heftenfleunter wrote:
Ahoy, I'm reading the Hiscock's account of their early '60's
Wanderer IV journey in which he describes their refer unit as "a
paraffin unit which costs pennies a day and makes no noise". Man, that
sounds good to me. Even makes ice. Since they're English paraffin is
similar to kerosene? What's the scoop? The solutions for small
sailboats I've seen were 12vdc and sucked an easy 5 watts while
rattling for hours.

There are butane gas refrigerators which burn a flame, so I guess the
paraffin ones work on a similar principle. Must confess I've never seen one.
In the UK, "paraffin" tends to refer to the highly-refined version of
kerosene, the latter being used for cleaning purposes in garages and
workshops.


Dennis.

In article ,
says...


heftenfleunter wrote:
Ahoy, I'm reading the Hiscock's account of their early '60's
Wanderer IV journey in which he describes their refer unit as "a
paraffin unit which costs pennies a day and makes no noise". Man, that
sounds good to me. Even makes ice. Since they're English paraffin is
similar to kerosene? What's the scoop? The solutions for small
sailboats I've seen were 12vdc and sucked an easy 5 watts while
rattling for hours.

There are butane gas refrigerators which burn a flame, so I guess the
paraffin ones work on a similar principle. Must confess I've never seen one.
In the UK, "paraffin" tends to refer to the highly-refined version of
kerosene, the latter being used for cleaning purposes in garages and
workshops.

My understanding of flame driven refrigerators (they used to be common in
homes -- Nash Kelvinator, was it?) is that the unit or at least the working
guts must be absolutely level at all times, which makes them impractical for
use on boats.

Gogarty wrote:
In article ,
says...


heftenfleunter wrote:
Ahoy, I'm reading the Hiscock's account of their early '60's
Wanderer IV journey in which he describes their refer unit as "a
paraffin unit which costs pennies a day and makes no noise". Man,
that sounds good to me. Even makes ice. Since they're English
paraffin is similar to kerosene? What's the scoop? The solutions
for small sailboats I've seen were 12vdc and sucked an easy 5 watts
while rattling for hours.

There are butane gas refrigerators which burn a flame, so I guess the
paraffin ones work on a similar principle. Must confess I've never
seen one. In the UK, "paraffin" tends to refer to the highly-refined
version of kerosene, the latter being used for cleaning purposes in
garages and workshops.

My understanding of flame driven refrigerators (they used to be
common in homes -- Nash Kelvinator, was it?) is that the unit or at
least the working guts must be absolutely level at all times, which
makes them impractical for use on boats.

That would require you to gimball them in both directions, not impossible,
but is it worth the hastle?

Gogarty wrote:
My understanding of flame driven refrigerators (they used to be common in
homes -- Nash Kelvinator, was it?) is that the unit or at least the working
guts must be absolutely level at all times, which makes them impractical for
use on boats.


That's because of the potential interaction between the metal of the
heat exchanger and the solutes in the working fluid.

Newer & better stuff nowadays, they no longer have to be held perfectly
level.

The issue now is that the exhaust has to be vented. They do work better
if level, though.

DSK

DSK wrote:
Gogarty wrote:

My understanding of flame driven refrigerators (they used to be common
in homes -- Nash Kelvinator, was it?) is that the unit or at least the
working guts must be absolutely level at all times, which makes them
impractical for use on boats.


That's because of the potential interaction between the metal of the
heat exchanger and the solutes in the working fluid.

Newer & better stuff nowadays, they no longer have to be held perfectly
level.

The issue now is that the exhaust has to be vented. They do work better
if level, though.

DSK

they work on the basis of Ammonia cooling.

See

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

In article ,
"Dennis Pogson" wrote:

heftenfleunter wrote:
Ahoy, I'm reading the Hiscock's account of their early '60's
Wanderer IV journey in which he describes their refer unit as "a
paraffin unit which costs pennies a day and makes no noise". Man, that
sounds good to me. Even makes ice. Since they're English paraffin is
similar to kerosene? What's the scoop? The solutions for small
sailboats I've seen were 12vdc and sucked an easy 5 watts while
rattling for hours.

There are butane gas refrigerators which burn a flame, so I guess the
paraffin ones work on a similar principle. Must confess I've never seen one.
In the UK, "paraffin" tends to refer to the highly-refined version of
kerosene, the latter being used for cleaning purposes in garages and
workshops.


Dennis.



These are the Hydrogen/Ammonia Cycle, heat driven, refer systems
similar to the Propane RV systems common around the LandYacht
Circuit. You don't get something for nothing. Moving BTU's
takes energy, and you can't do it for free......


Me

Me wrote:
In article ,
"Dennis Pogson" wrote:


heftenfleunter wrote:

Ahoy, I'm reading the Hiscock's account of their early '60's
Wanderer IV journey in which he describes their refer unit as "a
paraffin unit which costs pennies a day and makes no noise". Man, that
sounds good to me. Even makes ice. Since they're English paraffin is
similar to kerosene? What's the scoop? The solutions for small
sailboats I've seen were 12vdc and sucked an easy 5 watts while
rattling for hours.

There are butane gas refrigerators which burn a flame, so I guess the
paraffin ones work on a similar principle. Must confess I've never seen one.
In the UK, "paraffin" tends to refer to the highly-refined version of
kerosene, the latter being used for cleaning purposes in garages and
workshops.


Dennis.




These are the Hydrogen/Ammonia Cycle, heat driven, refer systems
similar to the Propane RV systems common around the LandYacht
Circuit. You don't get something for nothing. Moving BTU's
takes energy, and you can't do it for free......


Me
I would think the engine/exhaust heat could be enough to drive the cycle
(at least while underway)

Gogarty wrote in
:

My understanding of flame driven refrigerators (they used to be common
in homes -- Nash Kelvinator, was it?) is that the unit or at least the
working guts must be absolutely level at all times, which makes them
impractical for use on boats.



Absorption fridges are used in virtually all motorhomes and travel trailers
and make ice just fine from propane riding down the interstate. The
refridgerant is ammonia and water. When water and ammonia mix, heat is
absorbed. The burner boils off the water into steam which is condensed
then recycled to the cooling coils to repeat the process.

These absorption fridges are never "level" on the road, they are tossed
back and forth like your boat. BUT, when they are PARKED, dead still, they
must be leveled to provide the proper liquid levels in them to prevent
vapor lock. As you boat tilts back and forth, pitching and rolling even at
the dock, the absorption fridge (Dometic is a great brand) will work just
fine. Kerosene power, or diesel if you like, has the problem of CO being
generated that must be carefully vented away from sleeping compartments.
In the "campers", the problem is easily solved because the whole unit is
left out in the weather with louvered doors and a big flue out the top of
the camper. Venting the heat and fumes generated in the boat becomes the
same problem as any open flame heating system does.

I had two trailers and a motorhome and all of them had absorption fridges
that were 3-way...115VAC, 12VDC and propane. The electric side is just a
calrod element in the boiler around the propane burner. Anything that will
heat that boiler will work, even wood and I believe Scandanavia has many
wood-powered models...or used to.

--
Larry

"Jim," wrote in
:

I would think the engine/exhaust heat could be enough to drive the cycle
(at least while underway)


There are lots of uses for the heat if we'd put in dry stack exhausts.
There's plenty of heat for one of these fridges. The propane flame they
use is about the size of a propane torch, quite small indeed. ON DC power,
the big fridge/freezer in my motorhome drew about 6A at 12V.

--
Larry