VATIS UPDATE Article

A team of researcher led by Professors Stefan Seelecke and Andreas Schütze from Saarland University, Germany, are working together to develop a new method of cooling in which heat and cold are transferred using ‘muscles’ made from a nickel-titanium alloy. Extensive series of tests have yielded results that are now being used to develop a prototype cooling circuit that will be used to further increase the efficiency of the process. The German Research Foundation (DFG), which has been funding the project for the last three years, has agreed to invest a further 500,000 euros. In total, the project has brought around 950,000 euros in funding to the region.

Cooling is carried out in all parts of the world. Refrigerators operate around-the-clock, air conditioning units cool offices, cooling systems help to keep computers and motors running smoothly. And the demand for cooling is being driven both by climate change and global population growth. But more cooling systems come at a price – and not just a financial one. Increased cooling means increased consumption of electrical power and therefore higher emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, driving global warming even faster.

“In our systems, Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) are used to remove heat. Shape memory means that wires or sheets made from a nickel-titanium alloy have a certain ability to remember their original shape: If they undergo deformation, they will return to their earlier shape. So they are able to tense and flex like muscles. The fact that they absorb and release heat when they do so is something we exploit to achieve cooling,” said Seelecke. Contact: Prof. Dr. Stefan Seelecke, Saarland University, Germany. Tel: +49-681 302-71341; E-mail: stefan.seelecke@imsl.uni-saarland.de.