SUMMARY

The rise of the average global temperature and, thus, global cooling demand is expected to be accompanied by record high sales of refrigeration and air-conditioning units. The state of the art in modern refrigeration and heat pumping is based on the vapor compression cycle. The refrigerants used in these units have a global warming potential (GWP) 1-4 orders of magnitude larger than that of carbon dioxide. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a zero-GWP refrigeration technology that can meet the cooling load demand at cost competitive efficiencies. Drawing inspiration from the vast recent progress made in flow batteries, I propose an electrochemical refrigerator. I will first introduce how electrochemistry may ne used to generate heat absorption. I will then discuss how continuous electrochemical refrigeration can be achieved in two incarnations: the Brayton and Stirling electrochemical refrigeration cycles (BECR and SECR). Then I present theoretical analyses for both these cycles, revealing the key thermodynamic, kinetic, and operational parameters using low order models, and introducing dimensionless figures-of-merits whenever possible to guide future research. I will then describe the key material properties and tradeoffs that must be considered when trying to screen/engineer new half-cell reactions that could be used in said electrochemical refrigerator. Then, I will review the setup and performance of the BECR proof-of-concept which achieves a peak COP of ~8, and a peak cooling load of ~1 W. Finally, I introduce the concept of Electrochemically Assisted Advective Cooling (EAAC), a cooling scheme that has the potential to provide higher cooling heat fluxes. I will finish by discussing the setup, performance, and limitations of the EAAC scheme. https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_MDhjZmE1OGYtOWQxYi00ZmE5LTllODgtNmYyYTAwODg2ZGU1%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22482198bb-ae7b-4b25-8b7a-6d7f32faa083%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22a47cc51d-e36c-489f-a50a-827598b21a28%22%7d