Portable A/C

This is a presentation for making a battery powered Portable A/C.

Step 1: Spray Foam Box Fail

We started by spraying spray foam into a plastic box that will hold Ice,with no research on what spray foam sticks to. When we sprayed the foam into the box it looked great. When we came in the next day we found our project a mess. We researched spray foam and found out it doesn't stick to plastic. So, we got rid of the plastic box idea and built a plywood box, and used pink foam insulation squares to insulate the box. We then covered the pink foam with layers of silicone caulking, which sealed all the holes and air gaps in the box, as well as adding an extra layer of support on the insulation.

Step 2: Layout for Ice Box

Measure plywood for dimensions of Ice Box that will measure 1', 1', 2'. Then we used a chop saw to cut the pieces out of plywood, and after that we drilled 3 holes in the front of the box for the cold air intake to go into the box, and then one hole on the back of the box for the exhaust of the even cooler air.

Step 3: Designing Ice Box

Went to design a 3-D model of the Ice Box through solidworks, this was the step by step design process. The box is designed to be both lightweight and easy to use, but within a decent price range.

Step 4: Step 4

here is the ice box that will be mounted to the back of the ac to make the a/c a tow way cold air system. Also mounted on the box is the 12 volt to 120 volt inverter where we bring 12 volts in on a power tool battery

Step 5: Step 5

To finish the box we will insulate the top piece of the plywood cover with foam and make the top of the box removable for ice to be placed into

Step 6: Step 6

We finally hooked up the AC to the box, and let it rip, it proved to blow cool air out the exhaust side so no warm air was being blown around. Also included are pictures of the rare Danny nebula having a snack break

Step 7: Fixing the Issues

We started the ac up, and the water from the melting ice was leaking out of the bottom of the box, so we rubber cemented around the bottom of the box and it sealed it up, we also found there is a substantial draft where the ac and the box connect, so we have to seal that up.

Step 8: Temperature Reading

We used a fluke digital thermometer to measure the temperatures of the air coming out of the regular air side of the ac and the air coming out of the ice box, the temperatures were 58 coming out of the regular ac and 44 coming out of the ice box side. The temperature of the coil blowing the exhaust air into the ice box was 100 degrees.

Step 9: Electrical

We Installed a 12 volt to 120 volt inverter on side of ice box to be used on most job sites on batteries including drills.

Step 10: Conclusion

Overall our portable A/C worked when it blew cold air out of both sides