Credit: Cell Reports Physical Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2024.102191
A team of sustainable energy engineers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, together with a pair of colleagues from GD MIDEA Air-Conditioning Equipment Co., LTD., in China, have developed a custom cooling device to replace traditional air conditioning.
In their article published on the open access site, Cell Reports Physical SciencesThe group explains how the device works without air conditioning.
Previous research has shown that about 7 to 10 percent of global energy consumption goes toward cooling buildings and homes. Most of that cooling is done using refrigerated air conditioning systems that work by blowing warm air over cooled coils, an approach that engineers behind the new initiative say is highly inefficient.
Blowing cold air into enclosed spaces is dangerous because it can help spread airborne viruses, such as those that cause the flu, colds, and COVID-19. In the new study, the group developed a personal cooling device that they say uses about half the energy of a traditional air conditioner.
The researchers’ new concept relies on radiative cooling, where a person or even a room is cooled directly rather than by air movement. Previous attempts to make such devices have proven too weak (they don’t provide enough cooling) and water condenses on them, reducing the amount of cooling produced.
To overcome these problems, the researchers built a thermoelectric cooling device, which they say is actually a heat pump. They connected four pipes to it, as well as a small fan. On the other side of the module, they added an aluminum panel. The fan serves to move air over the module, not push it into the room.
Together, the fan and pipes act as a heat sink. The aluminum panel serves as a radiant cooling surface and an added plastic film prevents condensation. The result is a highly efficient device that cools using mid-infrared radiation.
Tests on a human skin replacement device with a built-in thermometer showed that the cooling device was capable of cooling the skin by approximately 7.3°C. It also showed that it consumed 50.4% less energy than an average air conditioner of comparable capacity.
The research team notes that the device can also work in reverse, to serve as a radiant heater.
More information:
Xinyao Zheng et al, A pure radiant cooling device for “air conditioning” without air conditioning, Cell Reports Physical Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2024.102191
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