Freezing question to mr Sludgemunkey.

[grius]

Hi.

I know that you have check on this subject, so i want to hear what you think. Me and a friend is speculate about freezer method to Triturus alpestris that he will buy after this summer, and i think we have come up with an idea how to solve the heat probleme. I dont think that the air circulation in the fridge and inside the tank will be a probleme, i mean with thought on how the pipe part is formed, but all ideas are welcome.

I will be a narrow length for landpart at the bakside, and the best way to hide all pipes would be to place them under land, and use egg craters in the front, i think.

Regards.

 

[grius]

I forgotten to mention that i mean to freez down water this way, sorry for that hehe.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

Looks like a solid plan to me. Circulating the cold air through the water will definitely work.

Only issue I think may happen is the thermal transfer value of PVC pipe. It is moderately good at transferring temperature, but it may not be good enough in this application. This could lead to condensation and excessive ice build up in the freezer itself. A tight coil (wound around like a spring) of stainless steel tubing would ensure maximum surface area exposure and provide excellent thermal transfer to and from the water. Another good option would be glass, however it can be very expensive to use in this method.

 

[grius]

A tight coil (wound around like a spring) of stainless steel tubing would ensure maximum surface area exposure and provide excellent thermal transfer to and from the water

Okey, well that sounds like a great idea, if you mean what i think. Cover all pvc pipes to leed cold better? Maybe i could exchange Pvc and use only stainless steel pipes for the hole appliance? perhaps to expensive, i dont know.

Thanks

 

[SludgeMunkey]

Correct.


It will be a bit pricier to go with stainless steel, however it will prevent many problems later on. Aluminum tubing will work very well also, however it may corrode slightly over time. About a 12.7mm inside diameter tubing would be perfect coiled at about a 100mm diameter. With a total coil length of about 425mm that would increase your cooling efficiency by a factor of almost 4!

If you choose to stay with PVC, (which is fine, I would, I am a low budget kind of person!) I would add some sort of baffle system, or spiral inside the PVC to force the cold air to take more time to get through the tube. The longer it takes for the cold air to go through, the more heat will be absorbed from the water.

 

[grius]

Great help as usual! thanks..