A cooling system, in particular for use on board an aircraft, includes a cooling circuit allowing circulation of a two-phase refrigerant therethrough, an evaporator disposed in the cooling circuit, and a condenser disposed in the cooling circuit. A plurality of subcoolers is arranged in series in the cooling circuit downstream of the condenser.

In some embodiments, a refrigeration device includes: walls substantially forming a liquid-impermeable container configured to hold phase change material internal to the refrigeration device; at least one active refrigeration unit including a set of evaporator coils positioned at least partially within the liquid-impermeable container; a unidirectional thermal conductor with a condensing end and an evaporative end, the condensing end positioned within the liquid-impermeable container; a first aperture in the liquid-impermeable container, the first aperture of a size, shape and position to permit the set of evaporator coils to traverse the aperture; a second aperture in the liquid-impermeable container, the second aperture including an internal surface of a size, shape and position to mate with an external surface of the unidirectional thermal conductor; and one or more walls substantially forming a storage region in thermal contact with the evaporative end of the unidirectional thermal conductor.

A method for operating cyclic process-based systems, with a hot-side reservoir (1) and a cold-side reservoir (2) for a fluid (3), and at least one heat exchanger unit (4) with mechanocaloric material, wherein the mechanocaloric material of the heat exchanger unit (4) is actively connected to the fluid (3) such that heat is transferred between the mechanocaloric material and the fluid (3). It is essential that the transfer of heat between the mechanocaloric material and the fluid (3) takes place essentially by latent heat transfer. A corresponding heat-transfer unit (4) and a corresponding apparatus are also provided.

A method for operating cyclic process-based systems, with a hot-side reservoir (1) and a cold-side reservoir (2) for a fluid (3), and at least one heat exchanger unit (4) with mechanocaloric material, wherein the mechanocaloric material of the heat exchanger unit (4) is actively connected to the fluid (3) such that heat is transferred between the mechanocaloric material and the fluid (3). It is essential that the transfer of heat between the mechanocaloric material and the fluid (3) takes place essentially by latent heat transfer. A corresponding heat-transfer unit (4) and a corresponding apparatus are also provided.

A container with active temperature control system is provided. The active temperature control system is operated to heat or cool a chamber sized to receive a beverage therein.

A cooling system for transferring heat from a heat load to an environment has a volatile working fluid. The cooling system includes first and second cooling cycles that are thermally connected to the first cooling cycle. The first cooling cycle is not a vapor compression cycle and includes a pump, an air-to-fluid heat exchanger, and a fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger. The second cooling cycle can include a chilled water system for transferring heat from the fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger to the environment. Alternatively, the second cooling cycle can include a vapor compression system for transferring heat from the fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger to the environment.

The invention relates to a thermoelastic energy converter (1), in particular for use in a thermoelastic heating/cooling apparatus or in a combined heat-and-power coupling system, comprising: an arrangement comprising multiple converter devices (3a, 3b), wherein each of the converter devices (3a, 3b) has one or more thermoelastic elements (4) arranged in a direction of extension; a loading device, in order to load the thermoelastic elements (4) of each of the multiple converter devices (3a, 3b) so as to have a temporally variable power curve; a coupling which is designed such that the loading device actuates the converter devices (3a, 3b) in a phase-offset manner with respect to their cyclic loading and unloading.

A high water transfer electrochemical compressor is described having a ‘n’ transfer of water through the ion conducting membrane of greater than one. This may be accomplished by reducing the equivalent weight of the ion conducting polymer, such as an ionomer to less than about 900 and/or by reinforcing the low equivalent weight ionomer with a support material, such as an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene. This may be accomplished by making components of the electrochemical cell hydrophilic including the electrodes and/or gas diffusion media. This may be accomplished by adding a flow component to a feed fluid or refrigerant, such as an alcohol, acid, or acetone, for example. A flow component may modify an electrode and/or the ion conducting media, by rendering them hydrophilic. A flow component may swell an ion conducting media enable high transport of the working fluid.

A method of cooling includes providing an elastocaloric material; continuously applying a force on the elastocaloric material to cause a continuous mechanical deformation of the elastocaloric material for a predetermined period of time, such that the continuous mechanical deformation creates a solid-to-solid phase transformation in the elastocaloric material; emitting exothermic latent heat from the elastocaloric material to increase a temperature of the elastocaloric material; removing the force from the elastocaloric material upon expiration of the predetermined period of time; and absorbing endothermic latent heat into the elastocaloric material to decrease the temperature of the elastocaloric material and/or an environment adjacent to the elastocaloric material or an electronic/phononic device, etc.

A method of cooling includes providing an elastocaloric material; continuously applying a force on the elastocaloric material to cause a continuous mechanical deformation of the elastocaloric material for a predetermined period of time, such that the continuous mechanical deformation creates a solid-to-solid phase transformation in the elastocaloric material; emitting exothermic latent heat from the elastocaloric material to increase a temperature of the elastocaloric material; removing the force from the elastocaloric material upon expiration of the predetermined period of time; and absorbing endothermic latent heat into the elastocaloric material to decrease the temperature of the elastocaloric material and/or an environment adjacent to the elastocaloric material or an electronic/phononic device, etc.