Traditional refrigeration is an energy-hungry process, responsible for approximately 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 15% of electricity demand as of 2010. Now, scientists say there is a path to a less carbon-intense alternative.
By optimizing the electrolytes in thermogalvanic cells, researchers have increased these cells’ cooling power by 70%. The technology still needs further optimization and integration with prototypes of next-generation refrigerators, but the researchers are optimistic.
“We believe the temperature drop can be further improved, as the extent of [the] endothermic reaction is still relatively low,” says study author Jiangjiang Duan, an associate professor at the Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics at Huazhong Univ.
Cold-chain storage today primarily relies on vapor compression refrigeration. In the first stage, a low-pressure vapor refrigerant is compressed, raising both its pressure and temperature. The high-pressure vapor then enters a condenser, where it is cooled (typically by air blown by a fan) and condenses into a high-pressure...
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