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Date:         Tue, 13 Feb 2001 11:09:04 -0600
Reply-To:     Brian Asbury <brian@NAVO.HPC.MIL>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Brian Asbury <brian@NAVO.HPC.MIL>
Subject:      How propane refrigerators work
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Not knowing much about Westys or RVs in general, I had always wondered about this. This tip of the day showed up in my inbox. I thought some of the other list members might find it interesting. Check out www.topica.com for more mailing list information.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TIP

COLD FROM HEAT How do propane refrigerators work?

This question comes in from reader M. King, and anyone who's spent quality time in a big RV might have wondered the same. RV propane refrigerators not only cool food by burning gas, they do it without engines, compressors, or any moving parts at all. Here are the basics: Propane refrigerators typically use ammonia, water, and hydrogen gas to create a continuous cycle. The burning propane heats a solution of ammonia and water in the generator. The ammonia gas is separated and flows to a condenser, where metal coils allow the gas to dissipate its heat and condense into a liquid. The liquid ammonia then mixes with hydrogen gas in the evaporator, producing cold. Finally, the ammonia is mixed back in with the water, and the hydrogen gas sent back to the evaporator. Then the cycle starts anew. For a more detailed explanation, check this out:

http://www.nh3tech.org/abs.html


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