🚀 go-pugleaf

kratel.caltech.edu writes:

>I have heard rumors that someone has offered a million dollar reward for the
>design of a refrigeration cycle which does not use any chlorofluorcarbons. Does
>anyone out there know anything about this? 

My understanding is that Pacific Gas & Electric has offered such a reward
for a refrigerator meeting certain efficiency requirements.

I have heard no information that would confirm that the absence of CFCs is
one of the criteria ... and, knowing what I do about the corporate mindset,
I can't see them concerning themselves with anything that does not immed-
-iately affect their bottom line. Perhaps I do PG&E a disservice, however.

Certainly, their making such an offer is significant evidence suggesting a
new generation, with comparatively fresh perspectives on problem-solving,
has entered the administration of the corporation.

My understanding is that the offer pertains to a refrigerator that uses less
power, as refrigeration is *the* chief power sink in your average household,
and the million they'd pay out would be recouped immediately by the first
expansion they didn't have to build to meet growing power requirements.

There is such a device on the market. I think it's called a SunFrost, it's a
refrigerator made by alternative energy types. I don't think it uses CFCs,
though I might be wrong. I *do* know that the architecture is novel ... it
actually takes into account modern physics, y'know, the bit about heat
rising ... and it takes the bold step of putting the compressor and engine
and heat-producing elements on top of the refigerator, so that rising heat
doesn't warm up the rest of the refrigerator it's trying to cool ... it's
fairly expensive, a thousand or three per unit, but they are a small scale
operation and are probably building units by hand.

-- richard

-- 
-- richard childers		rchilder@us.oracle.com		1 415 506 2411
         oracle data center  --  unix systems & network administration

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