VOA慢速英語: 高新技術材料給建筑降溫，將熱量送入太空

高新技術材料給建筑降溫，將熱量送入太空

Researchers at Stanford University have developed a new material that can move heat out of buildings and into space. The researchers say the material can cool buildings even on hot days.

斯坦福大學的研究者研發(fā)了一種新材料，能夠把建筑中的熱量送到太空中。研究人員稱即使在熱天，這種材料也能給建筑物降溫。

The cooling material is a very thin sheet with many layers that could be placed on a roof like solar panels. However, instead of turning sunlight into energy as solar panels do, the material turns heat into infrared radiation.

這種降溫的材料是一種薄板，有很多層能都像太陽能板一樣放在屋頂。然而，不像太陽能板那樣將太陽光轉化成熱能，這種材料把熱量轉換成紅外線。

Shanhui Fan is an electrical engineering professor at Stanford University. He says that the panels have a layer of material that is like sand. He says that the panels act like a mirror. They take heat out of buildings and reflect the light from the sun. He says both the heat and sunlight are sent 100 kilometers into outer space.

Shanhui Fan是斯坦福大學的電子工程系教授，他說面板有一層類似沙子的材料。這個面板的工作原理就像一面鏡子，把建筑中的熱量弄出來，讓后通過光線反射出去。將這種熱量和光線都送到100千米外的太空。

"It's a structure that cools itself without electricity input, even under the sun. So, what it does is basically radiate heat to outer space and also reflect the sunlight so it doesn't get heated up by the sun. And the net result is you get something that if you put on the roof will have a temperature below ambient air temperature by a significant amount."

“這是不用輸送電，甚至在太陽下就能夠自身冷卻的一種結構。所以，這種材料能夠將熱量釋放到外太空，同樣反射太陽光。而不是靠太陽得到熱量。結果是假如你把這種材料放在屋頂，那么你周圍的室內(nèi)溫度將會低于建筑外圍的溫度。”

The panels are cool to the touch, even in the sun. Researchers say they can reduce the indoor temperature to nearly 5 degrees Celsius below the temperature outside.

這種材料板即使在太陽底下摸起來也很涼爽。研究者稱他們能夠使室內(nèi)的溫度比室外的溫度低將近5攝氏度。

Mr. Fan says it is like having a window into space. He says the heat is sent directly into space without warming the air.

Shanhui Fan說這就像是通向太空的一扇窗戶。熱量直接傳到外太空而不會使空氣溫度升高。

He says buildings in developing countries that do not have electricity or air conditioning could use the panels.

他說發(fā)展中國家的建筑物沒有電力或者空調能夠使用這種面板材料。

“In areas where one is off-grid, there is a significant potential benefit for storing medicine or even food. In many of these situations, being able to reduce the temperature is important. And this would provide a way to do it."

“在一定區(qū)域存在脫離電網(wǎng)后，能夠儲存藥物甚至是食物的話，具有一定潛在優(yōu)勢。在這種情況下，降溫就很重要。開發(fā)研究這種材料提供了一種做事方式。”

The Stanford researchers described their technology in the science publication Nature. They say the main problem is creating actual cooling systems using the high-tech panels. They say it may be possible to develop a cooling spray that could be used on existing solid structures.

斯坦福大學的研究人員在科學期刊《自然》上描述了他們的這種技術。面臨的主要問題是使用高新技術面板建立真正的冷卻系統(tǒng)?？赡艿脑?，研發(fā)一種能夠用在現(xiàn)有的固體結構上的冷卻噴霧。

The researchers believe the cooling spray technology could be developed in the next three to five years. They say as much as 15 percent of the energy used in the United States is spent providing power to air conditioning systems.

研究人員相信冷卻噴霧技術能夠在未來三至五年研發(fā)成功。他們說在美國，使用的15%的能量為空調系統(tǒng)提供能源。

I’m Jonathan Evans.

我是喬納森·伊凡斯。

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Words in This Story

air conditioning – n. a system used for cooling and drying the air in a building, room, etc.

infrared – adj. producing or using rays of light that cannot be seen and that are longer than rays that produce red light

radiation – n. energy that comes from a source in the form of waves or rays you cannot see

solar panel – n. a large, flat piece of equipment that uses the sun's light or heat to create electricity