Rocket Stove for cooling instead of heating..

[caverdude]

Hmm I wonder if you could combine Rocket Stove efficiency with cooling applications. borrowing from the gas a/c, frig/freezer concepts.

https://larrydgray.wordpress.com

[caverdude]

Well I guess the way to do this is “wood gas” to cooling instead.

[SpringtimeHomes]

I am going to go out on a limb here and say: No. Unless of course you are making electricity with the rocket stove (steam engine).

[Anonymous]

Normal refridgeration uses a compressor and condensor which cools the compressed gas. This cooled high pressure liquid is rapidly expanded picks up heat in an evaprator where it turns into a gas again. Think of body spray. It is room temperature at pressure but awful cold when it hits your pits.

The other method of refridgeration is absorption refridgeration. The basic principles are more difficult to explain, but they use heat to boil off a refridgerant, usually water in a lithium bromide unit or ammonia.

Rv fridges have propane fires in them. It is not unreasonable to imagine a wood fired refridgeration system. Pretty darn neat actually.

[elnav]

One of the challenges in using other heat sources than a small propane flame is the restrictions imposed by where you must place the heat and pipe being heated. the pipe being heated musxt be located at a specific place relative to the large tank (resevoir) and the fluid oevel inside the tank. Absorption fridges are extremely sensitive to being tilted because it upsets where the fluid level is located inside.

Solar heating works because the sunlight can be focussed with mirrors. Heat from other sources require piping.

[Anonymous]

In mostly any location in the USA except maybe alaska or northern maine 3 ft nder the grond the earth is about 56 degrees yr round.. Basements is how they survived yrs ago.. dig them and never ever build a slab house which is the worst energy user of any home design..In northern climates you may have to dig to 6ft or in hot southern climates

[elnav]

During the first oil crunch in the seventies, there was a lot of architectural design activity centered around this concept. I know a number of demonstration proof of concept houses were built. For some reason it never caughtg on. WHY?

I know a few had structural leakage at seams but this kind of problem was solved if you can believe the house building magazines directed at trades not the public.

I’m guessing peoples reaction to dwelling ‘underground’ was a bigger objection.

By northern climes what do you define it as. Although we do live as far north as alaaska I also know people living way down in the lower 48 who have as cold and harsh a winter as anything we see up here.

Slab construction may have its down side but also has some benefits for the home builder who lacks heavy excavation equipment.

Straw Bale construction overcomes many of the disadvantages because the walls are so well insulated. In many areas the underelying bedrock is so close to the surface as to make hole in the ground construction very costly.

[elnav]

I would hazard a guess that a rocket stove design lends itself better to steady mass heating that finely regulated on again/ off again type heat such as you need for an evaporative type refrigerator.

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