An economical wind-powered standalone icemaking system. Final report for June 15, 1999 - November 14, 2002
- Resource Type
- Technical Report
- Authors
- Source
- Subject
- wind
renewable energy
ice
icemaker
wind power
- Language
- English
Wind-powered icemaking systems hold the promise of producing inexpensive ice for use in packing fish and other foods in less developed areas of the world and thereby creating sustainable economical development. The variable nature of wind power requires an icemaking system that will operate reliably under a wide range of speeds and loads and still produce good quality ice. Commercial icemakers were examined for their suitability for use in a variable speed, wind-powered standalone system. The examination included determining the relevant criteria for judging the various icemaker technologies and how to weight their importance. A hardware simulator was built to aid in the development and testing of the icemaker and power converter. Tests of the converter were carried out with the hardware simulator and actual wind turbine as inputs and with the small air compressor and icemaker as outputs.