A feasibility analysis of barocaloric refrigeration using PDMS as a solid-state refrigerant

Abstract

Researches on refrigeration based on the i-caloric effects of certain solid refrigerants have gained ground since the end of the last century. The barocaloric type was the least studied so far, however, in the last 10 to 15 years, materials with barocaloric effects of surprisingly large intensities have been discovered, especially elastomers. Because it is a branch of research that is still little investigated, there are few studies aimed at simulating the thermodynamic performance of heat pumps using these materials as refrigerants. In this context, the present study is developed, which uses a transient two-dimensional model to simulate fluid mechanics and heat transfer in an active barocaloric regenerator with parallel plates geometry. The polydimethylsiloxane rubber (PDMS) is selected as the solid-state coolant. The investigation consisted of simulating the cooling capacity provided by the device against the variation of geometric and operational parameters. The results show that the proposed active regenerator is not capable of providing cooling, and its performance is strongly limited by the high thermal inertia of the walls that constitute the polymer compression chamber, as well as the low thermal conductivity of the PDMS.