Electrocaloric Refrigeration using Multi-Layers of Electrocaloric Material Films and Thermal Switches

ABSTRACTThe electrocaloric effect in thin films of electrocaloric material has the potential to be used for efficient cooling systems. We numerically calculated the effect of the parameters in electrocaloric refrigeration with multi-layers of electrocaloric material films and thermal switches by changing the contact thermal conductance to improve thermal performance. It was found that the average heat transfer efficiency was 10% and the average heat flux transferred to the cold side of the system was 2.4 × 104 W/m2 for the standard conditions of a frequency of 100 Hz and a temperature difference between the hot side and the cold side of the system of 20 K. The average heat flux transferred to the cold side of the system was maximum when the thickness of the electrocaloric material was 70 µm and thickness of the heat storage material 100 µm. The average heat transfer efficiency was maximum at the two layers of the electrocaloric material.