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No Power "Fridge" 🚫⚡️ (slrpnk.net)

submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Crafted by a potter named M Sivasamy, this clay pot was designed to help keep produce cool for days.

He made a cylindrical pot made out of clay with a tap on one side and an outlet to pour water on the other side. A smaller pot fits inside the bigger one where you can place your vegetables which is then covered with a lid. The technology is simple — the water in the pot remains cool keeping the vegetables fresh and cool. - BetterIndia

For places with no or limited electricity, this could help immensely. Especially considering terracotta(earthenware) clay is almost used worldwide.

More Info:

https://youtu.be/Pr-FxgNTXtA

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago (2 children)

So they discovered cooling by evaporation?

[–] satanmat 12 points 2 months ago

Short version: yes

Long version: also yes and then added functionality to make better use of it.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

Not just evaporation, this is indirect heat transfer without electricity. Simple, cheap, foolproof, renewable.

Little pot containing fresh vegetables inside the big pot, pour cold water inside the big pot, after a day or two, you can pour the warmer water out and put new cold water in.

Insulation of the clay keeps the water cold, hence the vegetables cold, and all you need is any source of cool water.

It's a really good idea in an energy deprived environment.

[–] PiousAgnostic 12 points 2 months ago (1 children)

This is evaprotive cooling tech. These things have existed for 1000s of years. They are called zeer pots.

The water evaporates through the outter clay pot and the latent heat of vaporization causes the water to cool drastically. Same exact principle as an air-conditioning unit, but it's not a closed system, so you have to add more water. And waters energy from vaporization isn't as good as a refrigerant. And it'll only work well in a dry environment.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Close to a zeer pot in construction but with modifications, like the functional difference between a broom and a mop.

Those are the conditions a zeer pot is meant to work in, although this fridge's indirect cooling and lid rather than the pure evaporation of a zeer pot makes his invention useful in all climates rather than only dry conditions.

As for not being a closed system, that is the point of this invention: to have a simply refilled, working refrigerator with zero energy.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

"direct heat transfer" would require submitting the vegetables directly in the cold water since the air around the food is a terrible heat conductor. And the carefully cooled air gets replaced partially once you open the lid.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Good point. Indirect heat transfer; fixed.

Chilling the vegetables isn't about the cooled air, it's about the veggies in the clay pots cooled down directly by cool water.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

It is interesting to see them modifying the zir/zeer pot with additional parts, the outlet for example to pour water in.

[–] indomara 3 points 2 months ago

These are relatively common in Australia, some of them are very pretty. :)