Thermodynamic estimation of cooling efficiency using an electrocaloric solid-state line

A thermodynamic cycle in a solid-state cooling line including two ferroelectric capacitors which exhibit the electrocaloric (EC) effect is considered. Expressions are derived for determining the cooling factor and the efficiency of the EC cooling line in terms of the Carnot cycle. Numerical estimates obtained for barium-strontium titanate ferroelectric capacitors make it possible to determine the cooling efficiency upon a change in temperature by ΔT = 2 K. At the initial temperature of 272 K, the efficiency is 0.6 Carnot, which considerably exceeds the efficiency of vapor-compression refrigerators.