THERMAL SWITCH - Laboratory for refrigeration and district energy

FisMat 2025, Venice

admin — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 12:24:59 +0000

At this year’s FisMat conference, held in Venice, Italy, a special workshop on cooling of electronics and sensors took place. As part of the workshop, Katja Klinar gave an invited talk titled “Active and Passive Cooling Methods for Electronics and Sensors.”

The workshop provided an excellent opportunity for an in-depth look at the latest research and innovative solutions in one of the key areas of modern electronics. The high quality of the presentations, the diversity of approaches, and the engaging discussions clearly demonstrated how important and timely this field is.

Sincere thanks to the organizers for a carefully planned and content-rich workshop. It’s always encouraging to see a community so committed to progress—both in scientific understanding and practical application.

More info: https://eventi.cnism.it/fismat2025

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TCCbuilder: an open-source tool for the analysis of thermal switches, thermal diodes, thermal regulators, and thermal control circuits

admin — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 07:21:40 +0000

Researchers of the LAHDE laboratory of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, have developed an open-source tool for 1D modeling of thermal control circuits, TCCbuilder. It is the first tool of its kind that enables quick and easy modeling of thermal control circuits thanks to its graphical user interface and thr associated library of materials used to create thermal control elements.

In addition to the library of materials, there is also a library of already designed thermal control elements from the literature. Researchers from various fields are invited to complement both libraries as well as to add functionality to the tool. Thus, TCCbuilder is not only an indispensable tool for simulations, but also a platform for the exchange of information and networking of researchers in the field of heat transfer and materials.

The tool is presented in the article TCCbuilder: an open-source tool for the analysis of thermal switches, thermal diodes, thermal regulators, and thermal control circuits, which describes the validation and examples of the use of the tool. The article is published in the journal iScience (IF = 4.6), Special Issue: Advanced thermal control: fundamentals and applications.

The article is freely accessible under the following link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.111263

Summary:

In the area of thermal management, thermal control elements (TCEs) and thermal control circuits (TCCs) are proving to be innovative solutions to the challenges of temperature control and heat dissipation in various applications, ranging from electronic cooling to energy conversion and temperature control in buildings. Their integration promises to improve power density, energy efficiency, system reliability and system life expectancy. With the aim of connecting researchers in the field of thermal management and accelerating the development of TCEs and TCCs, we have developed an open-source TCC simulation tool called TCCbuilder that enables a quick and easy time-dependent 1D numerical analysis of the behavior of TCEs and TCCs. It uses the heat conduction equation to solve temperature profiles in different devices. The TCCbuilder application offers features not previously available with any other TCC modelling tool: a large adjacent library of materials and TCEs as well as a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI).

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Successful completion of ICR2023

lahde — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 13:29:43 +0000

We are pleased to announce that the LAHDE team has successfully completed its active participation in the 26th International Congress on Refrigeration (ICR 2023) in stunning Paris! This unique and extremely important meeting takes place every 4 years, and perhaps this year was all the more special because it returned to its birthplace. The Congress was founded in Paris in 1908 and was last held there 40 years ago.

Our team had the opportunity to participate in a variety of lectures and workshops (you can read about which lectures we gave here) that showcased the latest innovations in refrigeration technology. Attending the congress was an invaluable experience that allowed our experts to deepen their knowledge and network with fellow researchers from around the world.

The congress provided insight into the latest technologies, sustainable approaches and future challenges to be faced in the field of refrigeration. Discussions covered all aspects, from energy efficiency to environmental sustainability. We also had the opportunity to network with colleagues and partners from the industry and share valuable experiences that will certainly contribute to the further progress of our group.

We are already looking forward to the next 27th edition of the Congress in Seoul in 2027, and we are confident that we will actively participate and contribute to the discussions and innovations in refrigeration. Our commitment to progress and sustainable development remains unwavering.

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A conceptual design of a thermal switch capacitor in a magnetocaloric device

lahde — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 12:33:31 +0000

Researchers at the Laboratory for Refrigeration and District Energy (LAHDE, Process Engineering), in collaboration with researchers from the Laboratory for Tribology and interface nanotechnology (TINT), have conducted a comprehensive study of the thermal properties of thermal switch capacitors used in magnetocaloric devices. The research results were published in the Journal of Physics: Energy (IF = 7,528).

Most existing magnetocaloric devices use active caloric regeneration, in which the working fluid oscillates through the matrix of the caloric material (active magnetocaloric regeneration). This is associated with irreversible viscosity and heat transfer losses, as well as high energy consumption for pumping the working fluid, which limits the operating frequency and associated power density of the device. The use of thermal control devices (thermal switches, thermal diodes, thermal capacitors) could improve the performance of caloric devices in high-frequency operation (number of thermodynamic cycles per unit time), which is crucial for increasing the power density (compactness).

Their research focused on the experimental characterization of the thermal contact resistance, a crucial parameter that significantly affects the thermal performance of the mechanical thermal switch capacitor. In the mentioned study, the researchers experimentally characterized the thermal contact resistance between the elements in contact at different pressure loads and temperatures. The experimental results of thermal properties and thermal contact resistance were used for numerical evaluation of the thermal switch capacitor in the magnetocaloric device. The results show that the device can achieve a cooling power density of 970 W m-2 at an operating frequency of 5 Hz under the selected conditions.

Link to the article: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2515-7655/ace288

Figure: Comparison of TCRs for samples bonded by spin coating or by adhesive and samples in direct contact under different pressures and different temperatures for (A) Gd/SU-8, (B) Gd/Kapton, (C) Si/SU-8, (D) Si/Kapton.

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The numerical study on performance evaluation of a thermal switch capacitor in a magnetocaloric cooling device

lahde — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 12:42:56 +0000

In the article The numerical study on performance evaluation of a thermal switch capacitor in a magnetocaloric cooling device, published in the journal iScience (IF 6.107), researchers from the Laboratory of Refrigeration and District Energy at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering numerically analyze the performance of a thermal control element (thermal switch capacitor) in a magnetocaloric cooling device. The selected operating concept was then used for active cooling of the battery system.

The article is available at the following link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004222017898

Abstract

Compact, solid thermal control devices offer a new way to control the intensity and direction of heat flow between the components of a system, which is crucial for both optimized performance and safety. In this work we study a thin, silicon thermal switch capacitor (TSC) used for heat transport in a magnetocaloric cooling system. A numerical model was developed to quantify the effects of various operating conditions and design parameters on the performance of a magnetocaloric device with an embedded TSC. Based on realistic material properties, a maximum cooling-power density of 4000 Wm^-2 (2025 ) was obtained for a zero temperature span and an operating frequency of 20 Hz. The use of the presented device was demonstrated on a battery system, motivating further experimental studies to develop a new, compact cooling device that can be directly attached to a heat reservoir, making it desirable for a variety of applications.

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Protocol to evaluate a (magneto)caloric device with static thermal switches using a 1D numerical model

lahde — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 11:39:29 +0000

We were invited to publish a protocol on the use of the numerical model for the simulation of (magneto)caloric devices with thermal switches.

The protocol is available here: link.

The numerical model is available here: Zenodo in Github

This protocol describes the use of a simple 1D numerical model to evaluate a single-stage (magneto)caloric refrigerating device with static thermal switches. The model can be used to find appropriate values of parameters that lead to a significant refrigerating effect and COP of the device. The modeled device can comprise any type of static thermal switch in combination with any kind of magnetocaloric or electrocaloric material. Simulation parameters need to be set with care for acceptable computational time.

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Cool BatMan project as a part of the M-ERA.NET tender

lahde — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 05:06:38 +0000

The Laboratory for Refrigeration and District Energy (LAHDE) won the three-year Cool BatMan project as a part of the M-ERA.NET tender entitled Battery Thermal Management System Based on High Power Density Digital Microfluidic Magnetocaloric Cooling (Cool BatMan). It is a consortium of 4 quality institutions where LAHDE acts as a leading organization. In addition, it is also a gender-balanced consortium (two female researchers, two male researchers), which is one of the evaluation criteria in M-ERA and similar EU research platforms (H2020). The members of the consortium are:

Faculty of mechanical engineering, Laboratory for refrigeration and district energy (dr. Urban Tomc)
Jožef Stefan Institut, electronic ceramic department K5 (prof. dr. Hana Uršič Nemevšek)
Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden, (dr. Maria Krautz)
Universitat de Barcelona, Department de Fisica de la Materia Condensada, (prof. dr. Lluis Mañosa)

The goal of the Cool BatMan project is to establish a fundamental understanding of the dynamic thermal behavior of two physical phenomena coupled in a compact magnetocaloric cooling device. The magnetocaloric material (as a result, the magnetocaloric effect) will be combined with the phenomenon of electrowetting on the dielectric (i.e. digital microfluidics), which will create a unique principle of magnetocaloric cooling, which could be used as a thermal management system for batteries in the future.

In addition to coordinating the project, the Laboratory for Refrigeration and District Energy will be responsible for the electrohydrodynamic and thermomagnetic numerical modeling of the new proposed principle of magnetocaloric cooling with the implementation of digital microfluidics. The modeling results will provide important guidelines in the intermediate and final steps in fabrication of the “proof-of-concept” of an experimental cooling device, which will also finally be built and tested at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.

The European Commission is financing the M-ERA.NET network, which was established with the aim of connecting European research programs and their funding. It specifically focuses on innovations in the field of functional materials, thereby supporting the guidelines of the Green Deal.

Cool BatMan project work flow

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Ferrofluidic thermal switch in a magnetocaloric device

lahde — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 18:13:08 +0000

A paper on implementation of ferofluidic thermal switch in magnetocaloric device has been published in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Twente. The article was published in the journal iScience.

The paper is available here:

: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2022.103779

Abstract

Thermal switches are advanced heat-management devices that represent a new opportunity to improve the energy efficiency and power density of caloric devices. In this study we have developed a numerical model to analyze the operation and the performance of static thermal switches in caloric refrigeration. The investigation comprises a parametric analysis of a realistic ferrofluidic thermal switch in terms of the maximum temperature span, cooling power, and coefficient of performance. The highest achieved temperature span between the heat source and the heat sink was 1.12 K for a single embodiment, which could be further developed into a regenerative system to increase the temperature span. A sensitivity analysis is conducted to correlate the relationship between the input parameters and the results. We show that thermal switches can be used in caloric devices even when switching ratios are small, which greatly extends the possibilities to implement different types of thermal switches.

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LAHDE annual report: 2021

lahde — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 16:30:09 +0000

LAHDE Scientific annual report:

Published papers

MAIORINO, Angelo, DEL DUCA, Manuel Gesù, TOMC, Urban, TUŠEK, Jaka, KITANOVSKI, Andrej, APREA, Ciro. A numerical modelling of a multi-layer LaFeCoSi active magnetic regenerator by using artificial neural networks. Applied thermal engineering, ISSN 1359-4311. [Print ed.], Oct. 2021, vol. 197, str. 1-13, ilustr. https://www.sciencedirect. com/science/article/pii/S1359431121008103?utm_campaign=STMJ_AUTH_SERV_PUBLISHED&utm_medium=email&utm_acid=104953246&SIS_ID=&dgcid=STMJ_AUTH_ SERV_PUBLISHED&CMX_ID=&utm_in=DM168036&utm_source=AC_, doi: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2021.117375
POREDOŠ Primož, PETELIN, Nada, ŽEL, Tilen, VIDRIH, Boris, GATARIĆ, Pero, KITANOVSKI, Andrej. Performance of the condensation process for water vapour in the presence of a non-condensable gas on vertical plates and horizontal tubes. Energies, ISSN 1996-1073, Apr. 2021, vol. 14, iss. 8, str. 1-28, ilustr. https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/8/2291, doi: 10.3390/en14082291.
LORBEK, Luka, KATRAŠNIK, Tomaž, KITANOVSKI, Andrej. Impact of neglecting the variations in the relative surface roughnesses of capillary tubes on the accuracy of a capillary tube model. International journal of refrigeration, ISSN 0140-7007. [Print ed.], Sep. 2021, vol. 129, str. 194-203, ilustr. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S014070072100147X#ack0001, doi: 10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2021.04.022
SWOBODA, Timm, KLINAR, Katja, ABBASI, Shahzaib, BREM, Gerrit, KITANOVSKI, Andrej, MUÑOZ ROJO, Miguel. Thermal rectification in multilayer phase change material structures for energy storage applications. iScience, ISSN 2589-0042, 2021, vol. 24, iss. 8, str. 1-14, ilustr. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004221008117, doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102843
SWOBODA, Timm, KLINAR, Katja, KITANOVSKI, Andrej, YALAMARTHY, Ananth Saran, MUÑOZ ROJO, Miguel. Solid-state thermal control devices. Advanced electronic materials, ISSN 2199-160X, Mar. 2021, vol. 7, iss. 3, f. 1-28, ilustr. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aelm.202000625, doi: 10.1002/aelm.202000625.
KLINAR, Katja, SWOBODA, Timm, MUÑOZ ROJO, Miguel, KITANOVSKI, Andrej. Fluidic and mechanical thermal control devices. Advanced electronic materials, ISSN 2199-160X, Mar. 2021, vol. 7, iss. 3, f. 1-30, ilustr. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aelm.202000623, doi: 10.1002/aelm.202000623.
ŠADL, Matej, TOMC, Urban, URŠIČ NEMEVŠEK, Hana. Investigating the feasibility of preparing metal-ceramic multi-layered composites using only the aerosol-deposition technique. Materials, ISSN 1996-1944, Aug. 2021, vol. 14, iss. 16, str. 4548-1-4548-10, ilustr. https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/16/4548, doi: 10.3390/ma14164548
GATARIĆ, Pero, LORBEK, Luka. Evaluating R450A as a drop-in replacement for R134a in household heat pump tumble dryers. International journal of refrigeration, ISSN 0140-7007. [Print ed.], Aug. 2021, vol. 128, str. 22-33, ilustr. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140700721001195, doi: 10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2021.03.020.
AHČIN, Žiga, LIANG, Jierong, ENGELBRECHT, Kurt, TUŠEK, Jaka. Thermo-hydraulic evaluation of oscillating-flow shell-and-tube-like regenerators for (elasto)caloric cooling. Applied thermal engineering, ISSN 1359-4311. [Print ed.], May 2021, vol. 190, str. 1-15, ilustr. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S135943112100291X, doi: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2021.116842.
MAIORINO, Angelo, DEL DUCA, Manuel Gesù, TOMC, Urban, TUŠEK, Jaka, KITANOVSKI, Andrej, APREA, Ciro. A numerical modelling of a multi-layer LaFeCoSi active magnetic regenerator by using artificial neural networks. Applied thermal engineering, ISSN 1359-4311, Oct. 2021, vol. 197, str. 1-13, ilustr. https://www.sciencedirect. com/science/article/pii/S1359431121008103?utm_campaign=STMJ_AUTH_SERV_PUBLISHED&utm_medium=email&utm_acid=104953246&SIS_ID=&dgcid=STMJ_AUTH_ SERV_PUBLISHED&CMX_ID=&utm_in=DM168036&utm_source=AC_, doi: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2021.117375.
PORENTA, Luka, LAVRENČIČ, Marko, DUJC, Jaka, BROJAN, Miha, TUŠEK, Jaka, BRANK, Boštjan. Modeling large deformations of thin-walled SMA structures by shell finite elements. Communications in Nonlinear Science and Numerical Simulation, ISSN 1007-5704, okt. 2021, vol. 101, no. 105897, str. 1-29, ilustr. https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/IzpisGradiva.php?id=127201, doi: 10.1016/j.cnsns.2021.105897.
MASCHE, M., IANNICIELLO, Lucia, TUŠEK, Jaka, ENGELBRECHT, Kurt. Impact of hysteresis on caloric cooling performance. International journal of refrigeration, ISSN 0140-7007. [Print ed.], Jan. 2021, vol. 121, str. 302-312, ilustr. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140700720304229?via%3Dihub#!, doi: 10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2020.10.012.
NAVICKAITE, Kristina, IANNICIELLO, Lucia, TUŠEK, Jaka, ENGELBRECHT, Kurt, BAHL, Christian Robert Haffenden, PENZEL, Michael, NESTLER, Klaus, BÖTTGER-HILLER, Falko, ZEIDLER, Henning. Plasma electrolytic polishing of nitinol : investigation of functional properties. Materials, ISSN 1996-1944, Oct. 2021, vol. 14, iss. 21, str. 1-13, ilustr. https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/21/6450, doi: 10.3390/ma14216450.

Granted patent

Micro-magnetocaloric device EP3106781B1

New projects

TCCbuilder: Odprtokodno simulacijsko orodje za toplotne tokokroge
Novo MHD-toplotno stikalo za nekonvencionalni magnetni hladilni sistem (MHD magcool), BI-DE/21-22-008

Conferences

KITANOVSKI, Andrej. The future of magnetic refrigeration and heat pumping. V: Advances in magnetics 2020-21 : June 13-16, 2021 : book of abstracts. [New York: IEEE]. 2021, str. [68]. http://aim2020.poliba.it/wordpress/program/program-overview/?fbclid=IwAR2pXtjkBn1cwQUsqf13mXZsPKhM20tkwMYFIExuG5751nff6RqN9CpeUTg.
NOSAN, Simon, TOMC, Urban, KLINAR, Katja, KITANOVSKI, Andrej. New concept of electromagnetic field source for magnetic refrigeration. V: Book of abstracts : CHC Eurotherm Seminar, July 13-15, 2021. [S.l.]: Eurotherm. 2021, str. [4]. https://eurotherm.et.utwente.nl/index.php/book-of-abstracts/.
TOMC, Urban, DALL´OLIO, Stefano, KLINAR, Katja, NOSAN, Simon, ERJAVEC, Urška, ŠADL, Matej, URŠIČ NEMEVŠEK, Hana, KITANOVSKI, Andrej. Cool future: magnetocaloric devices based on static and rare earth free magnetic field sources. V: Book of abstracts : CHC Eurotherm Seminar, July 13-15, 2021. [S.l.]: Eurotherm. 2021, str. [5]. https://eurotherm.et.utwente.nl/index.php/book-of-abstracts/.
SWOBODA, Timm, KLINAR, Katja, KITANOVSKI, Andrej, MUÑOZ ROJO, Miguel. High asymmetric heat transport in multilayer phase change materials. V: 2021 Virtual MRS Spring Meeting & Exhibit : April 17-23, 2021. [Warrendale (PA)]: Materials Research Society. 2021, str. [629-630]. https://www.mrs.org/docs/default-source/meetings-events/spring-meetings/2021/abstract-book.pdf?sfvrsn=66f9da0c_2, https://www.mrs. org/meetings-events/spring-meetings-exhibits/2021-mrs-spring-meeting/call-for-papers/symposium-sessions-detail?code=NM08.
DALL´OLIO, Stefano, TOMC, Urban, KLINAR, Katja, KITANOVSKI, Andrej. Design, enhanced thermal and flow efficiency of an active magnetic regenerator. V: Advances in magnetics 2020-21 : June 13-16, 2021 : book of abstracts. [New York: IEEE]. 2021, str. [72]. http://aim2020.poliba.it/wordpress/program/program-overview/?fbclid=IwAR2pXtjkBn1cwQUsqf13mXZsPKhM20tkwMYFIExuG5751nff6RqN9CpeUTg.
NOSAN, Simon, TOMC, Urban, KLINAR, Katja, KITANOVSKI, Andrej. New concept of electromagnetic field sourcefor magnetic refrigeration. V: Advances in magnetics 2020-21 : June 13-16, 2021 : book of abstracts. [New York: IEEE]. 2021, str. [192]. http://aim2020.poliba.it/wordpress/program/program-overview/?fbclid=IwAR2pXtjkBn1cwQUsqf13mXZsPKhM20tkwMYFIExuG5751nff6RqN9CpeUTg.
KLINAR, Katja, VOZEL, Katja, KITANOVSKI, Andrej. Numerical tool for evaluation of static thermal switches in caloric refrigeration and heat pumping. V: Book of abstracts : CHC Eurotherm Seminar, July 13-15, 2021. [S.l.]: Eurotherm. 2021, str. [40]. https://eurotherm.et.utwente.nl/index.php/book-of-abstracts/.
POREDOŠ, Primož, MAROVT, Franc, KITANOVSKI, Andrej, POREDOŠ, Alojz. Analiza izboljšanja energetske učinkovitosti toplotne črpalke zrak-voda z glikolskim prenosnikom toplote = Analysis of energy efficiency improvement of air water heat pump with glycol heat exchanger. V: Mednarodna konferenca SZE : Oskrba ter raba energije v pametni stavbi in domu : Portorož, 28.-29. junij 2021 = International Conference of SZE : Energy supply and use in smart buildings and homes : Portorož, 28.-29. June 2021 : zbornik prispevkov. Ljubljana: Slovensko združenje za energetiko. 2021, str. 78-79, ilustr.
GATARIĆ, Pero, POREDOŠ, Primož, KITANOVSKI, Andrej. Analiza izboljšanja energetske učinkovitosti sušilnega stroja s toplotno črpalko z uporabo okolju prijaznejšega hladiva R450A = Improving the energy efficiency of a heat pump dryer using the environmentally friendly refrigerant R450A. V: Mednarodna konferenca SZE : Oskrba ter raba energije v pametni stavbi in domu : Portorož, 28.-29. junij 2021 = International Conference of SZE : Energy supply and use in smart buildings and homes : Portorož, 28.-29. June 2021 : zbornik prispevkov. Ljubljana: Slovensko združenje za energetiko. 2021, str. 96-97, ilustr.
DALL´OLIO, Stefano, TOMC, Urban, KLINAR, Katja, NOSAN, Simon, KITANOVSKI, Andrej. Unconventional magnetocaloric wine cooler initial performance. V: THERMAG IX : 9th IIR International Conference on Caloric Cooling and Applications of Caloric Materials : virtual conference, June 7-11, 2021, College Part, Maryland, USA, str. 120. https://files.constantcontact.com/8d76dc76201/86788d2d-77ec-4dfa-9ca9-894a21e814d5.pdf.
TOMC, Urban, ŠADL, Matej, KLINAR, Katja, URŠIČ NEMEVŠEK, Hana, KITANOVSKI, Andrej. Digital microfluidics in magnetocaloric cooling. V: THERMAG IX : 9th IIR International Conference on Caloric Cooling and Applications of Caloric Materials : virtual conference, June 7-11, 2021, College Part, Maryland, USA, str. 128. https://files.constantcontact.com/8d76dc76201/86788d2d-77ec-4dfa-9ca9-894a21e814d5.pdf.
KUHELJ, Anja, SIMONIČ, Jasmina, DALL´OLIO, Stefano, KLINAR, Katja, PETELIN, Nada, KITANOVSKI, Andrej, MENCINGER, Jure, DREN, Dejan, BAČ, Vladimir. Enostavno orodje za določanje razporeditve cevi “skin” kondenzatorja na hladilnih aparatih = Simple tool for determining the pipe arrangement in the skin condenser for household refrigerators. V: Mednarodna konferenca SZE : Oskrba ter raba energije v pametni stavbi in domu : Portorož, 28.-29. junij 2021 = International Conference of SZE : Energy supply and use in smart buildings and homes : Portorož, 28.-29. June 2021 : zbornik prispevkov. Ljubljana: Slovensko združenje za energetiko. 2021, str. 92-93,
IANNICIELLO, Lucia, TUŠEK, Jaka, MAÑOSA, Lluís, VIVES, Eduard, ENGELBRECHT, Kurt. Elastocaloric materials for active cooling regenerators. V: Book of abstracts : CHC Eurotherm Seminar, July 13-15, 2021. [S.l.]: Eurotherm. 2021, str. [7]. https://eurotherm.et.utwente.nl/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/bookofabstracts1.pdf.
AHČIN, Žiga, LIANG, Jierong, ENGELBRECHT, Kurt, TUŠEK, Jaka. Thermo-hydraulic analysis of shell-and-tube-like geometries for elastocaloric regenerators. V: Book of abstracts : CHC Eurotherm Seminar, July 13-15, 2021. [S.l.]: Eurotherm. 2021, str. [11]. https://eurotherm.et.utwente.nl/index.php/book-of-abstracts/.
IANNICIELLO, Lucia, TUŠEK, Jaka, ENGELBRECHT, Kurt. Updated design of an active elastocaloric regenerator. V: THERMAG IX : 9th IIR International Conference on Caloric Cooling and Applications of Caloric Materials : virtual conference, June 7-11, 2021, College Part, Maryland, USA, str. 52. https://files.constantcontact.com/8d76dc76201/86788d2d-77ec-4dfa-9ca9-894a21e814d5.pdf.
MASCHE, M., IANNICIELLO, Lucia, TUŠEK, Jaka, ENGELBRECHT, Kurt. Numerical modelling of hysteresis in caloric materials for solid-state cooling. V: THERMAG IX : 9th IIR International Conference on Caloric Cooling and Applications of Caloric Materials : virtual conference, June 7-11, 2021, College Part, Maryland, USA, str. 100. https://files.constantcontact.com/8d76dc76201/86788d2d-77ec-4dfa-9ca9-894a21e814d5.pdf.
PORENTA, Luka, KABIRIFAR, Parham, ŽEROVNIK, Andrej, ČEBRON, Matjaž, ŽUŽEK, Borut, BROJAN, Miha, TUŠEK, Jaka. Durable elastocaloric effect in thin walled Ni-Ti tubes. V: THERMAG IX : 9th IIR International Conference on Caloric Cooling and Applications of Caloric Materials : virtual conference, June 7-11, 2021, College Part, Maryland, USA, str. 130. https://files.constantcontact.com/8d76dc76201/86788d2d-77ec-4dfa-9ca9-894a21e814d5.pdf.

Awards

Rector’s Award for the best innovation 2021 for EASE

The post LAHDE annual report: 2021 first appeared on Laboratory for refrigeration and district energy.

ARRS will (co-)finance TCCbuilder research project

lahde — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 18:21:00 +0000

The Public Research Agency of the Republic of Slovenia (ARRS) will finance a basic science project entitled TCCbuilder: An open-source simulation tool for thermal control circuits. The project was selected together with 12 other projects of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering UL.

The project concerns the development of World’s first numerical tool for simulation of new thermal management principles, analogous to electronic devices, which aim to solve the increasing demand for high energy efficiency, optimal performance and ultrahigh power density of micro- and power- electronics, energy conversion processes and devices.

The traditional way of thermal management concerns basic principles of heat transfer applied via heat radiation, conduction and convection. In relatively large systems, extended surfaces, heat pipes, phase change fluids, fans, or hydraulic circuits are applied. However, the ever-improving knowledge on nano- to microscopic systems brings substantially higher power densities, with potentially transient, fluctuating or migrating hot or cold spots, and thus new requirements for thermal management.

With the improving knowledge in solid state physics and material science, new fundamental principles in thermal sciences have been discovered, which can lead to tuneable thermal properties of materials. Both, the solids and fluids can be tailored into different types of thermal control elements: thermal conduits, thermal resistors, thermal switches, thermal regulators, thermal diodes and thermal capacitors. These elements can manage heat in a manner analogous to how electronic devices control electricity. They can store, block, rectify, guide and control the intensity of heat flux or its direction. By combining these elements into integrated circuits new thermal management principles can be established in different applications, from thermal management of energy conversion devices in space,

sensors and detection systems, devices which deal with thermally sensitive biological tissues, to energy conversion and thermal energy storage systems, including the power train. In the most straightforward direction of applications, thermal control elements (TCEs) and circuits represent an important part of future’s thermal management of (micro)electronic devices and systems. However, our understanding of thermal control elements is at the very beginning, and the thermal control circuits have not been yet developed.

To develop thermal circuits toward realistic applications, the knowledge on potential materials, mechanisms, and coupling phenomena is strongly required. To bring the existing and new knowledge into realistic devices, it is indispensable to develop the World’s first open source numerical tool for simulation and evaluation of thermal control elements and thermal control circuits, before they can be tested in real environment. The main goal of this project is to develop such open source numerical tool with constantly updated library of materials or composites (their properties), and TCEs (their features), as well as with the possibility to form, design and evaluate thermal control and thermal logic circuits. Because of the broadness of the research field, the first version of the tool will be dedicated to numerical analysis of potential solid-state refrigeration systems, heat pumping and power generation on a small scale, and solid-state thermal management of power- and micro-electronic devices. The tool will be developed in a manner that will enable later upgrading with other types of systems, such as (micro)fluidic thermal management systems, micro-cooling and heat pump systems based on gases or liquids. Therefore, later versions of the tool are expected to enable much larger spectrum of potential applications.

The tool will represent a ground basis for the evaluation of transient and steady state features of newly tailored designs. It will serve as a solid foundation for researchers dealing with thermal management, as well as a platform that will connect researchers from different fields (e.g. material science, chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering, solid state physics). Each user will be able to add characteristics of their TCEs into the tool’s library to share experiences and gained knowledge with others.

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