Author(s)

Shigeki Hirasawa^*, Tsuyoshi Kawanami, Katsuaki Shirai

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan.

The electrocaloric effect in thin films of an electrocaloric material has the potential to be used for efficient cooling systems for high power electronic devices. We numerically calculated the effect of parameters in electrocaloric refrigeration with a thermal switch of fluid motion on the thermal performance. The system of changing air and water flow with the pulse generation of cold energy increased the heat transfer efficiency to 67% at a frequency of 5 Hz. The optimum time delay of water flow to increase the heat transfer efficiency was zero at low frequency and became half of the time period to change heat for a high frequency of 100 Hz. When the heat transfer efficiency was high, the final temperature change in water flow was not the maximum temperature change.

Electrocaloric Refrigeration, Thermal Switch, Optimization, Pulse Heating, Frequency

Hirasawa, S. , Kawanami, T. and Shirai, K. (2016) Efficient Cooling System Using Electrocaloric Effect. Journal of Electronics Cooling and Thermal Control, 6, 78-87. doi: 10.4236/jectc.2016.62007.