Author Topic: Wood fired boiler to power air conditioner/chiller (Read 23784 times)

Buzz-sawyer · « **on:** June 23, 2005, 03:51:02 PM »

Nothing new or novel about this idea.......just need some help in the practical side of scaling it down and making it work ....here are the basics.

Using existing wood fired boiler to run a loop of regulated 160-180 degree water to a chiller.

The chiller is water/ammonia type used in industry, often powered by waste heat.

I AM NOT a HVAC guy by trade but am pretty familiar with plumbing, thermo-dynamics, vac.ETAL.

Any wild suggestions from your own MAD schemes .......or something in this order you have seen somewhere....

ronwood · « **Reply #1 on:** June 23, 2005, 04:02:51 PM »

Buzz,

I just made a post asking for an explaination of what yopu just described. I bought a Central Boiler a couple of months ago and am in the process of installing it. The model that I have you can control the temperature. Quit interested in the subject.

Thanks
Ron

Buzz-sawyer · « **Reply #2 on:** June 23, 2005, 04:27:50 PM »

OK
The idea is to use CONTINUOUS-CYCLE ABSORPTION SYSTEM , the continuous-cycle absorption cooling unit is operated by the application of a limited amount of heat.

This heat is furnished in this case by wood waste. No moving parts are employed.
The operation of the refrigerating mechanism is based on Dalton's Law.

Absorption chillers come in two commercially available designs: single-effect and double-effect the solar powered chillers are venturing into triple effect efficiencies.

absorption chillers can substantially reduce operating costs because they are powered by low-grade waste heat. Vapor compression chillers, by contrast, must be motor- or engine-driven........But there are NO moving parts in an absorbtion system.......the BEAUTY OF SIMPLICITY!

SwampDonkey · « **Reply #3 on:** June 23, 2005, 06:12:20 PM »

What are you up to now Buzz???

maple flats · « **Reply #4 on:** June 23, 2005, 09:12:33 PM »

Good luck on this one, I used to sell outdoor wood fired units and the mfgr had a cooler they were working on to do just that. Their engineer got it to cool but they had to keep the water temp up to 208 degrees and it cooled. They kept having the problem of the unit frosting up when the humidity got high and they were never able to find a solution. They eventually gave up after spending over 5 years on building test models and trying different ideas and I'm sure spending literally hundreds of thousands of dollars to no avail. BUT, many great inventions have followed a long list of failures. Good Luck.

wiam · « **Reply #5 on:** June 23, 2005, 10:12:05 PM »

Buzz, I know nothing about this but I am quite interested.

Will

Buzz-sawyer · « **Reply #6 on:** June 23, 2005, 10:14:51 PM »

I dont consider the workability or viability of doing this an issue..........

First of all I am NOT an engineer.....so I dont know what I CANT do...

Second.....Thousands of these units are in operation all over the world........mostly LARGER.........but in for a penny in for a pound.......

Third.........I wont be spending hundreds of thousands of dollars.......so that wont be a problem

Fourth.... Literally milions of absorbtion units are functioning on RV"S and remote cabins all over the world....powered by propane karosene etc.......They burn at a consistent temp.....
Solar refrigeration units of the type I described are in use ALL OVER the world........If I can mimic then Just might work

Fifth......Im to ignorant to know better

wiam · « **Reply #7 on:** June 23, 2005, 11:02:42 PM »

Buzz I have done things and found out after that they were not possible

Will

Buzz-sawyer · « **Reply #8 on:** June 25, 2005, 01:43:09 PM »

Out of 2500 members of this forum there has to be at least one HVAC type that produces wood waste that has had the same idea?!?!

trim4u2nv · « **Reply #9 on:** June 25, 2005, 02:06:05 PM »

My freinds dad had some natural gas powered refrigeration when we were kids. He worked for the gas company. I think these were ammonia, not cfc based systems. Got me wondering if I took apart my old butchers freezer (NH3) and my proposed truck wood gasifier and combined the two. So many ideas so little time!

ronwood · « **Reply #10 on:** June 25, 2005, 06:52:24 PM »

Buzz,

What if you could use a refrigeration unit from a tractor trailer that carrys frozen food. I not sure how they work but I think they are power with diseal fuel.

Ron

Buzz-sawyer · « **Reply #11 on:** June 25, 2005, 07:16:09 PM »

Well Ron
I like the idea but that is kinda different type project

.they have a diesel engine, compressor, cfc refrigerant..........basically a standard unit with a zillion moving parts........the one I am talking about has NO moving parts.......which is part of the fun

JimBuis · « **Reply #12 on:** June 25, 2005, 07:17:41 PM »

In a former life, I was a heating mechanic, i.e. did everything on the heating side of things. What equipment do you have versus what you need to acquire? What are you going to heat and/or cool? House, garage, something else, all of the above?

Jim

Buzz-sawyer · « **Reply #13 on:** June 25, 2005, 07:38:37 PM »

My goal , in more practical terms, is to be able to cool one households freezer needs and refrigerator as well as a 2500 foot home .....recon about 5 tons?

Can common black pipe be used with hydrous ammonia ?

I am a competant welder, (was a certified welder)........

refrigerant temperatures of 45° to 50° F (7.2° to 10° C) are suitable. In this temperature range, water can be used as a refrigerant with an aqueous salt solution, usually lithium bromide, as the absorbent material...........this seems like a good possibility!?!?

Corley5 · « **Reply #14 on:** June 25, 2005, 08:40:22 PM »

I'm interested

I have no idea how this works but I'd sure like to be able to use my wood boiler for air conditioning

Corley5 · « **Reply #15 on:** June 25, 2005, 08:41:48 PM »

Is this the same principle that gas refrigerators work on

Buzz-sawyer · « **Reply #16 on:** June 25, 2005, 08:47:21 PM »

J_T · « **Reply #17 on:** June 25, 2005, 10:09:45 PM »

Buzz course I have

The old ice house used amonia not sure the type . I scraped one once they had a pipe inside a pipe been a long time. They had huge compressors also I mean big

. With the wood fire idia I just got off on sompthing else and never came back .. In case of over heat I think you would need to dump in an accumalator as a bypass and at the same time pressure regulated at around 70lbs low side and not exceed 500 high side . The gas units at least the older ons were trouble . Mane thing I think you would need is a bunch of time copper tube if using R 22 which you could blow real cold off of and a bunch of sealfoss and t stats . Hope I didn't over bore everyone Pm me some time Buzz or call

Buzz-sawyer · « **Reply #18 on:** June 25, 2005, 10:51:26 PM »

JT
Thanks.....but you aint boring no one.....thats what this thread is about

What I am needing is some plain ideas about what kind of material, amount of coolant etc...
I want to go with a absorber...no moving parts type unit...........

Don_Papenburg · « **Reply #19 on:** June 25, 2005, 11:03:43 PM »

Black pipe would work ,but nitrogen is corrosive to steel and aluminum . However the tanks are made of thick steel. The corrosion comes in when oxygen gets involved.If you plan to keep it for a long time try to find a deal on stainless.

Forestry ForumSponsored by:

Author Topic: Wood fired boiler to power air conditioner/chiller (Read 23784 times)

Forestry Forum
Sponsored by: