Zeolite-water refrigeration with graphite foam enhancement

A method of refrigerating an article, comprising the steps of:

• providing a refrigeration apparatus, comprising:
• a refrigeration enclosure comprising outer walls defining a hermetic interior refrigeration chamber, and a porous thermally conductive foam insert within the chamber;
• a desiccant enclosure comprising outer walls defining a hermetic interior desiccant chamber, and a desiccant within the desiccant chamber;
• a fluid conduit making a fluid connection between the first chamber and the second chamber;
• and,
• a control valve for controlling the flow of fluid through the fluid conduit;
• placing an article to be refrigerated in proximity to the refrigeration chamber, and with the control valve in the closed position;
• placing a liquid in the refrigeration chamber, the liquid entering the pores of the porous foam insert;
• evacuating gas from the desiccant chamber to a pressure below the vapor pressure of the liquid in the refrigeration chamber;
• and,
• opening the control valve to permit the liquid to vaporize in the refrigeration chamber and to flow from the refrigeration chamber to the desiccant chamber, the heat of vaporization cooling the porous thermally conductive foam insert and the article in proximity to the refrigeration enclosure.

A human-powered refrigeration system comprising:

• a refrigeration enclosure comprising outer walls defining a hermetic interior refrigeration chamber, a porous thermally conductive foam insert and water within the chamber;
• a desiccant enclosure comprising outer walls defining a hermetic interior desiccant chamber, and a desiccant within the desiccant chamber;
• a fluid conduit making a fluid connection between the first chamber and the second chamber;
• and,
• a control valve for controlling the flow of fluid through the fluid conduit;
• a manual vacuum pump for reducing the pressure of the sealed air within the desiccant chamber;
• and
• wherein the temperature of the insert is maintained at a temperature that is less than the temperature of the ambient air outside of the enclosure when a human activates the manual vacuum pump to reduce the pressure of the volume of sealed air within the desiccant chamber to a pressure that is below the vapor pressure of the water.