Einstein Refrigerator Making a Comeback?
Albert Einstein is probably most remembered by the public for his General Theory of Relativity, but how many remember his 1930 invention of a refrigerator that used no electricity? I wasn’t there when it was introduced, but I knew several people who had one, and they weren’t all that happy with it, primarily because it wasn’t that efficient.
The idea was great, it operated without electricity, using ammonia, butane and water. The principle being that water boils at a much lower temperature at high altitudes where air pressure is lower than it does when you’re at sea level, where air pressure is higher.
Malcom McCulloch, an electrical engineer at Oxford University in the U.K., is leading a team in a three year project to produce appliances that can be used in places without electricity. Or, for that matter, places with electricity, why not?. That’s when McCulloch latched on to Einstein’s fridge idea.
Einstein’s concept, shown in the image above, works thusly. At one side is the evaporator, a flask that contains butane. “If you introduce a new vapor above the butane, the liquid boiling temperature decreases and, as it boils off, it takes energy from the surroundings to do so,’ says McCulloch. ‘That’s what makes it cold.”
But, like I said, it wasn’t all that efficient and by the time Einstein died in 1955, his invention had been replaced by the system we now use, a freon gas, or replacement, and a compressor run by electricity. Freon has been linked to its eventual effect on the ozone layer above the South Pole, and has been phased out of use by the automobile industry in favor of less or non-polluting gasses.
To offset the use of electricity to operate the system, McCulloch is investigating the use of solar energy to operate a heat pump. He says, “No moving parts is a real benefit because it can carry on going without maintenance. This could have real applications in rural areas.” The team is also tweaking the original design and replacing different gasses to improve efficiency.
Camfridge, a Cambridge-based start-up company, has a fridge that uses magnetic fields to cool things. Managing Director Neil Wilson put it this way, “Our fridge works, from a conceptual point of view, in a similar way (to gas compressor fridges) but instead of using a gas we use a magnetic field and a special metal alloy.” He went on to say, “When the magnetic field is next to the alloy, it’s like compressing the gas, and when the magnetic field leaves, it’s like expanding the gas.” He added: “This effect can be seen in rubber bands – when you stretch the band it gets hot, and when you let the band contract it gets cold.”
The creation of greener refrigeration systems can have a huge effect on the environment and lifestyles of millions, as outlined by Greenpeace U.K Chief Scientist, Doug Parr. “If you look at developing countries, if they’re aspiring to the lifestyles that we lead, they’re going to require more cooling – whether that’s air conditioning, food cooling or freezing. Putting in place the technologies that are both low greenhouse-gas refrigerants and low energy use is critical.”
How soon will a non-electric refrigerator or cooling system being humming..or whatever it does..at your place? McCulloch admits his fridge is in the very early stages. “It’s very much a prototype; this is nowhere near commercialised,” he said. “Give us another month and we’ll have it working.”
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September 22nd, 2008 at 2:58 am
What a Great Idea, we could also got back to using Horse and Carts
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:41 am
Hi, isn’t this an absorption chiller?
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:18 am
This is great for some to continue on Einstein’s work. A lot of scientist come up with concepts before their time when the technologies are simply not there yet to support the concepts viably.
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:55 am
I suspect that a “Once burnt, twice Shy” American over-consumer, after having been brought to his knees by the impending Depression, will be more easily convinced that modest living in “zero running cost, Zero upkeep” homes is a good goal. The McMansioners with big V-8s and bills to match will probably be grateful for “small house society” style survival bungalows offering low cost survival, complete with composting, solar energy, and small garden for soon to be scarce food. Cheap, or solar powered refrigeration is a luxury no third world country currently has. Americans must be first in this or perish, Vette in the yard on blocks, McMansion falling into disrepair, and fancy kitchen furnishings cold, fuel less and rusting away! God Help Us, The shit has hit the fan!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Refrigeration without electricity may be possible for the masses. Einstein had the right idea, he just got too busy with other things to perfect his invention. Now, there s hope.
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Ummm… people with RVs have been using essentially this type of refrigerator for, oh, something like 40 years.
The problem with them is that they are energetically inefficient and expensive to manufacture. Now, if you have waste heat that you aren’t using for anything else, perhaps the inefficiency doesn’t matter. But why do you have waste heat that you aren’t using for something else? You’ll get better return on investment on a solar water heater.
If you don’t have access to electricity then they may be your only option, of course, but I wouldn’t choose them first.
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Isn’t this the same technology, though, that powers refrigerators in RVs and travel trailers, when they are ‘boondocking’ (in a plce without electricity)? The fridge in our trailer runs on LP gas. Maybe the idea just needed the right application.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:21 am
PV/T = PV/T
October 6th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Ray Trent said: “If you have waste heat that you arn’t using for anything else”. Ray, you must be KIDDING! I can think of a lot of places that heat is wasted and not used, that could be directed to a refrigerator unit of this type. From home excess heat that goes up the chimney to heat that discharged into the atmosphere from automobiles and trucks. In my home alone I can think of four sources of unused heat that could be used to operate this unit. A little imagination is all that’s required to find solutions. Well that’s why I’m an engineer and you are not.
October 6th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Say Max,not to punch a hole in your credibility or anything but auto airconditioners STILL use freon.Just a slightly different mix.Besides,it doesn’t really matter since we all are going to cease to exist in early 2012.Problem solved…TAH DAH!!
October 7th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Maybe if you are as old as I am you can remember a home refrigerator that ran on propane. I had one in the 50’s. It was made by Servel and had a small flame that would come on when needed and heat either water or ammonia and cool. I also had a central air system that used hot water to heat the house in the winter and cold water to cool in the summer time. It also was operated by natural gas for both. I believe it was made by Arkla who bought out Servel. It was really efficient and I wish I had them again.
February 15th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
To: Estreetband
cease to exist 2012? perhaps not a Tah Dah!…. There… you and I dont know when the worlds going to end umm shall I say put a cap on that…pple and there outrageous OPINIONS.