MAE Department - PG Seminar - Development of elastocaloric cooling systems

Elastocaloric effect is the stress-induced temperature change in solid-state materials. It features zero GWP, high energy (power) density, and potentially high efficiency. Since the first public report of elastocaloric cooling prototype, there have been more than a dozen functioning elastocaloric cooling or heat pump devices, demonstrating more than 50 K temperature span and 200 W cooling power. In this presentation, three elastocaloric cooling prototypes will be introduced. The first prototype was a fluid-free refrigerator using NiTi wires or sheets based on single-stage or two-stage operation. The second prototype was a tubular regenerator with fluid flow around the tube banks. The third prototype was a fluid-based multi-mode elastocaloric cooling system that can be switched between the single-stage mode and the active regeneration mode. Common challenges and future development of this technology will be briefly discussed.