3 min read
0 comments
Hong Kong scientists have announced a promising breakthrough in the development of an air conditioner that operates without refrigerants. The technology could revolutionize the industry by reducing costs, increasing efficiency and reducing environmental impacts, making cooling more sustainable.
Hong Kong scientists have announced a promising breakthrough in the development of an air-conditioning system that eliminates the need for refrigerants, reducing environmental impacts and energy consumption.
Electricity consumption in buildings is constantly growing, and air conditioning systems represent a significant portion of this expenditure.
With global warming, the demand for refrigeration increases, making it essential to seek more sustainable alternatives.
- UK plans $62 million geoengineering project to block sunlight and combat global warming
- Researchers develop new type of plastic that dissolves in salt water
- Underground nuclear tests could be hidden if they occur simultaneously with earthquakes, a new study suggests
- 51.200-year-old cave painting in Indonesia is oldest example of visual storytelling in rock art
In addition to high energy consumption, conventional appliances use refrigerants that are harmful to the environment.
A new technology could change this scenario. Researchers at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) announced a breakthrough in the development of an elastocaloric air conditioner, which does not require the use of refrigerant fluids.
This system uses a thermomechanical effect that causes temperature variation when a material is subjected to mechanical stress.
Significant advancement in technology
Developing an efficient refrigeration system based on this effect has always been a challenge.
Most previous prototypes failed to scale beyond the kilowatt scale, making use in larger environments unfeasible.
The HKUST team, led by Professors Sun Qingping and Yao Shuhuai, managed to overcome this limitation.
The new cooling system developed by scientists is capable of cooling an entire room with high efficiency.
The study was published in the journal Nature Energy and highlights how this innovation can transform the air conditioning industry and contribute to reducing carbon emissions.
The result is the fruit of years of research and technology improvement.
Innovative architecture
The researchers were able to overcome challenges that previously limited the efficiency of elastocaloric systems.
The main obstacle was balancing the cooling power with the amount of active material used.
Additionally, heat transfer was often inefficient at higher operating frequencies.
To solve these problems, the team developed a multicellular design. This model consists of connecting about ten elastocaloric cooling units.
Each unit consists of four thin-walled nickel-titanium alloy tubes. These ultra-light tubes improve heat exchange, making the system more efficient.
Another innovation was the replacement of distilled water with a graphene nanofluid. This material further improves heat conduction and increases equipment performance.
In testing, the device achieved a specific cooling power of 12,3 W/g at a frequency of 3,5 Hz. The total power exceeded 1 kW, reaching 1284 watts, a first for this technology.
promising results
During the experiments, the equipment was able to cool a 2,3 m³ room. The room temperature dropped to 21-22°C in just 15 minutes, while the outside temperature varied between 30-31°C. This result proves the system's potential for real-scale use.
According to Sun Qingping, this breakthrough paves the way for the commercial application of the technology. “We are working with the industry to accelerate commercialization.
With stricter regulations on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), this emission-free and highly efficient cooling solution could reshape the industry and contribute to carbon neutrality,” said the researcher.
Although still in the early stages of development, the technology has the potential to become the future standard in refrigeration.
