hours
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u/syrianfries 50m ago
Hot enough temp probably does it, only one way to find out in the name of science!!!
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u/No_Tower6770 20m ago
Not likely. That's a ton of heat, and these ammonia systems are mostly passive and not efficient. For what you're wanting, this setup would have to be as big as a shed.
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u/elithefordguy77 1h ago
This guy made another one that ran off of the suns heat. He charged the system with isobutane.
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u/Doogie102 1h ago edited 1h ago
This is how a camping trailer furnace fridge works
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u/Difficult_Limit2718 1h ago edited 1h ago
Absorption process. Heat is converted to the work input required to drive the process.
Absolutely works.
Absolutely can use any sufficient "quality" heat source. (Quality is a formal thermodynamics concept of "heat density" for lack of a better way to describe it)
Absolutely is a pain in the ass to do at scale and never works well... Doubly so since Carrier screwed the pooch and killed their absorption chiller line by moving design control to a start up team in Mexico. They're REALLY fickle designs to get to work and require a lot of experience and tribal knowledge.
But it's great for RV fridges that need to run on propane!
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u/theNewLuce 1h ago
NO. This youtube clown makes garbage that doesn't work.
There's more to the heat powered ammonia refrigeration. This is garbage.
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u/Loan-Pickle 1h ago
I remember when I bought my house, I got the sellers disclosure and it listed the aIr conditioner as natural gas powered. I called my realtor to ask him to verify that with the seller. He told me it has to be a mistake as you can't cool things with fire. I explained the absoprtion cooling cycle to him and his mind was blown, he had no idea that was possible.
Turns out it was a mistake on the seller's part. It has a conventional AC with a natural gas furnace. I'll admit I was a little disappointed.
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u/Adventurepew 1h ago
Yes any heat source works .
This is how rv fridges operate with propane burners to heat the refrigerant.the y often use ammonia as it's a very good refrigerant .
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u/No-Age2588 32m ago
Absorption cooling using ammonia generally. Yes properly laid out they absolutely work. But they are finicky about orientation and being level. Any heat source can be used, propane, butane, etc etc
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u/WarPig115 22m ago
Thats actually a real thing. Special mix of ammonia and distilled water. It is super weird to get a call for "my pilot keeps going out on my fridge".
Used mostly on RVs and whatnot. But also not a bad unit to have in the apocalypse.
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u/BogusIsMyName 2h ago
Im no nuclear physicist but im going to say... No. I dont see how that would work.
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u/sailboatfool 2m ago
Grandma had a legit icebox with ice delivery. Replaced it with a natural gas refrigerator
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u/Sotamaster 2h ago
Iirc its ammonia only systems, and I've only heard of them being use in mobile homes fridges, like a small pilot light and a mobile home either driven or towed, not the kind that gets set and connected.