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New Refrigeration Technology is CFC-Free and Super-Efficient

Scientists in the US have produced a CFC-free and super-efficient prototype refrigeration system that uses electricity to "push" heat toward one end of the circuit, cooling the other end. Read More

(Updated on July 24, 2024)

Scientists in the US have produced a CFC-free and super-efficient prototype refrigeration system that uses electricity to “push” heat toward one end of the circuit, cooling the other end.

The prototype device is about the size of a large postage stamp, and consists of a semiconductor chip containing around 1,000 layers of nano-scale films of alternating semiconductors, encased between two thin translucent crystals.

The system could also be used to generate electricity from heat, say the scientists from Research Triangle Institute in North Carolina.

When tested in the laboratory, the device cooled a block of solid steel from 79 degrees Fahrenheit to 64 degrees in around two minutes, which is much faster than a conventional refrigerator, says Dr Rama Venkatasubramian, Research Director at the Institute, where the device has been developed. The researchers are optimistic that ongoing improvements can increase the efficiency by two to three times.

“If we are fully successful, we can imagine the possibility of replacing most of the mechanical refrigerators and air-conditioning systems with CFC-free, solid-state, no-moving parts, and therefore reliable, electronic heat pump technology,” said Dr Venkatasubramian.

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