Inexpensive, energy-efficient, grid-independent storage and cooling system for the Developing World

Hunger and malnutrition can be significantly reduced in developing nations by improving the farmer-to-consumer system. One important step in particular that can be improved is cold storage at the local level. If small, rural farmers could have access to affordable and reliable chilled storage, more produce would reach the consumer, and the farmer would see his income increase. A team of several people has been working to address this issue by developing a cold storage system that is inexpensive, thermally efficient, and easy to assemble and maintain. Using Polyurethane structure insulated panels, Cryogel ice balls, and a unique storage layout, the team was able to design a prototype that met these criteria. This thesis shows the author's research and design decisions, not the collective work of the entire team.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2015

Author dc:creator

• Klatt, Erik O. (Erik Oscar)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• the Developing World.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/98966

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/98966