Firewood powered air conditioning

[sredlin]

This might be kinda dumb but I think everyone has heard of RV's with propane powered refrigerators and I was wondering if any engineers out there had built a firewood powered fridge/air conditioner.

 

[ghitch75]

i have one in the works right now should have protype runnin' by middle of summer...it will be an add on unit for a OWB and you'll have to run a another set of lines to your house for the A/C coil

 

[stonykill]

i have one in the works right now should have protype runnin' by middle of summer...it will be an add on unit for a OWB and you'll have to run a another set of lines to your house for the A/C coil

thats interesting. Keep us informed on this one!

 

[wdchuck]

thats interesting. Keep us informed on this one!

+1 Our biggest energy usage of the year.

 

[Patrick62]

I can just see this!

Crazy as it may seem. Light a fire, build a head of steam, steam runs a compressor on a freon system. You run out in the middle of the afternoon at about 98 degrees to feed the fire! :bang:

The other system might make more sense, but not terribly efficient.
Doesn't sound like a steam engine/compressor would be either.

-Pat

 

[stonykill]

Crazy as it may seem. Light a fire, build a head of steam, steam runs a compressor on a freon system. You run out in the middle of the afternoon at about 98 degrees to feed the fire! :bang:

-Pat

crazy as it may seem, light a fire, cause its 10 below zero, fire heats water that heats the house, not its 12 hours later, its now 20 below zero, and you need to feed a fire. Whats the difference?:yoyo:

 

[RIX]

i have one in the works right now should have protype runnin' by middle of summer...it will be an add on unit for a OWB and you'll have to run a another set of lines to your house for the A/C coil

Very interesting, keep us posted on how this works, I'd love to here it.

 

[MS-310]

i have one in the works right now should have protype runnin' by middle of summer...it will be an add on unit for a OWB and you'll have to run a another set of lines to your house for the A/C coil

I dont think it can be made to work as well as an AC unit...I have an good idea what your doing cuz I have seen them kinda rigged on an CB, Maybe if you worked at it you could get the bugs out but....good luck and if you need any help ask.

 

[windthrown]

i have one in the works right now should have protype runnin' by middle of summer...it will be an add on unit for a OWB and you'll have to run a another set of lines to your house for the A/C coil

A/C coil? Why not just run the same lines to to an existing heat exchanger?

 

[windthrown]

Spring fed A/C with the OWB heat exchanger

I was thinking of tapping into the OWB lines and instead of pumping OWB hot water, pump cold water from our spring into the boiler lines and house heat excahnger, and then run the house hydronic floor heater loop. The HX would reverse and send the heat collected in the lines from the house to the OWB lines. It would be an open system; just run the spring water through the lines and house, and vent the warm 'waste' water into the gardens. A poor man's heat pump A/C, or geothermal cooling system. Would work with well water too. :rockn:

Also a swamp cooler works really well if you live in a dry region. Or a simple water evaporative system. We used large cooling towers and ponds in industry in southern California to get rid of waste heat, and saved millions in A/C bills. In humid places this does not work very well though.

 

[habanero]

I was thinking of tapping into the OWB lines and instead of pumping OWB hot water, pump cold water from our spring into the boiler lines and house heat excahnger, and then run the house hydronic floor heater loop....

You wouldn't want the floor loops running cold water. The condensation would turn it into a swamp.

 

[JUDGE1162]

I think without a condenser the water build up on the floor and heat exchanger would be an issue, not sure this would work too well the spring water or well water might work if you run it with an A/C unit to take the moisture out of the air first then the heat exchanger would help cool with out worrying about the condensation


Better solution to this problem might be to rig and OWB to power a generator and make electric to run a normal A/C Unit and this way you could use the firewood powered generator all year long and not just the summer

You anyone comes up with a way to do this I would be very interested

 

[stonykill]

Better solution to this problem might be to rig and OWB to power a generator and make electric to run a normal A/C Unit and this way you could use the firewood powered generator all year long and not just the summer

You anyone comes up with a way to do this I would be very interested

now thats another good idea!:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[MS-310]

Wood gas producer, making enough wood gas to run an 50hp motor then to run an big a$$ generator then selling it to the power company. Its been done and can be done again. Has any one made one?

 

[Husky137]

It's going to snow until July, so why all the fuss about AC?:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[tditodd]

may not be worth it.

I work at a A.C. factory. We made a gas fired chillers (makes cold water) Yes they work. Now how good they work is another thing. Will make 38 deg.water if you want. The Gas company's were buying these for people who needed cold water. ( we will give you a A.C. unit if you buy our gas) 1200 ton ac unit was using alot of gas. The 4" gas line we had running it had a greese fitting on the meter. We didn't sell to many none now. But it will and can work. Hope you have lots of wood and time to put it in. Just know what I seen and run.

 

[SmokinDodge]

It's going to snow until July, so why all the fuss about AC?:hmm3grin2orange:

LOL, I do hope your wrong though. I've got to make hay sometime this year!