A regenerative elastocaloric heat pump

Tušek, Jaka (author), Engelbrecht, Kurt (author), Eriksen, Dan (author), DallʹOlio, Stefano (author), Tušek, Janez (author), Pryds, Nini (author)

A large fraction of global energy use is for refrigeration and air-conditioning, which could be decarbonized if efficient renewable energy technologies could be found. Vapour-compression technology remains the most widely used system to move heat up the temperature scale after more than 100 years; however, caloric-based technologies (those using the magnetocaloric, electrocaloric, barocaloric or elastocaloric effect) have recently shown a significant potential as alternatives to replace this technology due to high efficiency and the use of green solid-state refrigerants. Here, we report a regenerative elastocaloric heat pump that exhibits a temperature span of 15.3 K on the water side with a corresponding specific heating power up to 800W1/kg and maximum COP (coefficient-of-performance) values of up to 7. The efficiency and specific heating power of this device exceeds those of other devices based on caloric effects. These results open up the possibility of using the elastocaloric effect in various cooling and heat-pumping applications.

• Language: English
• Keywords: elastocaloric effect, regenerative thermodynamic cycle, heat pumps
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Author Accepted Manuscript
• Year: 2016
• Number of pages: Str. 1-6
• Numbering: Vol. 1, iss. 10, art. 16134
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-127890
• UDC: 697:621.577(045)
• ISSN on article: 2058-7546
• DOI: 10.1038/nenergy.2016.134
• COBISS.SI-ID: 14935067
• Publication date in RUL: 28.06.2021

TUŠEK, Jaka, ENGELBRECHT, Kurt, ERIKSEN, Dan, DALLʹOLIO, Stefano, TUŠEK, Janez and PRYDS, Nini, 2016, A regenerative elastocaloric heat pump. Nature energy [online]. 2016. Vol. 1, no. 10,  16134, p. 1–6. [Accessed 27 March 2025]. DOI 10.1038/nenergy.2016.134. Retrieved from: https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/IzpisGradiva.php?lang=eng&id=127890

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Nature energy
• Shortened title: Nat. energy
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• ISSN: 2058-7546
• COBISS.SI-ID: 14934811

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: elastokalorični učinek, regenerativni termodinamični krožni proces, toplotne črpalke

Projects

• Funder: Other - Other funder or multiple funders
• Funding programme: DTU’s international H.C. Ørsted postdoctoral programm
• Name: Design and testing of an efficient elastocaloric refrigerator for room-temperature applications

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: Z2-7219
• Name: Od elastokaloričnega efekta do učinkovite hladilne naprave