| Project 173K: the journey to -100C |
| Page 1: Introduction |
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New refrigerants, new compressors, and thus a new project. The name says it all: the goal is 173 Kelvin this time, which translates to -100 °C (-150F).
What isn't so new with this project is the tremendous amount of help I had from many people. Without that help, this project would have been a lot more difficult to do. Let's name and praise them first; it's the least thing I can do back for them.
| Haeg | This guy is a top-class professional AC/R engineer, and helps me whenever necessary. He provided a lot of the components used, and the services which require a license to do. |
| Captain Cascade | This guy is a cascade professional, and he provided me with a temperature controller capable of temperatures down to -200 °C |
| Gary | Founder of the T.E.C.H. HVAC/R troubleshooting method. His help in troubleshooting quirky refrigeration systems is invalueable. |
| Twynn | A friend who gave me the low stage compressor. |
| Raymond Gaasbeek | He provided a very good quality stainless steel hose against a very reasonable price. |
Also, the guys at the XtremeSystems, Gathering of Tweakers and Refrigeration-engineer forums provided a lot of help and feedback. Thanks guys!
A word of warning:
Many of you reading this will be tempted to also build a cascade, or copy certain methods and parts of my cascade. Please keep in mind that the involved gases and pressures are potentially DANGEROUS. Things may fail, things may explode. Your house might burn down, or you might get killed by the shrapnel produced by an exploding compressor.
If you have never attemped to get a refrigeration system working, start out simple and make a Prometeia clone or waterchiller first. Make sure you understand thoroughly how a vapour compression refrigeration system works. Make sure you understand every possible hazard before even thinking about building a cascade. This includes (but is not limited to) the dangers related to refrigerant chemistry, flammability and the excessive pressures that may develop when something fails. A numbers says nothing, but if you ever heard a bike tyre explode, you know that even low pressures can do a lot of damage. Pressures in a refrigeration system rise up to 5-10x bike tyre pressure. Make quality brazed joints. Do not even think about using SnAg soft solder. Do not kink or twist pipes.
Work safe.
Enjoy!
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