Portable Ice Makers?

Info and photos here http://www.spinifex-creations.com.au/keepikool/trailblaza.htm

computer picked up word that it thought was a tad rude but it aint ...replace the beep with another word for a rooster (the chicken variety) or martinee

Hey wherethefugawi

being dying to talk to a fridge mechanic for ages. so like when i tested my waeco out at full setting the thermostat was happily at minus 18C. My domestic freezer was also minus 18C. But i wondered why my waeco at minus 18C took all day to freeze a tray of ice cubes when my domestic freezer did it in two hours. then i clicked on to the fan thing and the principle of wind chill factor. when the domestic freezer was going i again tested the temperature the internal temperature was minus 30C and combined with the fact that it was circulating both above and below the ice trays was clearly the differing factor. My question is, is that right ? and if so why doesn't someone create a portable fridge/freezer with whatever set up causes this - i presume fan blowing over the cooling fins. or would this be just too heavy ?

Paul,
Fan forced is of course more effective but not neccessarily more efficient...more watts doing more work means less battery reserve..no need to freeze below -23 unless of corse you plan to keep product for eons and have it sealed to prevent freeze drying of product. And yes the addition of more stuff increases weight, cost and physical size. Practicality is the best here.Just like the old fridges not many bells and whistles... but internet access could be nice to get it restocked with ice- cream and
Does the Waeco have cooling on the bottom like the Trailblazer (and my fridge, a copy of a well known one lol) or is it more like the engel which has a internal wrap around evaportor. A wrap around would take longer to freeze the tray if placed on the bottom versus one that freezes the bottom plate. (4 sides versus 5)

wim
Engel compressors do not require a lot of starting power. Swing type compressors I believe only require a small amount of additional power to get them running.
A reciprocating or rotary compressor such as the Danfoss reciprocating and the rotaries have a top dead centre and if the compressor stops at either the bottom or top of its stroke the driving motor uses a much greater amount of power to push it over the hill on start up. The general allownace for this, is as you say 6-7 times full load current with an allowance for safety.... reasons why a standard inverter wont survive ( bet you know all this anyhow) but again i am sure that Engel do not require this type of reserve grunt.

As the guy above said ..........Consider Dry Ice!
Dry Ice is particularly useful for freezing, and keeping things frozen because of its very cold temperature: -78.5°C.

As a general rule, Dry Ice will sublimate at a rate of 2.5 - 4.5 kilos every 24 hours in a typical esky. This sublimation continues from the time of purchase, therefore, pick up Dry Ice as close to the time needed as possible. Bring an ice chest or some other insulated container to hold the Dry Ice and slow the sublimation rate. Dry Ice sublimates faster than regular ice melts but will extend the life of regular ice.

Dry ice gives more than twice the cooling energy per pound of weight and three times the cooling energy per volume than regular water ice

Additionally as it melts it turns directly into carbon dioxide gas rather than a liquid and so there is no messy liquid left over like you would have with normal ice.

Check out the BOC gases for their product 'Snowpack' which allows pellets of CO2 dry ice to be made on the spot, wherever they are wanted.

I don't know if you can hire them but maybe if you do a lot of tripsit is worth purchasing.

To handle dry ice, you want to be sure to wear heavy gloves, the super-cold surface temperature can easily damage your skin if you touch it directly. For the same reason you never want to taste or swallow dry ice either. Another important concern with dry ice is ventilation. You want to make sure the area is well-ventilated. Carbon dioxide is heavier than air and it can concentrate in low areas or in enclosed spaces (like a car). Normal air is 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen and only 0.035% Carbon Dioxide. If the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air rises above 5%, carbon dioxide can become toxic. Be sure to ventilate any area that contains dry ice.