United States.
A high-tech company announced a new cooling system based on an electrochemical compressor to replace the conventional mechanical steam compression systems found in typical heat pumps. The company credited Ajay Prasad of the University of Delaware and his research team, with whom he plays an important role in the discovery.
Graduate student Ashish Chauhan, who is working with Prasad to address these challenges, explained that traditional ion exchange membranes must be highly hydrated in order to allow proton conduction. However, Xergy's design, which employs metal hydride heat exchangers, must be moisture-free, as water can seriously degrade metal hydride layers.
Initial applications of the technology include hybrid water heaters and air conditioners. Electrochemical compressors (ECC) offer the advantage of being extremely efficient and silent, since they have no moving parts, and also allow the use of ecological refrigerants.
Once the technology has been refined, Xergy (creator of the product) plans to expand ECC's applications to include residential and commercial air conditioners, refrigeration systems, and other heating and cooling applications.
"This technology has the potential to transform refrigeration systems around the world and achieve significant environmental benefits," Prasad said. "Improvements in the efficiency of HVAC systems will greatly reduce the electricity demand from power plants leading to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions."
With information from http://www.xergyinc.com/seaford.php
