An innovation which makes a Refrigerator heat water
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- Pandora Box
- Wednesday, 21 March 2012 16:27
- Published on Wednesday, 21 March 2012 16:27
- Hits: 994
Gujarat Global News Network, Ahmedabad
Over the past years a lot of research has been done to reduce power consumption of refrigerators and to reduce its heat loss. Dr Nilesh M Bhatt has taken a different approach to the refrigerator. He has designed a refrigerator in which heat rejected by the condenser is used for generating lukewarm water.
He has prepared a paper on the project titled ‘Domestic Refrigerator cum Water Heater’. According to the paper requirements of lukewarm water for domestic chores can be partially for fully met by the heat rejected by the condenser of domestic refrigerator. The paper deals with simultaneous generation of hot and cold utilities in the form of lukewarm water generation and normal refrigeration. To generate lukewarm water, water to refrigerant heat exchanger (water cooler condenser) needs to be designed and incorporated in the refrigerant circuits. Modifications were made to a normal refrigerator.
According to him daily 100 liter of lukewarm hot water can be produced. Also by making these modifications into the refrigerator, cooling capacity was increased by about 20%, power consumption was reduced by about the same magnitude i.e. 20%. The cost of the modification was about Rs 3500 which includes some of the cost components which can be totally eliminated in mass production.
The paper states that with the present cost of LPG for domestic purpose at Rs 30/kg, the modification brings monthly saving of about Rs 150. Compared to electric water heater, there will be monthly saving of Rs. 300. Thus the simple payback period compared to LPG heating and electric heating is about 2 and 1 year respectively. This can be reduced further if carbon credit earned due to energy saving is considered.
Looking to total number of refrigerator units working world wide, there will be significant reduction of CO2 emissions also. Thus generation of lukewarm water along normal refrigeration is economically viable, technically feasible and environment friendly solution to present energy crisis.
Dr Nilesh is the Director of Gandhinagar Institute of Technology.
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