Continuous electrochemical refrigeration based on the Brayton cycle

Zero-global-warming-potential cooling technologies can mitigate the climate change effects attributed to the use of conventional vapour compression refrigeration. In this work, we conceptualize an electrochemical refrigeration cycle and demonstrate a proof-of-concept prototype in continuous operation. The refrigerator is based on the Brayton cycle and draws inspiration from redox flow battery technologies. A peak coefficient of performance of 8.09 was measured with a small temperature drop of 0.07 K. A peak cooling load of 0.934 W with a coefficient of performance of 0.93 was measured, however, with only a modest measured temperature drop of 0.15 K. This is still much lower than the theoretical maximum temperature drop of 2–7 K for these electrolytes. This work could inspire research into high-cooling-capacity redox-active species, multi-fluid heat exchanger design and high-efficiency electrochemical refrigeration cell architectures.