Harnessing the energy accompanying freezing

The progression of freezing of water inside a pipe is reviewed, with special emphasis on bursting. The process of pressure rise in confined bodies of water is discussed. The development of a method utilizing liquid carbon dioxide and liquid nitrogen, for the development of pressures inside closed containers is summarized. Then a novel method, utilizing mechanical refrigeration, is explained for the generation of high pressures. An experimental setup for the latter technique is described and results of experiments are summarized. A number of ways of utilizing the ice-pressurization technique are presented. Certain characteristics and advantages of ice-pressurization are enumerated as regards to burst and leak testing. It is noted that a number of other techniques such as shrink fitting, embossing and compaction of powders also seem to be particularly suitable. It is concluded that, with the advent of the portable and novel chilling apparatus, new vistas are approachable for undertaking maintenance operations in hospitals, power plants, nuclear facilities, and other systems that require uninterrupted operation. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.