HOWTO: Defrost using bursts of electricity
We've been doing it the wrong way for centuries and it's time to shun that ice scraper right away and get rid of the ice caked on walls or windows in a hi-tech way. Victor Petrenko, professor, Dartmouth College engineering, has invented a new way to defrost all the ice using a burst of electricity. The surfaces are coated with a special film and electric pulses get rid of all the ice in less than a second.
The technology, called thin-film pulse electrothermal de-icing, or PETD, will be incorporated into power lines, car windshields and skis in future. It may sound a very simple idea, but will ultimately save a lot of money that's wasted in repairing power lines downed by ice storms and also it'll keep plane windshields frost-free, decreasing fuel consumption. Refrigerators packed with PETD will soon hit the market and technology will bring a breakthrough in harnessing solar energy through solar panels.
Check out the video here
