Alberghini Matteo, Morciano Matteo, Fasano Matteo, Bertiglia Fabio, Fernicola Vito, Asinari Pietro, Chiavazzo Eliodoro
Department of Energy "Galileo Ferraris", Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, Torino 10129, Italy.
Clean Water Center, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, Torino 10129, Italy.
Sci Adv. 2020 Mar 13;6(11):eaax5015. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aax5015. eCollection 2020 Mar.
Space cooling in buildings is anticipated to rise because of an increasing thermal comfort demand worldwide, and this calls for cost-effective and sustainable cooling technologies. We present a proof-of-concept multistage device, where a net cooling capacity and a temperature difference are demonstrated as long as two water solutions at disparate salinity are maintained. Each stage is made of two hydrophilic layers separated by a hydrophobic membrane. An imbalance in water activity in the two layers naturally causes a non-isothermal vapor flux across the membrane without requiring any mechanical ancillaries. One prototype of the device developed a specific cooling capacity of up to 170 W m at a vanishing temperature difference, considering a 3.1 mol/kg calcium chloride solution. To provide perspective, if successfully up-scaled, this concept may help satisfy at least partially the cooling needs in hot, humid regions with naturally available salinity gradients.
由于全球对热舒适性的需求不断增加，预计建筑物的空间制冷需求将会上升，这就需要具有成本效益且可持续的制冷技术。我们展示了一种概念验证的多级装置，只要保持两种盐度不同的水溶液，就能证明其净制冷量和温差。每个阶段由两层亲水性层组成，中间隔着一层疏水性膜。两层之间水活性的不平衡自然会导致非等温蒸汽通量穿过该膜，而无需任何机械辅助设备。考虑到3.1摩尔/千克的氯化钙溶液，该装置的一个原型在温差消失时产生了高达170 W/m的特定制冷量。从长远来看，如果成功扩大规模，这一概念可能有助于至少部分满足自然存在盐度梯度的炎热潮湿地区的制冷需求。
