TED2007
Adam Grosser: A mobile fridge for vaccines
Adam Grosser 和他的永續冰箱
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Adam Grosser 談論關於建造一種不需使用電的冰箱，並利用它把需要冷藏的重要醫療物品運往世界各地的村莊和診所。通過對一些舊技術的調整，他已經做出一套可行的冷藏系統。
Adam Grosser - Venture capitalist
Adam Grosser is a general partner at Foundation Capital -- and a refrigeration visionary. Full bio
Adam Grosser is a general partner at Foundation Capital -- and a refrigeration visionary. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
This is a work in process,
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這項還在進行中的工作
00:16
based on some comments that were made
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是基於兩年前
00:19
at TED two years ago
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在 TED 得到的一些
00:20
about the need for the storage of vaccine.
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有關疫苗儲藏問題的寶貴意見。
00:24
(Music)
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（音樂）
00:25
(Video) Narrator: On this planet,
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（影片）旁白：地球上
00:26
1.6 billion people
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有16億人口
00:28
don't have access to electricity,
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過著沒有電、
00:30
refrigeration
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無法冷藏
00:34
or stored fuels.
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或儲存燃料的生活。
00:38
This is a problem.
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這是一個問題。
00:40
It impacts:
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這個問題造成的影響包括：
00:44
the spread of disease,
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疾病的散佈、
00:46
the storage of food and medicine
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食物和藥物的儲藏，
00:49
and the quality of life.
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還有生活品質。
00:52
So here's the plan: inexpensive refrigeration that doesn't use electricity,
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我們的計畫是設計一個毋需電力、
00:55
propane, gas, kerosene or consumables.
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丙烷、汽油、煤油或
消耗任何能源的平價冷藏技術。
消耗任何能源的平價冷藏技術。
01:00
Time for some thermodynamics.
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現在來說一些有關熱力學和
01:02
And the story of the Intermittent Absorption Refrigerator.
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間接性吸收冷凍機的故事。
01:05
Adam Grosser: So 29 years ago, I had this thermo teacher
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在 29 年以前，我遇到一位熱能學老師，
01:09
who talked about absorption and refrigeration.
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他講過一些關於吸收作用和製冷的相關知識。
01:10
It's one of those things that stuck in my head.
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這是少數幾件，我一直詺記於心的事情之一。
01:12
It was a lot like the Stirling engine:
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它就好像斯特林發動機，
01:13
it was cool, but you didn't know what to do with it.
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它很酷，但是你不知道它能用在甚麼地方。
01:16
And it was invented in 1858, by this guy Ferdinand Carre,
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Ferdinand Carre 於 1858 年發明了它，
01:19
but he couldn't actually build anything with it
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但是他沒辦法利用它，製造出甚麼東西出來，
01:20
because of the tools of the time.
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因為當時沒有適當的工具。
01:23
This crazy Canadian named Powel Crosley
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後來有個叫 Powell Crosley 的瘋狂加拿大人
01:27
commercialized this thing called the IcyBall in 1928,
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在 1928 年將這個東西商品化，命名為 Icyball，
01:29
and it was a really neat idea,
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這是個絕妙的想法，
01:31
and I'll get to why it didn't work,
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我會告訴大家為甚麼它沒有成功，
01:32
but here's how it works.
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但讓我先講解一下其運作原理。
01:34
There's two spheres and they're separated in distance.
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這裡有兩個半球體，中間有一定的距離。
01:36
One has a working fluid, water and ammonia,
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一個裝有工作介質，含水和氨，
01:39
and the other is a condenser.
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另一個是冷凝器。
01:40
You heat up one side, the hot side.
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當你將一側加熱時，熱的這一側，
01:42
The ammonia evaporates
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氨開始蒸發
01:43
and it re-condenses in the other side.
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然後它會在另一側重新凝結。
01:46
You let it cool to room temperature,
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你讓它降到室溫，
01:47
and then, as the ammonia re-evaporates and combines with the water
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之後，當氨重新蒸發時會與水結合
01:51
back on the erstwhile hot side,
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回到先前熱的那一側，
01:52
it creates a powerful cooling effect.
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它會產生很強大的冷卻效果。
01:55
So, it was a great idea that didn't work at all: it blew up.
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這個想法雖然很好，但是不可行：它會炸掉。
01:58
Because using ammonia you get hugely high pressures
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因為如果你的加熱不當
02:03
if you heated them wrong.
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氨會產生很大的壓力。
02:04
It topped 400 psi. The ammonia was toxic. It sprayed everywhere.
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壓力會超過每平方英吋 400 磅，有毒的氨會四處飛濺。
02:08
But it was kind of an interesting thought.
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但這個想法很有趣。
02:10
So, the great thing about 2006 is
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到了 2006 年事情有了進展
02:13
there's a lot of really great computational work you can do.
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我們現在可以用電腦來做計算研究。
02:16
So, we got the whole thermodynamics department
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我們得到史丹佛大學
02:19
at Stanford involved --
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熱動力學系全員的參與，
02:20
a lot of computational fluid dynamics.
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利用電腦作出大量與流體力學相關的模擬運算。
02:22
We proved that most of the ammonia refrigeration tables are wrong.
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我們證明了大部分關於氨冷卻的數據是錯的。
02:25
We found some non-toxic refrigerants
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我們發現了一些無毒的冷媒
02:28
that worked at very low vapor pressures.
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能於極低蒸汽壓下運作。
02:29
Brought in a team from the U.K. --
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這是從英國小組那裡帶來的，
02:32
there's a lot of great refrigeration people,
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他們有很多優秀的冷凍學人才，
02:33
it turned out, in the U.K. --
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最後在英國，
02:35
and built a test rig, and proved that, in fact,
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我們建立了一個試驗平台，證明了
02:37
we could make a low pressure, non-toxic refrigerator.
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我們可以造出低壓力、無毒的冰箱。
02:41
So, this is the way it works.
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以下是它的運作原理。
02:42
You put it on a cooking fire.
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你可以在爐灶上加熱它。
02:43
Most people have cooking fires in the world,
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全世界大部分的人都擁有爐灶，
02:45
whether it's camel dung or wood.
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無論燃料是駱駝糞便或木材。
02:47
It heats up for about 30 minutes, cools for an hour.
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將其加熱 30 分鐘，之後冷卻一個小時。
02:50
Put it into a container
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把它放入一個容器中
02:53
and it will refrigerate for 24 hours.
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它就可以保持冷卻 24 個小時。
02:55
It looks like this. This is the fifth prototype. It's not quite done.
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它看上去是這樣的。這是第五代原型樣品，還不是太完美。
02:59
Weighs about eight pounds, and this is the way it works.
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重大約 8 磅，它是這樣用的。
03:02
You put it into a 15-liter vessel, about three gallons,
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把它放入一個 15 公升的容器中，大約三加侖，
03:06
and it'll cool it down to just above freezing --
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它就可以冷卻到接近零度，
03:08
three degrees above freezing --
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大約是高於冰點 3 度，
03:10
for 24 hours in a 30 degree C environment. It's really cheap.
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並可以在攝氏 30 度的環境下保持 24 小時，而且它很便宜。
03:13
We think we can build these in high volumes for about 25 dollars,
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我認為如果我們大量製造，成本可以壓低到約 25 美元。
03:16
in low volumes for about 40 dollars.
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小量的成本大約 40 美元。
03:18
And we think we can make refrigeration
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因此，我們認為我們可以讓冰箱變成
03:21
something that everybody can have.
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任何人都能擁有的冰箱。
03:22
Thank you.
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謝謝
03:23
(Applause)
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(掌聲)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Adam Grosser - Venture capitalistAdam Grosser is a general partner at Foundation Capital -- and a refrigeration visionary.
Why you should listen
Adam Grosser is a venture capitalist, working with startups that are exploring new ideas in data communications, electronics and energy management. With a background in engineering and entertainment, he enjoys looking for opportunities that map over a few of his passions -- which also include greentech.
His passion for a sustainable solution to refrigeration -- for storing food and medicines -- led to the project he describes in his 2007 TEDTalk.
Adam Grosser | Speaker | TED.com