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From: John Bierrie (ix.netcom.com!bierrie)
Date: Mon Oct 14 1996 - 04:53:17 EDT
At 10:22 PM 10/13/96 -0700, you wrote:
>If you find that you aren't using all the space in the icebox, try
>putting some Styrofoam peanuts in plastic bags to fill the empty space.
>My wife has been doing this for some time and it really cuts down on our
>compressors running time. When she needs more space the bags of peanuts
>go in a cockpit locker
Don,
I'd have to say that everyone has come back with, essentially, the same
idea... Add more insulation (in one way or another) to the box "if" I want
to cut it's size. I appreciate this thought and understand fully where it
is coming from - you can't have too much insulation. My next question is
obviously related...
What is the best insulation to use???
I know... styrofoam is the most common. My mind keeps going back to
something I saw 25 years ago or so and makes me wonder what else might be
available. During the height of the Apollo space program, a gentleman came
to our school to do a talk on the whole thing. One of his discussions
concerned the rocket motors themselves and the "insulation" used to keep the
liquid oxygen cold. He also did a demonstration which has stuck in my mind
ever since... After doing the standard demo of sticking a rose into the
liquid nitrogen (or whatever) and tapping it on a table to cause it to
shatter, he then took out a small "sheet" of some material, layed it on his
hand and then poured a small amount of the liquid nitrogen/oxygen onto it.
The purpose of course was to show how the space program was developing
materials and products which could eventualally be used in other areas of
our lives. This "insulation" was capable of keeping an icecube frozen for
weeks, even when exposed to normal room temperatures or other heat.... I
want to say it was mylar, but can not remember at all... "Space blanket"
type of things???
Anyway, the question I have then is... is there some other material
available for insulation which might work as well or better than styrofoam,
but be in a smaller package? Is it possible to make a "sandwitch" of
styrofoam and another material (space blanket?) and end up with something
thinner, yet with more insulation power? Etc., etc...
I'm not trying to "fight" the idea of adding insulation... I'm looking at
options which not only make the current icebox more efficient, but might
allow me to change it's external size/position while possibly increasing
it's efficency, or at least not lowering it.
Thanks
John
"Time & Tide"
Alden 42 - Nordfarer Yawl
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