Ice from Pump

Note: This technology is recommended for medical and emergency situations in Eco sustainable villages

Ice-Quick

The Ice-Quick is a small device to demonstrate the adsorption technology with the sorption pair water/zeolite. It consists of a zeolite filled cartridge, connected via an adaptor to a plastic cup, which contains some water, and which is evacuated by means of a hand-vacuum pump.

After approx. 10…20 strokes with the hand-vacuum pump the inside pressure is reduced below the vapour pressure of the water at ambient temperature, and the water start to boil. Air gases go out of the water and starts to bubble on the bottom of the glass. (The more air is removed out of the system, the better the adsorption of water vapour. The vapour above the water surface is adsorbed in the cristalline structure of the zeolite. As a result, the remaining liquid water cools down.) After a few more strokes the water calms down and finally begins to freeze. After some time the water is completely frozen: 50 g of water at a temperature of 10 °C can be cooled down and frozen within 30 sec with 500 g of zeolite. The average specific cooling power results to 390 W/kgZeo.

This process can be repeated 8…10 times with arbitrary intervals until the zeolite is saturated. The zeolite has always to be cooled down to the ambient in between processes for the adsorption to function properly. For desorption (regeneration) the zeolite has to be heated up to 250 °C for a short time. When the zeolite is cooled down again to 20 °C it is ready for further ice production.

A further development of the Ice Quick is the Bottle Cooler consisting of :

	a plastic evaporator which contains a bottle encaged with a wet, sponge-like material,
	a big zeolite cartridge,
	an adaptor and
	an electrically driven vacuum pump.

Within a time of 8 minutes the content of a bottle is cooled down from 30 °C to less than 10 °C. After finishing the process the bottle has to be taken out of the evaporator. The frozen spongelike material keeps the beverage cool for a long period of time.

picture of bottle cooler

Advantages of the Ice-Quick and bottle cooler

Usage of the Ice-Quick

Ice-making

Take a plastic cup and fill not more than 1 cm (0,4 inch) of water into it. Place the system on a flat surface.

Check that the PVC-hose is fixed to both the adaptor and the pump. The cartridge is firmly tightened to the adaptor.

Operate the vacuum-pump continuously, but not too fast. Push the piston-rod to the very end. Overcome the resistance of the final air-cushion.

Check the tightness of the unit after approx. 2 strokes by lifting the cartridge. Because of the produced vacuum, the cup with the water is firmly tightened to the adaptor

After approx. 10…20 strokes the inside pressure is reduced below the vapor pressure of the water at the ambient temperature, and the water starts to boil. Air gases go out of the water and start to bubble on the bottom of the glass. (The more air is removed out of the system, the stronger becomes the adsorption of water vapor. The vapor above the water surface is adsorbed in the cristalline structure of the zeolite. As a result the remaining liquid water cools down.)

After a few more strokes the water calms down and begins to freeze. Wave the water-cup and the cartridge several times so that water can reach the surface, and continue the operation of the vacuum-pump. (At the same time the zeolite gives out the heat of adsorption. After 1…2 min the heat can be felt on the outside of the cartridge. With a heat exchanger it is possible to use little heat in existing aggregates, for example, for heating water or on an air stream.)

The adaptor has a small flap. Lift it briefly in order to let air into the system, so that the cartridge and the adptor can be removed from the cup.

This process can be repeated 8…10 times with arbitrary intervals until the zeolite is saturated. The zeolite has always to be cooled down to the ambient in between processes for the adsorption to function properly. For the regeneration the zeolite granulate needs to be activated by heating it at 250 °C in the oven

Regeneration

Unscrew the nut from the central-pipe which is inside the cartridge. Take out the lattice

Spread out the zeolite granulate on a baling tray and put it into an oven for 2 hours at a temperature of 250 °C. Alternatively, put the cartridge with the zeolite directly in the oven for 3 hours.

Cover (for example aluminium foil) the granulate after the regeneration, and cool it down so that no humidity is adsorbed by the zeolite.

Refill the cartridge in closing the central-pipe, refix the lattice and put the nut again on the central-pipe.

Please make sure that there is no zeolite granulate in the inside of the central-pipe by turning the zeolite cartridge up-side-down

Storage

To store the Ice-Quick the zeolite cartridge has to be deposited in a dry ambient. Place the empty and dry plastic cup directly on the adaptor.

In this way the renewed energy in the zeolite during the regeneration process can be stored without losses for as long as required.

Solar Cooler

For ease of transport, the zeolite containers can be temporarily separated from the evaporator. Therefore a hand-driven vacuum pump is supplied for removal of air from the adsorption system.
equipment For refrigeration, a zeolite container with about 2.5 kg of zeolite is connected with the evaporator. After removal of air from the air-tight system, the production of cooling power starts within seconds. For about 24 hours, temperatures of –10...0 °C are sustained and for further 12 hours temperatures are maintained below 8 °C.
When the zeolite is saturated with water, the container is separated from the evaporator and a new, desorbed zeolite container is connected. With a few strokes of the vacuum pump the air is removed and the cooling action continues. The container with the saturated zeolite is mounted in the solar collector focus for about 3 hours and is heated to about 200 °C. Subsequently the container connector is closed with a cap (in order to prevent the adsorption of water from the surrounding air).
After a few hours the container can be used for a further cooling cycle. – In order to bridge periods of low solar irradiation, several zeolite containers are provided, which can be stored in the desorbed, activated state..

The ISAAC Solar Icemaker is an Intermittent Solar Ammonia-water Absorption Cycle. The ISAAC uses a parabolic trough solar collector and a compact and efficient design to produce ice with no fuel or electric input, and with no moving parts.

The ISAAC Solar Icemaker operates in two modes. During the day, solar energy is used to generate liquid ammonia refrigerant. During the night, the generator is cooled by a thermosyphon and ice is formed in the evaporator compartment as ammonia is reabsorbed to the generator.

The daily ice production of the ISAAC is about 5 kg per square meter of collector, per sunny day. The construction of the ISAAC Solar Icemaker involves only welding, piping and sheet metal work, and there are no expensive materials. It is estimated that, when produced in-country where wages are low and transportation costs can be minimized, the 11 square meter
ISAAC can be produced for less than $7,000. When produced in-country, the creation of urban employment is an additional advantage of ISAAC technology.

The characteristics of the ISAAC which make it particularly well suited to provide refrigeration to unelectrified rural communities are:

1. It is solar thermally powered, avoiding expensive diesel fuel or photovoltaics.

4. The quantity of ice is sufficient to support small scale businesses while maintaining sustainability in fragile environments, or provide low cost household refrigeration.

The ISAAC design was developed by Energy Concepts Company. Over forty systems have been built and twenty installed in seven countries. The ISAAC is on display in Annapolis, Maryland and at Sandia National Lab, Albuquerque, New Mexico. ISAAC is now being distributed and commercialized by Solar Ice Co.

Providing Jobs to Remote Communities - By Providing Ice
The ISAAC Solar Icemaker makes enough ice at low cost to support many small scale businesses in rural unelectrified areas. Enterprises using ISAAC will be environmentally sustainable because no fuel is required. They will be economically sustainable because the cost of producing the ice by the ISAAC is sufficiently less than the value of the ice that it can easily be recovered by a micro-enterprise.

Ice is of major economic importance. In rural communities of developing countries, there is frequently a shortage of ice to support business activities. The result is loss of revenue, jobs, and substantial food spoilage.

Lights, communication and entertainment require modest amounts of electricity and are affordable even at the high cost of
electricity from emergency generators, diesel mini-grids or photovoltaics.

When refrigeration is needed also, the amount of electricity required from the power system increases drastically. Thus it is usually omitted to keep costs down. An ISAAC Solar Icemaker supplies refrigeration without the intermediary step of electricity and at a much lower cost. Thus ISAAC Solar Icemakers, in combination with mini-grids and/or photovoltaics, are a good method of supplying remote community needs.

For example, ISAAC can provide domestic refrigeration. An ISAAC produces six blocks of ice each day, weighing ten kilograms each. If an icebox requires five kilograms of ice per day to stay cool, then one ISAAC will be able to supply domestic refrigeration to twelve households. The cost of a standard electric refrigerator, plus the constant requirement of expensive electricity, would be much higher.