Freezing Enhancement for Supercooled Ice Nucleation by Electrostatic Cooling based on Double Layer Theory

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16H04276
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Thermal engineering
• Research Institution: Tokyo Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Kobayashi Atsuko 東京工業大学, 地球生命研究所, 研究員 (50557212)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 静電冷却 / コロナ放電

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Electrostatic cooling is known as the phenomena of enhancing the cooling or heating effects by application of an electrostatic field, but the physical theory is not well known. Our research is based on this theory that electrostatic cooling disrupting will increase the heat faster from supercooled ice slush, allowing it to solidify rapidly. The purpose of this research was to create a new technology for doing this transition efficiently. First at room temperature we generated a corona wind to investigate the mass transfer effect. I succeeded to measure the effect of heat transfer with this system. At present we are setting this up to test at low temperature environment, and proceeding well.

Free Research Field

顕微鏡科学・バイオ鉱物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の学術的意義は、静電界内で冷却・熱効果を示す現象として知られている静電冷却の物理現象を凍結技術に応用することに着想した点である。
予想される結果と意義は、冷凍技術の向上を図ることは、計画的な食糧保存・ 原種の長期保存に期待できる点である。またiPS細胞・ES細胞・精子・卵子の凍結保存技術に向けた医療への応用が大いに期待される。