![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() by Staff Writers Washington DC (SPX) Apr 03, 2019
While many advancements have been in improving its efficiency, the refrigerator still consumes considerable amounts of energy each year. "Energy efficiency of a normal refrigerator is affected by the heat-insulating property of the thermal barriers of the freezer. This is due to its low inner temperature," explained Jingyu Cao at the University of Science and Technology of China. "There is a significant difference in temperature between the freezer of a traditional refrigerator and ambient air temperature and the normal thermal barrier of the freezer causes considerable cold loss." Cao and his team hypothesized that using part of the cold loss to cool the fresh food compartment could be a promising solution in improving the efficiency of the refrigerator. They describe their findings in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, from AIP Publishing. "The evaporating temperature of the refrigeration cycle depends only on the freezer temperature and appropriate reduction of the evaporator area in the fresh food compartment will not decrease the overall efficiency," explained Cao. "Most families need one or two refrigerators and they are always on 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. That wastes a lot of energy. Even if we can save a little energy, that helps the human race be more energy-efficient," said Cao. Cao and his team are not the first scientists to attempt to improve the efficiency of household refrigeration. Extensive experiments by many different scientists have looked at various parts of the refrigerator to improve energy consumption, but a definitive solution has not yet been found. In Cao's study, a novel refrigerator with a loop thermosyphon is put forward to decrease the heat transfer between the freezer and ambient air. "One of the surprises was how much energy we saved. The energy-saving ratio of the improved walls got close to 30 percent - more than we had expected. This technology even works in hot climates like the desert." Although Cao's study is currently based on theoretical calculation, the results are promising. "It has great potential to be popularized as a sustainable energy technology or applied in the renewable energy field, considering its significant energy-saving effect, simple structure and low cost," said Cao.
Research Report: "Preliminary evaluation of the energy-saving behavior of a novel household refrigerator"
![]() ![]() Energy monitor can find electrical failures before they happen Boston MA (SPX) Mar 25, 2019 A new system devised by researchers at MIT can monitor the behavior of all electric devices within a building, ship, or factory, determining which ones are in use at any given time and whether any are showing signs of an imminent failure. When tested on a Coast Guard cutter, the system pinpointed a motor with burnt-out wiring that could have led to a serious onboard fire. The new sensor, whose readings can be monitored on an easy-to-use graphic display called a NILM (non-intrusive load monitoring) ... read more
![]() |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |