12-20-03 01:21
No 477907
Hey Hey,
Swiis is a huge fan of the 48 hour reflux. He is a desert dweller, so recirculation is a must. He has been using a small cooler as a vessel for his water, and periodically reloading with ice as the old ice melts. Needless to say, Swiis is spending alot of time reloading. Are there any thoughts as far as what he might try for a self-cooling water vessel? I think he told me he would rather avoid drilling for water lines-electrical cords thru a small refrigerator. Does anyone have any input as to what would be a suitable alternative. He was thinking of a top opening type of vessel, which could fit the pump & cool itself. Any suggestions?
(Hive Bee)
12-20-03 01:38
No 477910
"He is a desert dweller, so recirculation is a must"
Here it is dark, cold and fetid. Moisture drips from every surface. My bones ache. The people have a deathly pallor.
You need a refrigeration unit of some kind. Even in the UK, you can buy a portable electronic peltier fridge for 50 pounds (these run off 12V dc or 240V ac). These are el cheapo beer coolers taking 10 or so cans, with polystyrene insulation. Flip one on it's back, fill it with water and insert your aquarium pump. Run it from a 12V adaptor for safety.
HRH The Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester, Belly Dancer, Fox Hunter and Upper Class Twit
(Hive Bee)
12-20-03 05:18
No 477937
You might try looking into consumer PC liquid CPU cooling setups, they are designed pretty much exactly for what you want, all you'd have to do is make sure it contained peltier junctions to actively push the heat. Enough of them to get it to the temp you want and you're off to the races.
It is common for overclockers to use liquids other than water to bring the CPU temperature to below 0C, and as I understand it modern CPU's can push out anywhere from 30 to 50 watts of heat, is this reasonable for "most" purposes?
One benefit over traditional cooling (if it can move enough heat) is that you could possibly control the temperature of the coolant directly, not to mention the flow-rate.
Of course, if you used alcohol or ethylene glycol then there's a few safety concerns that wouldn't exist with just water, you'd have to be real sure of what you're doing, no more DUI's. (Distilling Under the Influence)
over and under, then back to the start
this sidewalk's bottom is the same as its top
(Stranger)
12-28-03 03:00
No 479391
Ebay in most countries lists "water coolers" and "office water chillers" for auction. You can also pick up these little lovelies from liquidators who sell off assets of failed companies. A 100W water chiller (which uses a phase change refrigeration system, like your fridge does) can typically be had for $70USD, perhaps less if your timing is right. While the compressor is generally rated at greater than 100W, the condensor/radiator on such office units tend to be the limiting factor on the unit's colling capability, and if you have a vacuum pump and are prepared to purchase some HVAC hoses and a bullet piercing valve, you can refit such a unit with a higher efficiency condensor, and run it at the compressor's maximum rating. A unit thus converted is more than ample for 400mm column, and will recirculate ~2°C water indefinitely with ambient temperature above 40°C.
Phase change coolers are far more efficient than peltier coolers, and tend to be higher capacity as well, but if efficiency isn't an issue, then a high wattage peltier water chiller is probably also perfectly acceptable.
(Stranger)
12-28-03 07:04
No 479415
If you want to take the water cooler idea a step further, you could leave the bottle on top, drill a hole in it. Then change out the valve on the bottom, and you could eleminate your pump. (gravity flow). You could also put ice in the reservoir before you put the bottle on top. GETTO RULES