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A comment on 22-year British student invents a mobile fridge that could save many lives.

Re:22-year British student invents a mobile fridge that coul... by Dylan16807 on Saturday September 10, 2016 @07:23PM (#12471350)
So what's the new part? We have portable propane fridges. Is it cheaper? More efficient?
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Re:22-year British student invents a mobile fridge that coul... by makomk on Saturday September 10, 2016 @07:30PM (#12471378)
The new part is that the press likes stories about inventions that could supposedly save millions of lives. Someone proposed something very similar to store vaccines in the third world in a TED talk back in 2007, inspired by the same 1930s refrigeration device, and it also got a load of news coverage before vanishing without a trace: http://www.ted.com/talks/adam_grosser_and_his_sustainable_fr...
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Re:22-year British student invents a mobile fridge that coul... by mschuster91 on Saturday September 10, 2016 @07:26PM (#12471363)
Propane is extremely flammable and explosive. In addition, propane tanks and (ambient) heat don't like to coexist... with this one, even when the ammonia gets vented, at least it doesn't create a fire/explosion risk - and thus can be transported by bush pilots!
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Re:22-year British student invents a mobile fridge that coul... by Dylan16807 on Saturday September 10, 2016 @07:33PM (#12471389)
They all work the same way, and they can use any heat source. It's not new technology, unless they invented a better heater they decided not to mention.
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Re:22-year British student invents a mobile fridge that coul... by kurthr on Saturday September 10, 2016 @08:55PM (#12471582)
Well, I wouldn't say it doesn't produce an explosion risk: https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/chem_profiles/ammo...

Ammonia fertilizer tanks explode every year. It's not a flammable as propane, and it works well for refrigeration, but it's also more toxic and corrosive...

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Re:22-year British student invents a mobile fridge that coul... by userbinator on Saturday September 10, 2016 @10:05PM (#12471722)
Odour: Ammonia-like

I suppose they couldn't find a better way of describing it, but ammonia does have a pretty unique smell. The good thing about ammonia is that its smell is repugnant and detectable at concentrations far below when it starts becoming toxic that you'll be given plenty of warning.

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Re:22-year British student invents a mobile fridge that coul... by gcoda on Saturday September 10, 2016 @07:25PM (#12471362)
It is portable ammonia fridge. We have those too, though
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Re:22-year British student invents a mobile fridge that coul... by pervycreeper on Saturday September 10, 2016 @07:46PM (#12471418)
My guess would be that it self-regulates in some way.
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