Smart Metal Enables Solid-State Refrigerant

The incessant hum of the compressor on your refrigerator and airconditioner could become a thing of the past, as shape-memory alloys take the place of liquid refrigerants. Look for silent refrigerators using shape-shifting metals by 2015. R.C.J.



Here is what EETimes says about smart metals: Smart metals that change shape when absorbing or releasing heat are being developed at the University of Maryland Energy Research Center (UMERC) under a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The thermoelastic shape memory alloy will take the place of conventional vapor-compressor refrigeration, but without the emission of greenhouse gases. According to UMERC (College Park, Md.), besides eliminating the need for vaporized refrigerants, its solid-state cooling technology will increase the efficiency of energy usage by as much as 175 percent while it is simultaneously reducing U.S. carbon dioxide emissions by 250 million metric tons per year...
Full Text: http://bit.ly/NextGenLog-cScC