Engineers Without Borders Challenge 2017 Finalist Idea - The Chill Box ( a sustainable way to preser

Recently, I have been working on a group project with 7 other team members to enter a contest hosts by the 'Engineers Without Borders' for University of Brighton.

and we have come up with an great idea...

Introductory video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWJ-_MqGJec&feature=youtu.be

The problem area.

The industry and economy in Lobitos offers employment in 3 main areas; employment in the local municipality, working as an artisanal fisherman or working in the emerging tourism industry. The fishing industry is the largest business/main source of income. It was seen that more than a quarter of Peruvian’s are employed in either agriculture or fishing industries, but the economy is losing up to 5% of its total income due to lost revenues because of lower fish landing and crop yielding. Further, the fisherman and farmers suffer due to access routes in Lobitos being blocked and closed off, with little cold storage facilities around Lobitos fish quay, so the fishermen’s catch have to be sold straight to distributors as there is no possible way to prolong the fishes’ freshness.

The culture.

Improving the fishing industry in Lobitos, can benefit men to fulfil their traditional gender role as the primary income earner to maintain social constructions of the community. Also in consequence, women in Lobitos can emancipate from sacrificing time with family to engage non-traditional livelihoods for financial survival.

Why we created it?

The primary aim of our project was to increase the efficiency and quality of stock for the fishermen. We made the evaporative cooling box to prolong the freshness of the fish, and to make the transportation of them easier and more hygienic. The damaging effects from the black outs, and the storm El Nino, mean that the people of Lobitos are regularly left without any power. The beauty of this product is that it is powered by readily available resources, utilizing natural processes. This allows food and medical supplies to be stored and cooled without ever needing electricity.

What we created?

We created a portable cooling box for newly caught fish to ensure they are kept clean and fresh for a longer period. Therefore, can be stored or transported and then sold to the market without utilising any energy. The goal was to create a completely renewable process, disconnected from current energy solutions.

How we tackled the issue?

it was discovered that a refrigeration system would be an instant way of reducing the issue of bacteria build up on fish. lowering the temperature of the fish, and therefore significantly slowing bacteria growth. To tackle the issue of fishermen having to sell produce straight to merchants we learnt that the fishermen needed a way of preserving and transporting their daily catches – factors which were previously uncontrollable. The cooling box enables the storage of fresh fish, and the delivering of it to local restaurants, hotels and businesses, to be a simultaneous process. To tackle the issue, of no or little transportation methods, 1. The trolley will increased transportability and would undoubtedly develop supply chains in the local area. 2. lack of a refrigeration to store and cool produce, a traditional method of evaporative cooling was utilized, inspired by ancient techniques using clay pots

Evidence to illustrate how useful is it?

Although unable to recreate the product to its full extent, various tests were done on smaller scale models. Internal temperature dropped to below 10 degrees in optimal conditions. This was reflective of the researched zeer pot which can drop its internal temperature to below 5 degrees. On a full scale model it is hoped the internal temperature will be equivilant to a zeer pot, allowing for the most time refridgerated

How the product works?

The general principle of the cooling process is via the conduction of heat from the central chamber, through porous walls. The trolley has multiple layers of porous material surrounding the inner chamber. The walls imitate a porous ceramic surface and are made up of a hard-outer wall with material inserts which hold the sand. By wetting the sand in the wall, heat from the inner chamber is brought out via conduction of the convection currents within the trolley

How it’s made?

The beauty of this product is that it is powered by easily available resources, utilizing simple fabrication techniques. Locals can learn to assemble this product by following the instructions manual provided.

How the product developed.

Through extensive research into how to refridgerate local produce, one process stood out, evaportative Cooling. This is a technique used for generations in various of Cultures. This is a way that the locals of Lobitos can refridgerate and store fish for long periods of time, with a renewable and innovative edge. To enable evaporative cooling, container walls must be porous to allow for slow evaporation of the wet sand. This became a unique challenge due to the traditional clays used being illequipt for the trolley. There are several available materials In lobitos, enabling a more suitable system. plastic roofing panels and hessian bags were selected for the trolley walls. These materials layered together mimic the porous surface of clay, whilst maintaining rigidity and a cool inner core.

Costing.

How the costings will be overcome.

To eradicate the cost of importing materials, and to save time, all the materials needed to make the product are widely available locally. Aside from the cost of materials, the only other potential costs are the wheels, and the tools needed for welding. After further research, we discovered the cost of the wheels could be overcome by using recycled bicycle wheels, from local bikes. Additionally, the welding could be done within the town, which is likely to be relatively cheap too. Should the product develop into a business, this could result in labour costs being incurred, as workers will need to manufacture each product. All considered, in total, the cost of the materials needed to make the product comes to approximately S/331 (£77)