Description:
Solid-State High-Performance Cooling System
Background
Refrigeration and air conditioning currently account for approximately 17% of total global electricity consumption and approximately 40% of building energy consumption. Hydrofluorocarbons used in 99% of current cooling systems are green house gases that warm at a rate 100s of times greater than CO2 . Elastocaloric cooling provides solid state emissions free cooling. There is a current need for increased efficiency and performance to make solid state cooling commercially viable.
Invention Description
Researchers at the University of Toledo have developed a method of producing an Elastocaloric system using additive manufacturing to build functionally graded materials with varying austenite finish temperatures (Af) increasing the temperature span.
Applications
Cooling without use of refrigerants that contribute to global warming.
Advantages
- Additive manufacturing allows for complex geometric shapes and greater cooling efficiency
- Increased temperature span of 30 °C
- Functionally Graded Material process allows for a single part to have varying austenite finish temperatures along it
- Single part that has superelasticity and shape memory effects at room temperature
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Lead Inventor: Mohammad Elahinia
Further Information: Seth Smith, Patent Agent
Licensing Associate
seth.smith3@utoledo.edu
Office: 419-530-6229