'Nduja di Spilinga
Soft, spreadable Calabrian pork sausage made with a great deal of red chilli and fatty pork, stuffed into natural casings, sometimes smoked and matured while staying soft.
Built structures · Cellars, caves and ripening rooms
Brick and sand evaporative cooling chamber
Brick evaporative cooling chamber · Brick and sand cooler · Evaporative cooling chamber
A built-in-place, double-walled brick chamber with the space between the walls filled with sand that is kept wet. Water evaporating from the sand cools the produce stored in shaded crates inside.
Overview
A brick evaporative chamber stands on the ground or part way into it. Two walls of brick enclose a gap filled with sand. The sand is kept wet, and as the water evaporates the chamber's interior cools. Vented crates of produce sit inside the chamber, and the top is covered to keep the sun off.
The design is built in place and is not portable. The work of MIT D-Lab, with the World Vegetable Center and Movement e.V., published a guide in 2018 covering clay pot coolers and brick evaporative cooling chambers.
Sources for this section
How it cools
Water in the sand evaporates into the air in the gap. Evaporation takes heat from the sand and the walls, and the cooled walls lower the air inside. Water must be added regularly, usually about once a day, because the rate of evaporation depends on the weather.
The inspected summaries report a minimum internal temperature about 10 to 15 °C cooler than the surrounding air. That figure comes from the Engineering for Change listing and should be checked on site.
Sources for this section
Shelf life in trials
Testing in Mali reported shelf life of up to 10 days for hot peppers and eggplant, 8 days for tomatoes and 7 days for okra. Without cooled storage the same produce lasted 2 to 4 days, according to the Engineering for Change listing.
These are trial results for particular crops in one climate. They do not show that the chamber suits other produce or wetter places.
Sources for this section
Limits
Evaporative cooling works best in dry air. In wet seasons the sand stays wet and the effect shrinks, and rain can wet the chamber from outside. Standing water also breeds insects and must be avoided.
The chamber does not suit produce that needs dry storage, and it is not a refrigerator for meat. A traditional form or a locally made design needs an authenticated plan and a check of water hygiene, refill demand and insect control.
Sources for this section
History
The brick evaporative chamber was developed in MIT D-Lab work in partnership with local groups, and its design is open-source. The inspected summaries do not date the earliest use of brick evaporative chambers.
Site
SettingShaded position under a tree or beside a shed
GroundLevel ground that drains well, so that the chamber does not stand in water
ClimateDry air suits it best. Wet-season humidity and rain reduce evaporation and can wet the chamber from outside.
NotesThe chamber is built in place. Moving it means rebuilding it, so the site decides the design.
A build is made where it stands: moving it means building it again.
How it is built
Risks and precautions
Stagnant water and insects
Standing water in the sand and wet surfaces can carry insects and hygiene risks.
Hazard sourceKeep the water supply clean and the sand moist but not standing, and keep the chamber covered and shaded
Control sourceThe chamber does not hold produce that needs dry storage. Check the internal temperature against local ambient before storing any produce.
Materials
- Brick
- Sand — Kept wet
- Covering of wood, straw or burlap
- Vented produce crates
- Choose a shaded site, under a tree or a shed. Shade keeps the sand and the walls from heating in the sun.
- Build two brick walls with a gap between them, and fill the gap with sand.
- Wet the sand and keep it wet by adding water about once a day, depending on the rate of evaporation at the site.
- Cover the top with wood, straw or burlap, and place vented crates of produce inside the chamber.
Places
No source in this record establishes a place.
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Sources
MIT D-LabDesign · Method
Evaporative Cooling Best Practices Guide2018 guide covering clay pot coolers and brick evaporative cooling chambers, with the World Vegetable Center and Movement e.V.
Cited in: Overview; Limits
MIT D-LabProject
Brick Cooling ChambersBrick evaporative cooling chamber project page.
Cited in: Overview
Engineering for ChangeConstruction · Performance · Trials
Evaporative cooling chambersTwo brick walls with sand between; covered with wood, straw or burlap; water added about once a day; 10 to 15 °C cooler than ambient; Mali shelf-life figures.
Cited in: How it cools; Shelf life in trials; Limits