Cooling element?

Started by dannyd, September 02, 2009, 11:59:52 AM

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dannyd

This might be a silly question but Is there any such thing as a "cooling element" in the sense of the opposite of a heating element. One could place this at the top of a Bradley to take advantage of convection currents and drop the internal of the smoking chamber to a temperature lower than ambient. I'm thinking of trying a salmon cold smoke technique that requires a chamber ambient temperature of around 10 C.

I think modifying a working refrigerator into a smoking chamber would be a bit difficult for me  :-[

Any thoughts on a cooling element?

Tenpoint5

Quote from: dannyd on September 02, 2009, 11:59:52 AM
This might be a silly question but Is there any such thing as a "cooling element" in the sense of the opposite of a heating element. One could place this at the top of a Bradley to take advantage of convection currents and drop the internal of the smoking chamber to a temperature lower than ambient. I'm thinking of trying a salmon cold smoke technique that requires a chamber ambient temperature of around 10 C.

I think modifying a working refrigerator into a smoking chamber would be a bit difficult for me  :-[

Any thoughts on a cooling element?
Just wait a couple of months and Mother Nature will provide a really nice cooling element!!
Bacon is the Crack Cocaine of the Food World.

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FLBentRider

Quote from: Tenpoint5 on September 02, 2009, 12:11:46 PM
Just wait a couple of months and Mother Nature will provide a really nice cooling element!!

Ka Honu and I would disagree....
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dannyd

Hehehe. It was more for the sake of working towards a "controlled atmosphere room" where with the help of some friends and their electronics know how i could set the Bradley heater and a cooling element to work together (attached to a PID or something similar). Still cant think of what to use as a cooler...

 

Hopefull Romantic

Quote from: dannyd on September 02, 2009, 12:56:55 PM
Hehehe. It was more for the sake of working towards a "controlled atmosphere room" where with the help of some friends and their electronics know how i could set the Bradley heater and a cooling element to work together (attached to a PID or something similar). Still cant think of what to use as a cooler...

 

Between now and when you get your friends' input, I suggest using lots and lots of ice.

HR
I am not as "think" as you "drunk" I am.

squirtthecat

Quote from: dannyd on September 02, 2009, 12:56:55 PM
Hehehe. It was more for the sake of working towards a "controlled atmosphere room" where with the help of some friends and their electronics know how i could set the Bradley heater and a cooling element to work together (attached to a PID or something similar). Still cant think of what to use as a cooler...

 

Take apart one of those Coleman travel cooler/heater.  It has an element in it (the name escapes me now) that based on some strange interaction between the 2 metals, can create a cool or warm air flow up to 30 degrees off of the ambient temperature.     I used one in my office for a few years as a mini fridge, but the motor finally burned up.  I took it all apart, and it looked interesting.  I kept the Coleman itself as a spare cooler. (albeit one with a hole in the side)

I'll see if I can find what produced that magic.

squirtthecat


"piezoelectric heat transfer".

That's what does it..       

Hopefull Romantic

I am not as "think" as you "drunk" I am.

Caneyscud

#8
A few months ago a friend (in the HVAC control business) and I had lunch and we drew up on a napkin the controls needed to pump cool air into the Bradley at 95 deg ambient.  Design temp was 65.  I have one of those plug in roll around portable air conditioners I salvaged out of some burned apartments.  Theoritically it would work, but two things we did not know at the time - discharge temp of the a/c and whether enough smoke would stick around in the Bradley while pumping the cold air in.  Used a simple adjustable volume damper controlled by some sort of control do-hickey using data from 3 or 4 temperature sensors.  

BTW - modifying a ref or freezer into a smoker doesn't seem all that hard.  It can be as simple as drilling a couple of holes and installing some smoke daddy's.   Len Poli's sausage site has instructions on how to modify a freezer into a humidity controlled aging chamber.  Seems real simple and don't know why you could not add some smoke generating apparatus to the mix.

or as 10.5 points out - nature can do it for you. 
"A man that won't sleep with his meat don't care about his barbecue" Caneyscud



"If we're not supposed to eat animals, how come they're made out of meat?"

Caneyscud

Quote from: squirtthecat on September 02, 2009, 01:22:03 PM

"piezoelectric heat transfer".

That's what does it..      
Now how can something that starts your grill, your lighter, your heating unit, etc... cool something down?  Google, here google!  I will be occupied for a few minutes!  I've heard of piezo fans in electronics.
"A man that won't sleep with his meat don't care about his barbecue" Caneyscud



"If we're not supposed to eat animals, how come they're made out of meat?"

Habanero Smoker

If you want to get up and going quickly at the lowest cost, then HR has put you on the right track with using ice, if you add salt to the ice that should further lower the temperature. Also if you have the OBS unplug the heating element. Even with my rheostat fully to the left my element will produce some heat.



     I
         don't
                   inhale.
  ::)

squirtthecat

Quote from: Caneyscud on September 02, 2009, 01:44:07 PM
Now how can something that starts your grill, your lighter, your heating unit, etc... cool something down?  Google, here google!  I will be occupied for a few minutes!  I've heard of piezo fans in electronics.

This guy made a drink 'cooler' out of one and a coffee mug warmer.

http://www.instructables.com/id/SH8YISTFPPG0L4D/


Caneyscud

Apparently the coleman units used to use a stirling cooler.  Coleman's site does not list any parts available - link to the people who probably made the unit http://www.globalcooling.nl/products.html

The new units are "thermoelectric".  on the parts list of some of the units they list a module repair kit for $63 - don't know if that is the "thermoelectric"cooling device or not.
"A man that won't sleep with his meat don't care about his barbecue" Caneyscud



"If we're not supposed to eat animals, how come they're made out of meat?"

mikecorn.1

Here in south texas, my cooling element is going to be winter.  ;D
Mike

dannyd

Damn , nice! A look to look into and look up, thanks fellars!
I just got an idea, what do you guys thing about draping the water tubes for a PC water cooler (for example) in the chamber?