Elastocaloric Cooling System
Evaluation of material performance in a real elastocaloric system is a core area of expertise at the University of Maryland (UMD).
In the Elastocaloric Cooling Lab at UMD, we have several elastocaloric systems which are used to investigate the cooling capacity of elastocaloric materials in a systems setting. The systems include a heat exchange system (for exchanging heat/cooling with a medium, water), a heat recovery system for optimizing the efficiency of the system by precooling and preheating the elastocaloric refrigerant before each half-cycle, and a work recovery configuration, so that cooling is properly performed with minimum work input. There are two complete systems in the lab: a 100 W unit and a 400 W unit. The elastocaloric effects are induced in a compression mode. The operation of the systems are tested and monitored using a Labview based software, and temperatures at different points in the system/circuit are monitored using a number of thermocouples. The delivered cooling is determined in terms of DT, the difference in the temperature of the medium at the load point and the temperature of the medium at the heat rejection point.
S. X. Qian, Y. L. Geng, Y. Wang, J. Z. Ling, Y. H. Hwang, R. Radermacher, I. Takeuchi, and J. Cui. "A review of elastocaloric cooling: Materials, cycles and, system integrations." International Journal of Refrigeration, 64, 1 (2016) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140700715003783
S. Qian, Y. Geng, Y. Wang, J. Muehlbauer, J. Ling, Y. Hwang, R. Radermacher, and I.Takeuchi, "Design of a hydraulically driven compressive elastocaloric cooling system." Science and Technology for the Built Environment 22, 500 (2016) http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/23744731.2016.1171630
