#coolingsystems

#coolingsystems

The New Scientific Way To Refrigerate ThingsResearchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley, have created an alternative cooling system for refrigerators. The typical method is for devices to transport heat away from it through a gas, which can be harmful to the environment.The new process introduced by the researchers in their paper, published in Science, is called ionocaloric cooling. This method removes that gas part of the cooling process and replaces it with ions. Under this new system, the researchers propose having a current with ions running through a refrigerator. This will shift the melting point inside to change the temperature. The charged particles or ions can melt a block of ice, and the experts also added salt to the ionocaloric cycle to cool the surroundings of the device, which in turn will lower the temperature of the refrigerator inside. The team now aims to get the newly-developed technology out of their lab and into systems that can be used commercially. "We have this brand-new thermodynamic cycle and framework that brings together elements from different fields, and we've shown that it can work," mechanical engineer Ravi Prasher shared. "Now, it's time for experimentation to test different combinations of materials and techniques to meet the engineering challenges."Image credit: cottonbro studio#refrigerators #coolingsystems #device #technology #research #ionocaloriccycle

Leidenfrost Effect: Why Water Droplets Bounce Around on a Hot Surface ... and How to Stop ItSprinkling some water on the pan is a trick that cooks use to know if the pan is hot enough for cooking. If the water bounces on the pan, then the pan is up to temperature. This phenomenon of water skittering on a hot surface is called the Leidenfrost effect. Water droplets exhibit this behavior when the surface temperature is around 200°C or higher. At this temperature, when a water droplet hits the pan, its bottom instantly evaporates and turns into vapor, which could serve as a cushion and an insulating barrier for the droplet. And so, the water droplet just bounces around.While the Leidenfrost effect is worth noting when cooking, it is a problem for liquid-based cooling systems which depend on evaporation to remove excess heat. For decades, scientists have been looking for solutions to this problem, but no one has been able to stop the phenomenon when surfaces reach extremely high temperatures. Researchers in Hong Kong may have finally found a way to prevent water from bouncing and skittering through a special membrane they call a "Structured Thermal Armour." This membrane can efficiently absorb the water, and the water evaporates quickly.(Image Credit: nature video/ YouTube)#CoolingSystems #LeidenfrostEffect #Water