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Updated: Aug 23, 2025

Experimental Methods for Investigation of Shape Memory Based Elastocaloric Cooling Processes and Model Validation
Published on: May 2, 2016
High-performance cooling and heat pumping based on fatigue-resistant elastocaloric effect in compression.
Žiga Ahčin1, Stefano Dall'Olio1, Andrej Žerovnik1
1Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 6, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
A novel shell-and-tube-like elastocaloric regenerator design offers durable operation and record performance for cooling and heat-pumping applications. This breakthrough surpasses existing caloric technologies, paving the way for efficient elastocaloric devices.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Thermodynamics
- Mechanical Engineering
Background:
- Elastocaloric cooling presents a promising alternative to traditional vapor-compression refrigeration.
- Current elastocaloric devices lack both fatigue resistance and high cooling performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a new elastocaloric regenerator design for enhanced durability and performance.
- To demonstrate the potential of compression-loaded elastocaloric regenerators.
Main Methods:
- Development of a shell-and-tube-like elastocaloric regenerator utilizing compression-loaded Ni-Ti tubes.
- Testing the regenerator's performance in both cooling and heat-pumping modes.
Main Results:
- Achieved a maximum temperature span of 31.3 K in heat-pumping mode.
- Demonstrated maximum heating/cooling powers exceeding 60 W (4,400 W/kg).
- Performance metrics surpass all previously developed caloric devices.
Conclusions:
- The novel regenerator design enables durable operation with record-breaking elastocaloric performance.
- Compression-loaded elastocaloric regenerators show significant potential for diverse cooling and heat-pumping applications.
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