Innovation has reached our kitchens thanks to home automation and smart robots, but what are we still missing? Imagine a reverse microwave to cool food instead of heating it. It has just been invented, and it works without electricity and does not emit polluting gases. It’s clear: it’s going to revolutionize our kitchens.
Why was there no reverse microwave until now? End of the mystery
Commercial companies know for long have used blast freezers for the rapid cooling of foods especially deep freezes market. Nonetheless, the concept of having such a freezer at home has never got real traction.
This begs the question: what about reversed microwave hasn’t happened yet? The answer lies in the very laws of thermal dynamics. Unlike heat which can be easily added to objects using many methods, “coolness” is just the absence of heat or energy.
This implies that in order to cool something down it is necessary that the heat be removed, which then naturally dissipates into the surrounding. In order to achieve a rapid cooling, putting the object to a low-temperature environment, for example, a freezer or chilled liquid, is of great importance.
Yet, until recently, there wasn’t a workable, electricity-free technique to achieve fast cooling in households. If there were any they were small projects with a high demand of energy.
Electrocaloric cooling is a reality: They have managed to invent what we have been waiting for for years
As the global temperatures are on the increase, the demand for cooling systems, be they fridges or air conditioners, has seen an uptick. The traditional cooling technologies which are based on the vapor compression mechanism are not only inefficient but also emit greenhouse gasses.
Recognizing the urgent need for sustainable alternatives, researchers at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) have made a groundbreaking discovery: the electrocaloric cooling.
This novel method employs the electrocaloric effect, i.e., specific materials responding to the external electrical field by reversible temperature changes. Out of all these materials, the most striking one is aluminium, as you probably know, that does not mix with the conventional microwave.
Exploiting this phenomenon, the LIST engineers have come up with a solid-state cooling system that does not require energy-intensive compressors, thus offering a more effective and eco-friendly option to the heritage method of cooling.
How does electrocaloric cooling work? Sustainable cooking at a glance
The electrocaloric cooling system developed by LIST consists of electrocaloric capacitors and liquid coolant which make rapid heat transfer. Heating of the fluid in the capacitors, causes cooling of the system via application of electric field.
The process being reversed gives up the heat, thus allowing for continuous cooling cycles. This innovative solution not only boosts up the efficiency but also greatly reduces power consumption thereby making it the truly sustainable cooling solution our kitchens have been looking for.
Moving forward, LIST researchers are associating with manufacturing partners for prototype development and enable technology for industrial usability. From the standpoint of refrigeration, Electrocaloric cooling also holds many opportunities for industries like semiconductors and manufacturing.
The reverse microwave has the potential to completely change how we cool and store food and thus it is a major step towards a more sustainable future for a kitchen. The invention results from a university in Luxembourg, so far none of the industrial brands has been interested (we should also make it clear).
Once again, we see how innovation takes a step forward with inventions like this one. We have known for decades how to heat food, but not how to cool it to speed up our meals. The reverse microwave was something we’ve been asking for for years, but this one also works without electricity and is 100% sustainable.
