Volume 55

Pilot Study on a Low-Energy Wearable Air-Conditioner Based on A Novel Water-Electricity Hybrid Energy System Ziyang Wang, Masahiro Mae, Ryuji Matsuhashi

Abstract

Wearable thermoelectric coolers (TECs), applicable in both indoor and outdoor environments, directly cool the human body surface and are considered to have much higher energy efficiency compared to compressor-based air-conditioners. However, the low coefficient of performance (COP) of TECs continues to be a significant burden on lithium-ion batteries, limiting the widespread use of TEC-based wearable coolers. In this study, we propose a novel water-electricity hybrid energy system by utilizing the water evaporation and capillary effect of water to solve the high electricity consumption issue of TECs. The novel water-electricity energy system-based cooler saves 81.8% of the electricity required to reach the lowest cooling temperature of a traditional TEC, by keeping the same size to the TEC. The excellent cooling capability enables the provision of cooling air, significantly increasing the practicality of the cooler compared with conductive models, and substantially contributing to energy conservation in both indoor and outdoor environments.

Keywords wearable air-conditioner, thermal comfort, evaporative cooling, evaporation energy, thermoelectric cooling, energy conservation