Solar cooling with 2 clay pots ! Very cheap genius idea !

[infringer]

Sure the application has been around for ages...

Swamp Coolers are used in dry regions to add water to the air for cooling...

While AC is used in damp regions to remove dampness from the air...

But the idea is not bad at all clay pots enable a similar reaction without the need for electricity this is the importance of this discussion.

No electricity and cooler temperatures!

That is the punch line folks and that is what interests people!
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I have an excellent solar expirament I wish to share with everyone.

I will gladly do so in another thread soon.

[Koen1]

I guess though that people in regions with a lot of available water all know
similar traditional and relatively intuitive ways of using evaporative cooling...

And it seems to me that the main areas where cooling is needed,
the very dry and hot zones of the world, also have very little water
to go around, and thus they also have less water available for
evaporative cooling systems...
So it's still not a solution for the Sahara for example.

In such regions a form of cooling that converts heat directly into
electrical energy would be much more usefull. But those systems
are still far from available. The only system I know of that actually
converts ambient air temperature into additional electrical output
is this: http://jnaudin.free.fr/html/nzaevncp.htm
And that needs special ferroelectric capacitors that are apparently
not available at all...

[ResinRat2]

Hi Koen1,

In desert areas this won't be an option. I am thinking more along the lines of it working in more temperate regions where water is available. It doesn't have to necessarily be drinking quality water either. All I am looking for is a sustained temperature difference.

The Seebeck effect looks like it produces very small amounts of output. So maybe a Sterling Engine may be more of a possibility. Even these seem to be very weak, from what I have read so far. Aluminum oxide pellets were mentioned as holding heat. I am thinking that it would be better if the material in the center pot would give up its heat quickly rather than slowly. That way the center would give up heat faster and produce and maintain a temperature differential at a faster rate. Filling it with aluminum, which gives off its heat quickly, would probably work well. This is something I will try in the future. Maybe even just putting a aluminum sided pot, or aluminum pellets in the center pot would work better. That way a larger heat differential would form more quickly and keep up with changing air temperatures.

Just some thoughts I had. Right now I want to work on my other project, so I will return to this at a later date.

Thanks everyone for your interest.

[hansvonlieven]

G'day Dave and all,

The best evaporative coolers used to be the old fashioned canvas bags. Here is a picture of a really pretty one, most were without decorations. You simply fill it with water, a little keeps seeping through the canvas and the evaporation cools the water inside. In Australia they are still in use in the bush. People hang them from bullbars, motorcycle handlebars and horse saddles.

The best temperature differential can be achieved by using the liquid itself for lower temperature source. As far as I can see the two pot system is only there so that dry matter can be cooled without getting wet. It is not as efficient as direct evaporation.

Hans von Lieven

[ResinRat2]

Hi Hans,

Yes, that bag is very pretty indeed. LOL!     

So how could this bag be designed to run a Sterling Engine from the heat differential? That's the question.