Fixing an Old Fridge

Ask first the question as to whether it is worth doing, or whether it is better to replace this equipment with a newer one.

Dear krishnamurthi, I know that in India they use refrigerators run by kerosene.

How exactly does it work?

All I know a bout popular heat-pumps is a closed circuit endothermic liquid evaporated into gas, and exothermic gas compressed into liquid and vice-versa, to pump heat away from inside the house to the ambient temperature out. Right ?

So, how does a kerosene refrigerator work ?

Anyone ?

Dear Yuval,

I have not come across anybody using kerosene run fridges. There are some old fridges which run on the heat produced by kersene flame. That is the frig I am trying to make. Regards

krishnamurthi

Yes. In the meantime I found a commercial model of a kerosene fridge, on the web:

1. Is the heat produced by burning the kerosene ?

2. How is the heat prduced, used in the Liquid / Gas cycle ?

http://www.refrigeration-engineer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5725

Dear Hux

I should have a protype working model in about 8-12 weeks. We are working on the safe way of filling ammonia into the system. There is a huge need for this electric free system in our power starved country and also in many other part of the world. Regards

chandu

Hi PWS,

The reason to use an absorption fridge is that the OP probably doesn't have a reliable mains supply. We use one because it costs less to run a gas powered fridge than the extra generator run time needed if we used an electric fridge.

the price of these is high (in Europe) as well. Perhaps 3x cost of a similar sized electric model.

Chas

As one of my former hillbilly cohorts used to say when some device went kaput, "Jack it up and slide a new one under it".

Find the cause of the leak and fix it. Prevent future failures.

If you want pressure, attach a car tyre air nozzle into the steel tube (after you have drilled hole first of course) where the heat dispersion element is (solder/weld into place) and use a bike pump to pump air into it.

Ammonia leaking out suggests maybe your steel piping of the unit has had its day. Ammonia and water does nasty things to steel tubing after several years of exposure. Do what others have suggested, get a new one or make your own.