Brick-walled cooler

A back evaporative cooler for storage of fresh produce, with a capacity of 182m3, has been constructed and tested in Kano, Nigeria. The successful storage of produce in the tropics requires cheap structures or containers which reduce ambient temperature, raise humidity but which do not require a generated power supply. The Nigerian cooler is a doublewalled brick-sided structure built on a low plinth. The roof is insulated and the access door is in one side wall. The cavity in the walls is filled with river sand which is kept wet by adding water two or three times a day, depending on the evaporation rate. The chamber contains three wooden storage shelves and, after loading, an inner opening of the door is tightly covered with foam board before closing the wooden outer door. Opening the doors is kept to a minimum to prevent hot air entering the chamber and moisture loss. Tests with manages and oranges showed that the fruits stayed fresh and unwrinkled for a longer period in the brick cooler than in a conventional refrigerator. F Adekunle Babarinsa Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute PMB 3032 Kano- NIGERIAA back evaporative cooler for storage of fresh produce, with a capacity of 182m3, has been constructed and tested in Kano, Nigeria. The successful storage of produce in the tropics requires cheap structures or containers which reduce ambient..