Brayton electrochemical refrigerator/air conditioner
AssigneeGeorgia Tech Research Corporation
InventorsShannon Yee, Aravindh Rajan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The disclosure relates to systems and methods for electrochemical cooling and/or refrigeration. The disclosed system includes at least hot and cold electrochemical cells having ion exchange membranes, hot side and cold side heat exchangers, a heat sink, a heat source, and an external power supply that drives current through the electrochemical cells. In the systems, a first solution including a first redox active electrolyte and a second solution including a second redox active electrolyte circulate continuously through the system without physically mixing together. In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to apparatuses incorporating the disclosed systems, and methods for electrochemical cooling using the disclosed systems.
Claims20
A system for electrochemical cooling, the system comprising:
- a cold electrochemical cell comprising a first ion exchange membrane, wherein a first ion flux between a first working fluid and a second working fluid across the first ion exchange membrane absorbs heat from the first working fluid and the second working fluid while the entropies and pressures of the first working fluid and the second working fluid remain approximately constant, lowering a temperature of the first working fluid and the second working fluid exiting the cold electrochemical cell;
- a heat source;
- a cold side heat exchanger, wherein the cold side heat exchanger absorbs heat from the heat source to increase the temperature of the first working fluid and the second working fluid flowing through the cold side heat exchanger;
- a hot electrochemical cell comprising a second ion exchange membrane, wherein a second ion flux between the first working fluid and the second working fluid across the second ion exchange membrane releases heat into the first working fluid and the second working fluid while the entropies and pressures of the first working fluid and the second working fluid remain approximately constant, raising the temperature of the first working fluid and the second working fluid exiting the hot electrochemical cell;
- a heat sink;
- and
- a hot side heat exchanger, wherein the hot side heat exchanger rejects absorbed heat into the heat sink to decrease the temperature of the first working fluid and the second working fluid;
- and
- wherein
- the first working fluid and the second working fluid circulate continuously through a first fluid path and a second fluid path that are independent of one another without physically mixing together.
A method for electrochemical cooling, the method comprising:
- circulating a first working fluid in a first closed circuit comprising a first half of a cold electrochemical cell, a first portion passing through a cold side heat exchanger, a first half of a hot electrochemical cell, and a first portion passing through a hot side heat exchanger;
- circulating a second working fluid in a second closed circuit comprising a second half of a cold electrochemical cell, a second portion passing through a cold side heat exchanger, a second half of a hot electrochemical cell, and a second portion passing through hot side heat exchanger;
- wherein the pressures of both the first working fluid and the second working fluid remain approximately constant as the fluids pass through the hot electrochemical cell and as the fluids pass through the cool electrochemical cell;
- wherein the entropies of both the first working fluid and the second working fluid remain approximately constant as the fluids pass through the hot electrochemical cell and as the fluids pass through the cool electrochemical cell;
- wherein the first half of the cold electrochemical cell is separated from the second half of the cold electrochemical cell by a first ion exchange membrane;
- wherein the first half of the hot electrochemical cell is separated from the second half of the hot electrochemical cell by a second ion exchange membrane;
- and
- driving current from an external power supply through the cold electrochemical cell and the hot electrochemical cell, wherein the current drives a first redox reaction in the cold electrochemical cell, where the first redox reaction has an entropy change greater than 0, and wherein the current drives a second redox reaction in the hot cell, where the second redox reaction is a reverse of the first redox reaction, and wherein the second redox reaction has an entropy change less than 0;
- wherein the system produces a temperature drop.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.