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<\/a>The structure seen on the gold star is actually a round copper pipe to which a sheath structure of woven and knitted copper wire has been soldered. The manufacturing technology for metal textile structures allows the enlarged surface area to be tailored to the specifications, e.g. oriented structures or zones of differing density. \u00a0The illustrated structure developed at Fraunhofer ISE improves the sub-atmospheric evaporation of water, an environmentally friendly natural refrigerant in heat pumps. With this technology the volumetric specific energy could be tripled in comparison to conventional evaporators, and the energy consumption of adsorption heat pumps decreased.<\/p>\n The structure shadowed in the blue star shows a novel fluid distributor. In order that the refrigerant completely vaporizes or condenses, the vapor-liquid ratio must be identical in all of the channels. Generally, that\u2019s not easy to achieve. A team from Fraunhofer ISE found their solution in nature. The bionic fluid distributor branches continually like a tree, achieving a uniform distribution of the refrigerant throughout all channels. Thus, the entire surface area of the heat exchanger is used efficiently and less refrigerant is required.<\/p>\n Both technologies help keep our living spaces warm in winter, and efficiently and sustainably at that!<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>