Not knowing much about Westys or RVs in general, I had always wondered about
this. This tip of the day showed up in my inbox. I thought some of the other
list members might find it interesting. Check out www.topica.com for more
mailing list information.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TIP

COLD FROM HEAT
How do propane refrigerators work?

This question comes in from reader M. King, and anyone who's spent quality
time in a big RV might have wondered the same. RV propane refrigerators not
only cool food by burning gas, they do it without engines, compressors, or
any moving parts at all. Here are the basics: Propane refrigerators
typically use ammonia, water, and hydrogen gas to create a continuous cycle.
The burning propane heats a solution of ammonia and water in the generator.
The ammonia gas is separated and flows to a condenser, where metal coils
allow the gas to dissipate its heat and condense into a liquid. The liquid
ammonia then mixes with hydrogen gas in the evaporator, producing cold.
Finally, the ammonia is mixed back in with the water, and the hydrogen gas
sent back to the evaporator. Then the cycle starts anew. For a more detailed
explanation, check this out:

http://www.nh3tech.org/abs.html