Rachel Urquhart
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers have designed an innovative passive cooling system that requires no power, and only a small amount of water.
Combining radiative and evaporative cooling with thermal insulation in a slim package similar to a solar panel, designers say the system can provide up to 9.3°C of cooling from ambient temperature.
The system was developed to provide passive cooling to preserve food crops and supplement conventional air conditioners in buildings. Researchers say it could increase safe food storage time under humid conditions by 40 per cent, and triple safe storage time in drier climates.
The system uses three layers of material – an aerogel, hydrogel and mirror-like surface – which combine to provide cooling as heat and water pass through the device. By combining cooling technologies that have been used independently of each other in the past, designers say the system can produce significantly more cooling overall.
The findings were reported in Cell Reports Physical Science, in a paper by MIT postdoc Zhengmao Lu, Arny Leroy PhD, professors Jeffrey C. Grossman and Evelyn N. Wang, Lenan Zhang of MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and Jatin J. Patil of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
Read more on the MIT website.
Image courtesy of MIT.
Leave a Reply