Refrigerators are among the highest-power-consuming electrical appliances in the home behind water heaters and air conditioners. Various technologies have been developed to reduce energy consumption such as better insulation and more efficient compressors. Engineers from Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and Samsung have announced new technology that can reduce refrigerator electricity consumption by up to 70%.
The key to these savings lies in the use of solid-state thermoelectric cooling technology and nanotechnology materials. The material, called Controlled Hierarchical Engineered Superlattice Structure (CHESS), was developed by APL over the past decade. When a thin layer of CHESS is applied to the thermocouple of a thermoelectric cooling system, electrical energy savings of up to 70% are achieved. This could realize the dream of a quieter, smaller and more environmentally friendly thermoelectric cooler in the near future.
In addition to being used in refrigerators, this technology can also be used in air conditioners, heating machines and building ventilation systems. The savings achieved are impressive, but only when compared to thermoelectric refrigerators on the market.
Scientists still need more time to develop a CHESS refrigerator system that has performance comparable to current compressor- and liquid-cooled refrigerators.