The Eco cooler was developed by Ashis Paul from Bangladesh. The Southeast Asian nation’s scorching heat was the main inspiration behind his DIY cooling system. Another thing that inspired him was the fact that electric air-cooling units wouldn’t be applicable in most Bangladeshi homes. In the mostly rural and poor country, electricity is sparsely distributed and mostly unreliable.
Ashis Paul created his air cooling system using a common waste item in Bangladesh: empty plastic bottles. The Eco cooler is the first-ever, zero-electricity air conditioner in the world. The inventor also wanted to help as many people as he could use his solution. That is where the Grey Group came in. Using its privileged position as an international advertising company, they posted the cooler’s plans online for free. Anyone with access to the internet can, therefore, design his/her own Eco cooler. Grameen Intel Social Business volunteers also helped in the building and installation of Eco cooler units. They also took part in teaching locals how to build their own and pass the knowledge on to other beneficiaries.
Eco cooler how it works:
As hot air rushes into each plastic bottle, it is pushed to the rim where it begins expanding. This expansion then leads to the cooling of the air as it enters the target room. This cooling results from pressure change. As air enters the plastic bottle’s wider part it comes out the bottleneck with higher pressure. As it quickly disperses into the room, its temperature drops.
Sounds uncanny, right? The principle here is quite simple actually. With your mouth wide open, blow some air onto your hand. Does the air feel hot? What if you do the same with pursed lips? Does the air feel cool? That is exactly how the Eco cooler functions!
The thermodynamics principle here is called the Joule-Thomson effect, and the process is known as throttling. Liquefiers, refrigerators, heat pumps and air-conditioners work using the same principle.
