Iranian researchers produce solar icemaker

Iranian researchers built a device that can produce ice by utilizing the solar energy instead of conventional electricity energy consumption. “The solar icemaker functions on the basis of surface absorption and for the same reason this device uses active carbon as absorber and methanol as operant fluid,” Mojtaba Ejian, a senior researcher at the Material and Energy Research Center of Iran, told FNA on Saturday. He explained that the machine absorbs energy during the day and causes evaporation of methanol which is absorbed and gathered in the operator plate; then after active carbon is cooled down, it is evaporated once again and after the container is cooled, ice crystallizes around the operating container. Ejian said that the solar icemaker can produce five kilograms of ice in 24 hours which can be used in emergency times. The typical icemaker uses electricity to run a compressor to do this work, but the solar icemaker just uses solar energy, with no moving parts. And the systems are sealed, so barring a leak, they'll never need replenishing.