Cooling Technology

With global warming on the rise, the utilization of cooling measures in hot tropical countries like Singapore is greatly welcomed. From the interest of improving energy efficiency and cost savings to bringing comfort to residents, research and development in this area has been widely conducted over the years. One of the many effective approach in energy cooling solutions would be the storage and conversion of thermal energy to maintain the appropriate temperature.

Our research group specializes in phase change materials (PCMs) to help channel and store waste heat so as to bring about the cooling effect to the respective application. This waste heat can be off-loaded during non-peak periods or stored for usage in a later application. To complement the PCM, our group also have expertise in the area of nanoparticles and encapsulation technology to tune the thermal and physical properties of the PCM so that the optimal cooling is achieved in its desired temperature range.

We have anchored our research in several sectors, such as: Green Building, Logistics and Machinery etc. Our group has been actively involved in developing PCM formulations and fine tuning the systems to meet industry demands in heat management. For proper evaluation of the suitability of a PCM for buildings, we have established a testing protocol consisting of physical live simulation chambers to put lab data into application perspective. These chambers allow for the assessment of energy consumption and temperature reduction, of which gives a better evaluation on the PCM technology as a whole.

Capabilities

• Development of novel organic, inorganic and eutectic phase change materials (PCM) with tunable working temperature range, optimal thermal conductivity and long effective cooling duration.
• Property enhancement of existing PCM catering to the needs of different industries such as cold chain transportation, green building etc.
• Characterization and evaluation of phase change materials, nanoparticles and related additives using simulation chambers, multifunctional sensors, datalogging equipment, IR camera, DSC, TGA, SEM and other sophisticated equipment.

Highlights & Achievements 

• “Photocatalytic Self-Cleaning and UV-IR-Filtering Nanocoatings for Glass Facade Panels and Window Systems”; SG Patent Application No. 10201510662P; PCT/SG2016/050614.
• “Novel cementitious composite material using high thermal-conductive nanowires-doped microencapsulated PCM in concrete with multi-functional (heat absorptive and heat insulative) thermal properties for solar-heat reduction”; Singapore Patent Application No.  10201603387S.
• "A thermal control system for frozen stuff, and use thereof”; SG Patent Application No. 10201802163P.

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