06
CONSTRUCTION GUIDELINES
The forced-air evaporative cooling chamber detailed in these documents is designed for the storage of fruits and vegetables. Cool air is created in these chambers using the principle of evaporative cooling, where water evaporating from a wet pad reduces the temperature and increases the humidity of the air passing through the pad.
Because the air flowing through the chamber is both cool and humid, this chamber is only suitable for storing produce that can effectively be stored in humid environments; agricultural products like cereal grains and onions will rot in the humid conditions present in these chambers and should be stored using other methods.
This section covers the construction guidelines for the forced-air evaporative cooling chamber and contains two parts:
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The bill of materials
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The recommended order of construction
The bill of materials section includes a list of the key materials and components needed as well as target specifications, the rationale for the requirements, and guidance for sourcing the materials. When possible, suitable alternate materials are mentioned.
The order of construction section includes a step-by-step list of each phase of the chamber construction as well as details on areas where the geometry can be customized, and areas where specifications should be closely followed to maximize the chamber’s performance.
