HKUST Engineering Researchers Developed Eco-Friendly Cooling Device with Record-Breaking Efficiency
Researchers at the School of Engineering of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have developed an eco-friendly refrigeration device with record-breaking cooling performance in the world, setting to transform industries reliant on cooling and reduce global energy use. With a boost in efficiency of over 48%, the new elastocaloric cooling technology opens a promising avenue for accelerating the commercialization of this disruptive technology and addressing the environmental challenges associated with traditional cooling systems.
Traditional vapor compression refrigeration technology relies on refrigerants of high global warming potential. Solid-state elastocaloric refrigeration based on latent heat in the cyclic phase transition of shape memory alloys (SMAs) provides an environmentally friendly alternative, with its characteristics of greenhouse gas-free, 100% recyclable and energy-efficient SMA refrigerants. But the relatively small temperature lift between 20 and 50 K, which is a critical performance indicator of the cooling device’s ability to transfer heat from a low-temperature source to a high-temperature sink, has hindered the commercialization of this emerging technology.
To tackle the challenge, a research team led by Prof. Qingping SUN from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Prof. Shuhuai YAO, who is a professor in both the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, has developed a multi-material elastocaloric cooling device made from nickel-titanium (NiTi) shape memory alloys, setting a new world record for cooling performance.
The research work was conducted by Prof. Sun and Prof. Yao (both corresponding authors), Postdoctoral Research Associate and PhD graduate Dr. Guoan ZHOU (first author), PhD student Zexi LI, PhD graduates Yuxiang ZHU and Peng HUA, as well as a collaborator from Wuhan University.
For more information, please refer to: HKUST Engineering Researchers Developed Eco-Friendly Cooling Device with Record-Breaking Efficiency | HKUST School of Engineering
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