Had to snicker when I saw this article from the Associated Press talking about the "innovative" use of ice for air conditioning in modern office buildings:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/07 ... index.html

using ice to cool with??? Whoa, slow down, I can't imagine such a thing... I guess our comrades at CNN couldn't either.

Without reading the entire article, I would suppose they are talking about ice builders. The principle is that at night, commercial and industrial customers get off peak electric rates from the utilities. So at night they build ice in a big rectangular chamber and defrost it during the day and circulate the cold water through chilled water coils in their air handlers. Vey similar to air conditioning with a central package chiller that circulates 45 degree water except that you are not running the high use compressor during the peak hours when the electric company kills you. Not new technology. It had been around for many many years. The company I used to sell condensing units to for this purpose is Girton Manufacturing in Millville PA. They make them small enough for small applications or huge enough to do entire office buildngs. There are some huge electrical saving to be had!

Later!
Mr. Ed

I remember seeing a show about the diamond mines in S. Africa some years ago. The cooling system they used was a huge block(s) of ice which I believe was continually produced and shaved to make an icy slurry to cool the deep mines that were around 100 deg. and 80-90% R.H.

The Western Railway Museum owns the Pullman built car Circumnavigators Club lounge car.

It was modernized with among other things an ice activeated air conditioning system. The museum has operated it many times for fund raising and similar events.

It is designed for the ice to last about 24 hours; but using it less than full time it can be made to last longer on one load of ice blocks.

Does any other museum have a car with its ice ac in operating condition?

Ted Miles