[ausev] !12-Volt Ice cooling with a Icester by Swampy.

[Chris Cooper]

Sounds like you just needed to come up with drain pan for the condensate.
I merely stated that it is easy to build and cheaper than purchasing one; either way you have the same result and maintenance. 
Yes, transferring ice, condensate, and a limited amount of time before the ice melts are the three main issues. Condensate drainage is simply a "pan" under the heat exchanger with a drain hose just like the evaporator core in the A/C. The Dodge van's heater core was in the engine compartment so condensate wasn't an issue.  I had a two position valve on the pump output that I could switch to another hose to pump out the water. I agree; it wasn't worth the daily hassle. The one I built for my cabin boat had the heat exchanger mounted on top of the ice chest and condensate wasn't an issue since it was a boat and got wet anyway. I controlled the temperature by limiting flow with a big rheostat. I used a mixture of cubed and frozen cups of ice as the cubed ice would cool and melt quickly and then the "blocks" would maintain. I didn't use it much in the van because of all the water and ice issues. Once a month or so in the boat was worth it. It may be possible to use the existing A/C evaporator core in the vehicle for this if you can get past the expansion valve.

The portable unit I built fit inside a belt mounted soft lunch cooler. It consisted of a 12V windshield washer pump/tank combo I got from JC Whitney. It pumped ice water to a coil of 1/4" tygon tubing inside a foam bicycle helmet. It kept my head so cold that I had to run it on three D cells (4.5V) to slow the flow. Condensate? It was less than the sweat without it. It stayed cold longer than it took to do the yard work. I got the circulation idea from my boss who had this little NASA project building a prototype space suit to use on Mars. 

One has to be careful in using a transmission or oil cooler for this as some of them have a temperature controlled valve that doesn't allow fluid to circulate through the coil until it reaches some set hot point (130 degrees).

If I lived in some state (like AZ) where the humidity was low (<20%), I would consider building an evaporative cooler, then all you have to deal with is adding water. In Austin, it doesn't work very well.

Thermoelectric heat pumps are out. They are too inefficient. 




Chris Cooper
Manager, Computer Services
Department of Biomedical Engineering
University of Texas @Austin

-----Original Message-----
From: ausev-bounces at austinev.org [mailto:ausev-bounces at austinev.org] On Behalf Of Chris Robison
Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2006 12:50 PM
To: AustinEV News Announcements and General Discussion
Subject: Re: [ausev] !12-Volt Ice cooling with a Icester by Swampy.

How did you deal with the condensation on the coil?   I tried this with a
large ice chest full of icewater, a transmission oil cooler and a couple
muffin fans, and a small 12V marine bilge pump, and not only was the
cooling adequate for only a short time (until the ice melted, maybe 10
minutes as I recall) but the condensation was such that it made the setup
almost unusable.  I kept a plastic bag underneath to protect my upholstery
and carpet from the drips, and had a significant collection of water to
(carefully) empty afterward.

It was a hassle to get all the ice to the car, disappointing in the heat
of summer (in a 4-door Honda Civic) and a hassle to clean up afterward. 
After a few attempts I considered the experiment a failure.

  --chris



On Wed, August 23, 2006 12:32 pm, Chris Cooper said:
> These things are so easy and cheap to build. I have built two of them; one
> large enough to cool my old '86 dodge van. I pumped ice water from the ice
> chest through the heater core.
>
> You need (basically):
> Ice chest
> Smallest 12V bilge pump from Wal Mart
> Some 1/2" through-wall barb connectors
> 1/2" water hose
> Heater core with 1/2" fittings
> 12V fan attached to the heater core or use the heater core in the vehicle
> Large and small pieces of ice
> About 3" of water in the bottom of the ice chest
>
>
>
> C²
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ausev-bounces at austinev.org [mailto:ausev-bounces at austinev.org] On
> Behalf Of Richard Slatin, MC/MFCT
> Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2006 9:19 AM
> To: kevin.koym at enterpriseteaming.com; ausev at austinev.org
> Subject: [ausev] !12-Volt Ice cooling with a Icester by Swampy.
>
> Hello Kevin,
>
> I live in Phoenix, AZ, where the summer heat tops 110F, often.  I'm
> rebuilding the Bradley GT2 Electric, which is a 96v-based EV.  I, too,
> and in search of the holy grail of EVs, a car that handles the daily
> commute (40-55 miles per charge) and can keep me cool in the heat.  My
> research--and searching--led me to the unit below.  I haven't purchased
> it yet, but plan to have it for next summer's heat season.  It draws
> relatively few amps.  You may want to have your club members look it
> over, and I'd welcome their input.
>
> Regards,
>
> Richard in Phoenix
>
>
> http://www.swampy.net/ac12.html
>
> _______________________________________________
> AusEV mailing list
> AusEV at austinev.org
> http://www.austinev.org/mailman/listinfo/ausev
>


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