A novel heat pump works without refrigerant

[begreen]

This electrocaloric heat pump could transform air conditioning. It works without refrigerant. Initial lab tests were characterized as superlative.
If this scales it could be very interesting.

‘Electrocaloric’ heat pump could transform air conditioning

Heat pumps are ubiquitous in the form of air conditioners. Scientists just invented one that avoids harmful refrigerant gases.

www.nature.com

 

[NHWS]

Interesting article. Doesn't looks like it will be more efficient, though:

"...although the technology is not yet ready to be commercialized, with further refinements, the efficiency of his team’s electrocaloric heat pump could be competitive with that of existing heat pumps. That’s a tough standard to meet, because heat pumps based on compressors are already very efficient: when used for heating buildings, for example, they can yield three or more times as much heat as space heaters do, for the same amount of electricity consumption. But unlike a standard heat pump, an electrocaloric heat pump would not need refrigerants such as hydrofluorocarbons or ammonia, which are potentially harmful to the environment. And because it removes the need for a compressor, it could potentially fit into a smaller, simpler device..."

 

[peakbagger]

Heat pumps are going to be using butane or CO2 for refrigerant soon in sealed systems. HFCs are being phased out and ammonia is going to remain as niche mostly commerical and industrial markets. Ammonia is also in sealed system, barring leaks its not gooing to get into the atmosphere. Interesting research but I dont see it replacing heat pumps

 

[begreen]

The lack of refrigerant is what makes this intriguing. How it develops is TBD.

 

[blades]

ammonia has always been the go to for industrial. it is nasty stuff,had to wear basicly a space suit complete with selfcontaind resportary system to repair leaks and such. lets just say it is basicly anti any living creature. Fun days back in the 70's when the system sprung a leak on the third floor of the engineering division for the company I worked for at the time. Took 1/2 a day to find leak and repair same and 3 days total to pump down system plus clean up and then test & reset system. Naturaly hotest days of the year.

 

[EbS-P]

I’d like to know the size of the material. Say for a fridge or size per ton. And I’d like to know the cold climate performance. The heat must come from somewhere. The idea of warming up something where the energy must come from outside without mechanical input just is hard for me to grasp. Air to glycol?

We’ve got a plate we can extract heat from. Got it. Now the cold plate must get some energy back from the air. But this only happens when the plate is colder than the outside air. So unless this material has a temperature swing that are quite large I don’t see how it will function as a heatpump in cold weather.

 

[Prometeo]

it seems about a Peltier system

 

[begreen]

I’d like to know the size of the material. Say for a fridge or size per ton. And I’d like to know the cold climate performance. The heat must come from somewhere. The idea of warming up something where the energy must come from outside without mechanical input just is hard for me to grasp. Air to glycol?

Me too. Without a subscription to Science there are not many details.

https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.adi5477

it seems about a Peltier system

I think it's quite different. Details of the setup and measurements are available without the article here:
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