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#1
posted to rec.boats
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Mini-AC for boats
As I want to do more sailing in the low latitudes but do not like to
sleep in sweat, I have been looking into ways to cool my boat with semi-passive means. One thing most boats have is lots of sunlight and a lot of water for cooling. So, we have a source of heat and a way to get rid of heat, you should be able to use that to cool air. Turns out there is a way to do this, adsorption cooling. Such a system uses a material like Zeolite that quickly adsorbs water from a reservoir thus reducing pressure and cooling. This can be used to cool air. The zeolite must then be regenerated to remove the water and this is done by heating it and then allowing it to cool. So, we use a solar concentrator to regenerate the zeolite and a 12 V pump and a 12 V fan. The Zeolite is cooled by pumping seawater thru coils imbedded in it. Not driving a compressor makes this easy to do with 12V and very efficient. Thus one could operate an AC unit from a solar panel and a solar concentrator. No, it would not reach meat locker temps but compared to 100 degrees and 100% humidity, 80 degrees and 80% humidity is paradise. Thoughts? |
#2
posted to rec.boats
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Mini-AC for boats
On 3/2/11 2:43 PM, Frogwatch wrote:
As I want to do more sailing in the low latitudes but do not like to sleep in sweat, I have been looking into ways to cool my boat with semi-passive means. One thing most boats have is lots of sunlight and a lot of water for cooling. So, we have a source of heat and a way to get rid of heat, you should be able to use that to cool air. Turns out there is a way to do this, adsorption cooling. Such a system uses a material like Zeolite that quickly adsorbs water from a reservoir thus reducing pressure and cooling. This can be used to cool air. The zeolite must then be regenerated to remove the water and this is done by heating it and then allowing it to cool. So, we use a solar concentrator to regenerate the zeolite and a 12 V pump and a 12 V fan. The Zeolite is cooled by pumping seawater thru coils imbedded in it. Not driving a compressor makes this easy to do with 12V and very efficient. Thus one could operate an AC unit from a solar panel and a solar concentrator. No, it would not reach meat locker temps but compared to 100 degrees and 100% humidity, 80 degrees and 80% humidity is paradise. Thoughts? Yeah, buy a boat more suitable for your needs, one with a diesel generator that can power an A/C system. |
#3
posted to rec.boats
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Mini-AC for boats
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#4
posted to rec.boats
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Mini-AC for boats
On Wed, 2 Mar 2011 11:43:56 -0800 (PST), Frogwatch
wrote: Thus one could operate an AC unit from a solar panel and a solar concentrator. No, it would not reach meat locker temps but compared to 100 degrees and 100% humidity, 80 degrees and 80% humidity is paradise. Thoughts? Sounds to me like you need a windscoop. http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|6880|301241&id=48974 |
#5
posted to rec.boats
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Mini-AC for boats
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#6
posted to rec.boats
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Mini-AC for boats
On Mar 2, 6:55*pm, Wayne.B wrote:
On Wed, 02 Mar 2011 15:53:48 -0500, wrote: A good shade will do more than what you are talking about. I am not sure how that affects the "sailing" part tho. You're on the right track with the shade, and keeping cool is mostly an issue when anchored or docked. * The combination of good, full length awnings/shades, a wind scoop or two, and some 12 volt fans down below will usually get the job done in the Bahamas. *The only time we run the air conditioning at night is when docked. *Anchored out, we'll run the generator for an hour at bedtime to charge the batteries, ice down the fridges, and cool off the boat before turning in. Maybe I think this is a problem because I spend so much time here in NW FL where there is no wind in the summer. If there is wind, the windscoop works very well. |
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