The soft, waxy “solid refrigerant” being investigated in a UK laboratory might not look very exciting, but its unusual properties promise an air-conditioning revolution that could eliminate the need for greenhouse gases.
The substance’s temperature can vary by more than 50°C under pressure, and unlike the gases currently used in appliances, it does not leak.
“They don’t contribute to global warming, but also they are potentially more energy efficient,” said Xavier Moya, a professor of materials physics at the University of Cambridge.
Photo: AFP
Approximately 2 billion air-conditioning units are in use worldwide and their number is increasing as the planet warms. Between leaks and energy consumption, the emissions associated with them are also increasing each year, according to the International Energy Agency.
Moya has been studying the properties of the plastic crystals in his laboratory at the prestigious UK university for 15 years.
On his work surface, a large red and gray machine, topped with a cylinder, tests how the temperature of a substance changes under pressure. The aim is to identify the best refrigerants among this class of materials, which are already used by the chemical industry and are relatively easy to obtain, even if the exact composition of the crystals eventually selected remains secret.
The phenomenon is invisible to the naked eye, but these crystals are composed of molecules that spin on their own axis. When the substance is squeezed, that movement stops and the energy is dissipated in the form of heat. When released, the substance cools its surroundings in what is known as the “barocaloric effect.”
“We’re expecting demand for air-conditioning to increase hugely, globally, between now and 2050,” said Cliff Elwell, a professor of building physics at University College London.
He believes barocaloric solids have the potential to be as efficient as gas, if not more so.
“But whatever we introduce as new technologies always has to hit the basic requirements,” which include being compact and quiet enough for use in homes and vehicles, he said.
Alongside his research at Cambridge, Moya founded the start-up Barocal in 2019 to turn his research group’s discoveries into tangible products. It employs nine people and has its own laboratory, which is currently a modest container in a parking lot, but the start-up is attracting interest and in recent years has raised about 4 million euros (US$4.5 million), notably from the European Innovation Council — an EU program involving the UK — and Breakthrough Energy, an umbrella group of initiatives founded by US billionaire Bill Gates to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
It plans to increase its workforce to 25 or 30 this year.
The first air-conditioner prototype is the size of a large suitcase and hums quite loudly when a hydraulic circuit increases or decreases the pressure inside the four crystal-filled cylinders, but it works.
A small refrigerator is attached to the system and the cans of soda inside are perfectly chilled.
The prototype has “not really been optimized yet for either mass, volume or even sound,” said Mohsen Elabbadi, a materials engineer at Barocal.
The performance of the units it is working to perfect would eventually be comparable with those running on gas, he said.
While the company is currently focusing on cooling, the technology could also be used to produce heat.
Several teams are studying the materials around the world, but the Cambridge team is a pioneer in the field, according to Breakthrough Energy, which estimates that these devices have the potential to reduce emissions by up to 75 percent compared with traditional units.
Barocal hopes to launch a first product on the market within three years, commercial director Florian Schabus said.
They would initially be cooling units for “large shopping centers, warehouses, schools,” and even “data centers,” he said.
The company reasons that the ultimate promise of cheaper bills would convince businesses to stump up the higher initial costs. Barocal is eventually aiming for retail prices similar to traditional units, allowing it to launch in the residential market.
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