Numerical modeling of shell-and-tube-like elastocaloric regenerator

Ahčin, Žiga (author), Kabirifar, Parham (author), Porenta, Luka (author), Brojan, Miha (author), Tušek, Jaka (author)

Elastocaloric cooling is considered an environmentally friendly future alternative to vapor-compression technology. Recently, a shell-and-tube-like elastocaloric regenerator loaded in compression has demonstrated record-breaking heat-pumping performance and fatigue-resistant operation. The aim of this work is thus to present a new 1D numerical model to simulate and optimize the operation of an elastocaloric regenerator with a shell-and-tube-like design. In the first part of this work, the superelastic and elastocaloric properties of a single NiTi tube, which serve as input data for the numerical model, were determined through experimental characterization and phenomenological modeling. In the second part, the results of the numerical model were compared with the experimentally obtained results. Relatively good agreement was found regarding the temperature span, cooling and heating power, and COP values, which indicates that the developed numerical model could be used for accurate optimization of shell-and-tube-like elastocaloric regenerators. Finally, the effects of operating conditions and hysteresis losses on the performance of the shell-and-tube-like elastocaloric regenerator are modeled and discussed. This work shows that the shell-and-tube-like elastocaloric regenerator with this configuration can achieve a maximum temperature span of more than 50 K at zero-thermal-load conditions and a maximum cooling/heating power of up to 4000 W·kg−1 and COP of about 4 (at zero temperature span).

• Language: English
• Keywords: elastocaloric effect, caloric cooling, compressive loading, NiTi, numerical modeling, hysteresis
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 01.12.2022
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: 28 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 15, iss. 23, art. 9253
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-143456
• UDC: 621.576:519.62
• ISSN on article: 1996-1073
• DOI: 10.3390/en15239253
• COBISS.SI-ID: 134922499
• Publication date in RUL: 21.12.2022

AHČIN, Žiga, KABIRIFAR, Parham, PORENTA, Luka, BROJAN, Miha and TUŠEK, Jaka, 2022, Numerical modeling of shell-and-tube-like elastocaloric regenerator. Energies [online]. 2022. Vol. 15, no. 23,  9253. [Accessed 16 April 2025]. DOI 10.3390/en15239253. Retrieved from: https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/IzpisGradiva.php?lang=eng&id=143456

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Energies
• Shortened title: Energies
• Publisher: Molecular Diversity Preservation International
• ISSN: 1996-1073
• COBISS.SI-ID: 518046745

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: elastokalorični učinek, kalorično hlajenje, tlačno obremenjevanje, NiTi, numerično modeliranje, histereza

Projects

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Funding programme: H2020
• Project number: 803669
• Name: Superelastic Porous Structures for Efficient Elastocaloric Cooling
• Acronym: SUPERCOOL

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P2-0422
• Name: Funkcionalne tekočine za napredne energetske sisteme