CHECK TEMPERATURE: A Small-Scale Elastocaloric Device for the Cooling of the Electronic Circuits

Abstract

Elastocaloric is a technology to the class of solid-state cooling based on caloric-effects have attracted great interest in recent years, representing a new and viable alternative to vapour-compression. The physical phenomenon on which elastocaloric systems are based is elastocaloric effect: a physical-thermal phenomenon manifesting in some materials called shape memory alloys where, consequently to an adiabatic variation of the intensity of an external field, a temperature variation (ΔTad), occurs. If the intensity of the field is increasing, a temperature rise is observed in the elastocaloric material; conversely, to a decreasing intensity a temperature fall corresponds. Controlling the temperature of electronic equipment is also essential and, currently, there are not elastocaloric devices specifically addressed to this application. In this context CHECK TEMPERATURE (acronym of “Controlling the Heating of Electronic Circuits: a Key-approach Through Elastocaloric Materials in a Prototype Employing them as Refrigerants of an AcTive Ultrasmall Refrigerator”) project was born: the main purpose of this project is to develop an elastocaloric device targeted on miniature scale for environmentally friendly cooling of electronic components. In this paper all the aspect concerning the development are described.