Students Designed a Fridge That Only Uses Water from Glacial Runoff

Nottingham Trent University BSc (Hons) Product Design students have designed an innovative mini fridge that only uses water. The design was their entry for the Engineers Without Borders (EWB) UK Engineering for People Design Challenge for 202/2021.

The aim is for the Lobitos and Piedritas communities in Peru, where students were tasked to consider sustainable waste management, food, water supply, energy, digital communications, and transport infrastructure, according to Interesting Engineering.

In Lobitos and Piedritas, there is only a single portable water pipe that delivers clean water for two to three hours a day. There are no other clean water sources, which is why the potable water pipe is used for everything.

The Caja Fria Fridge and Filter System

With this, the students came up with the Caja Fria Fridge and Filter system, made from terracotta clay. The fridge only relies on evaporation to provide cool the contents of the fridge.

The students designed it in a way to use water directly from glacial runoff that eliminates the need to fill it with clean water from the pipe. Furthermore, the water can be withdrawn and cleaned for other uses via its filter system.

The need for this kind of fridge in the area is obvious, but the students also carefully considered what the people truly want. They considered that the residents of Lobitos and Piedritas are not welcoming of Western culture, and they didn't want it imposed on them, so they built the fridge from terracota.

Unbeknownst to many, terracotta is very important in Peru's heritage. The students then used this knowledge to their advantage and integrated technology within the culture.

The Unique Selling Proposition of Caja Fria

The USP of the fridge lies in its filtration system. This is because there is no need to boil water to save energy. The drop in temperature in the fridge is around 48 degrees which makes a significant difference. This is because this temperature is enough to keep fish a bit cooler and prevent it from going bad.

The Caja Fria boasts of a double-walled structure, while they take inspiration from LifeStraw for the filtration system.

The fridge will not only keep food cold, but it can also deliver 12 liters of usable drinking water.

The Caja Fria seems like the perfect fridge in this part of Peru, as the residents don't store food longer than 24 hours. The Caja Fria's ability to cool the food even only for a few degrees is enough to keep it safe throughout the day.

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Written by April Fowell