Group Caloric Systems

Innovative caloric systems for heating and cooling represent a key area of research for the group. Our work comprises the development, conception and assembly of efficient heat pumps and cooling systems based on magnetocaloric, electrocaloric or elastocaloric materials without the use of harmful refrigerants. We draw on more than 20 years of experience working with functional materials, in particular the characterization, simula­tion, and system integration thereof.

Novel concepts for efficient heat transfer based on pulsating heat pipes (PHP) represent another field of work for the group. PHP transfer heat considerably more efficiently than copper, for example, and they offer several advantages over conventional heat pipes. The PHP we develop are used for electronic component cooling and targeted thermal management. Moreover, we are conducting research on heat pipe-based thermal switches for precisely regulating heat flows.

Efficient heating and cooling

• Reduced energy needs thanks to efficient technology
• Heating and cooling without harmful refrigerants
• Low-noise and low-maintenance systems

Thermal management

• Fast, precise temperature control with Peltier elements
• Passive cooling of electronic components using heat pipes
• Efficient heat distribution thanks to pulsating heat pipes
• Effective thermal conductivity higher than 3000 W/mK

High efficiency heat transfer with latent heat

• Heat transfer via evaporation and condensation
• Heat transfer coefficient of higher than 10⁵ W/(m² ∙ K)
• Extremely fast and efficient heat transfer for system frequencies up to 20 Hz