SEMINAR REPORT 2015 MAGNETIC REFRIGERATION

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Refrigeration is the process of removing heat from matter which may be a solid, a liquid,
or a gas. Removing heat from the matter cools it, or lowers its temperature. In the mechanical
refrigeration a refrigerant is a substance capable of transferring heat that it absorbs at low
temperatures and pressures to a condensing medium; in the region of transfer, the refrigerant is at
higher temperatures and pressures. By means of expansion, compression, and a cooling medium,
such as air or water, the refrigerant removes heat from a substance and transfers it to the cooling
medium. Our society is highly dependent on reliable cooling technology. Refrigeration is critical
to our health and the global economy. Consumer application includes air conditioning, food
preservation, air dehumidification, beverage dispensing and ice making without refrigerate ion
the food supply wood still be seasonal and limited to locally produced non-perishable items.
Modern refrigeration is almost entirely based on a compression/ expansion refrigeration cycle. It
is a mature, reliable & relatively low cost technology. Over the years, all parts of a conventional
refrigerator were considerably improved due to extended research and development efforts.
Furthermore, some liquids used as refrigerants are hazardous chemicals, while other eventually
escape into the environment contributing towards ozone layer depletion and global warming and
therefore, conventional refrigeration ultimately promotes deleterious trends in the global climate.

Magnetic refrigerator, which has advantages in refrigeration efficiency, reliability, low

noise and environmental friendliness with respect to the conventional gas refrigerators, is
becoming a promising technology to replace the conventional technique. The development of the
magnetic material, magnetic refrigeration cycles, magnetic field and the refrigerator of room
temperature magnetic refrigeration is introduced.

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CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 REFRIGERATION
Refrigeration is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space, or from a
substance, and moving it to a place where it is unobjectionable. The primary purpose of
refrigeration is lowering the temperature of the enclosed space or substance and then maintaining
that lower temperature. The term cooing refers generally to any natural or artificial process by
which heat is dissipated. The process of artificially producing extreme cold temperatures is
referred to as cryogenics. Cold is the absence of heat, hence in order to decrease a temperature,
one removes heat, rather than adding cold. In order to satisfy the Second Law of
Thermodynamics, some form of work must be performed to accomplish this. This work is
traditionally done by mechanical work but can also be done by magnetism, laser or other means.
2.1.1 Unit of Refrigeration
Domestic and commercial refrigerators may be rated in kJ/s of cooling. Commercial
refrigerators in the US are mostly rated in tons of refrigeration, but elsewhere in kW. One ton of
refrigeration capacity can freeze one short ton of water at 0°C (32°F) in 24 hours. A much less
common definition is 1 tonne of refrigeration is the rate of heat removal required to freeze a
metric ton (i.e., 1000 kg) of water at 0°Cin 24 hours. Based on that:
Latent heat of ice (i.e., heat of fusion) = 335 kJ/kg. 1 ton refrigeration = 1000* 335 kJ in
24 hours= 3.5 kJ/s=3.5kW
Based on the heat of fusion being 335 kJ/kg, 1 ton of refrigeration= 13,956 kJ/h = 3.876
kW. Most residential air conditioning units range in capacity from about 1to 5 tons of
refrigeration. [4]

2.2 METHOD OF REFRIGERATION

Methods of refrigeration can be classified as non-cyclic, cyclic, thermo electric and
magnetic.
2.2.1 Non-cyclic Refrigeration
In non-cyclic refrigeration, cooling is accomplished by melting ice or by subliming dry
ice (frozen carbon dioxide). These methods are used for small-scale refrigeration such as in

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laboratories and workshops, or in portable coolers. Ice owes its effectiveness as a cooling agent
to its melting point of 0°C (32°F) at sea level. To melt, ice must absorb 335 kJ/kg of heat.
Foodstuffs maintained near this temperature have an increased storage life.
Solid carbon dioxide has no liquid phase at normal atmospheric pressure, and sublimes
directly from the solid to vapour phase at a temperature of -78.5°C (-109.3°F), and is effective
for maintaining products at low temperatures during sublimation. Systems such as this where the
refrigerant evaporates and is vented to the atmosphere are known as total loss refrigeration.
2.2.2 Cyclic Refrigeration
This consists of a refrigeration cycle, where heat is removed from a low-temperature
space or source and rejected to a high-temperature sink with the help of external work, and its
inverse, the thermodynamic power cycle. In the power cycle, heat is supplied from a high-
temperature source to the engine, part of the heat being used to produce work and the rest being
rejected to a low temperature sink. This satisfies the second law of thermodynamics. A
refrigeration cycle describes the changes that take place in the refrigerant as it alternately absorbs
and rejects heat as it circulates through a refrigerator.
Heat naturally flows from hot to cold. Work is applied to cool a living space or storage
volume by pumping heat from a lower temperature heat source into a higher temperature heat
sink. Insulation is used to reduce the work and energy needed to achieve and maintain a lower
temperature in the cooled space. The most common types of refrigeration systems use the
reverse-Rankine vapor-compression refrigeration cycle, although absorption heat pumps are used
in a minority of applications. Cyclic refrigeration can be classified as:
 Vapour cycle, and
 Gas cycle
2.2.3 Thermoelectric Refrigeration
Thermoelectric cooling uses the Peltier effect to create a heat flux between the junctions
of two different types of materials. A Peltier cooler, heater, or thermoelectric heat pump is a
solid-state active heat pump which transfers heat from one side of the device to the other, with
consumption of electrical energy, depending on the direction of the current. Such an instrument
is also called a Peltier device, Peltier heat pump, solid state refrigerator, or thermoelectric cooler
(TEC). They can be used either for heating or for cooling (refrigeration), although in practice the

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main application is cooling. It can also be used as a temperature controller that either heats or
cools.
This technology is far less commonly applied to refrigeration than vapor-compression
refrigeration is. The main advantages of a Peltier cooler (compared to a vapor-compression
refrigerator) are its lack of moving parts or circulating liquid, and its small size and flexible
shape (form factor). Its main disadvantage is high cost and poor power efficiency. Many
researchers and companies are trying to develop Peltier coolers that are both cheap and efficient.
A Peltier cooler can also be used as a thermoelectric generator. When operated as a cooler, a
voltage is applied across the device, and as a result, a difference in temperature will build up
between the two sides. When operated as a generator, one side of the device is heated to a
temperature greater than the other side, and as a result, a difference in voltage will build up
between the two sides (the See beck effect). However, a well-designed Peltier cooler will be a
mediocre thermoelectric generator and vice-versa, due to different design and packaging
requirements.
2.2.4 Magnetic Refrigeration
Magnetic refrigeration, or adiabatic demagnetization, is a cooling technology based on
the magneto caloric effect, an intrinsic property of magnetic solids. The refrigerant is often a
paramagnetic salt, such as cerium magnesium nitrate. The active magnetic dipoles in this case
are those of the electron shells of the paramagnetic atoms. A strong magnetic field is applied to
the refrigerant, forcing its various magnetic dipoles to align and putting these degrees of freedom
of the refrigerant into a state of lowered entropy. A heat sink then absorbs the heat released by
the refrigerant due to its loss of entropy. Thermal contact with the heat sink is then broken so that
the system is insulated, and the magnetic field is switched off. This increases the heat capacity of
the refrigerant, thus decreasing its temperature below the temperature of the heat sink. Because
few materials exhibit the needed properties at room temperature, applications have so far been
limited to cryogenics and research. [1]

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2.3 HISTORY

Magnetic refrigeration is a cooling technology based on the magneto caloric effect. This
technique can be used to attain extremely low temperatures (well below 1 Kelvin), as well as the
ranges used in common refrigerators, depending on the design of the system.

The effect was discovered in pure iron in 1881 by E. Warburg. Originally, the cooling
effect varied between 0.5 to 2 K/T. Major advances first appeared in the late 1920s when cooling
via adiabatic demagnetization was independently proposed by two scientists: Debye (1926) and
Giauque (1927).The process was demonstrated a few years later when Giauque and MacDougall
in 1933 used it to reach a temperature of 0.25 K. Between 1933 and 1997, a number of advances
in utilization of the MCE for cooling occurred. This cooling technology was first demonstrated
experimentally by chemist Nobel Laureate William F. Giauque and his colleague Dr. D.P.
MacDougall in 1933 for cryogenic purposes (they reached 0.25 K) between 1933 and 1997, a
number of advances occurred which have been described in some reviews.

In 1997, the first near room temperature proof of concept magnetic refrigerator was
demonstrated by Prof. Karl A. Schneider, Jr. by the Iowa State University at Ames Laboratory.
This event attracted interest from scientists and companies worldwide that started developing
new kinds of room temperature materials and magnetic refrigerator designs. Refrigerators based
on the magneto caloric effect have been demonstrated in laboratories, using magnetic fields
starting at 0.6 T up to 10 T. Magnetic fields above 2 T are difficult to produce with permanent
magnets and are produced by a superconducting magnet (1 T is about 20,000 times the Earth's
magnetic field).

2.4 MAGNETO CALORIC EFFECT

The Magneto caloric effect (MCE, from magnet and calorie) is a magneto-
thermodynamic phenomenon in which a reversible change in temperature of a suitable material
is caused by exposing the material to a changing magnetic field. This is also known as adiabatic
demagnetization by low temperature physicists, due to the application of the process specifically
to affect a temperature drop. In that part of the overall refrigeration process, a decrease in the
strength of an externally applied magnetic field allows the magnetic domains of a chosen

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(magneto caloric) material to become disoriented from the magnetic field by the agitating action
of the thermal energy (phonons) present in the material. If the material is isolated so that no
energy is allowed to migrate into the material during this time (i.e. an adiabatic process), the
temperature drops as the domains absorb the thermal energy to perform their re orientation.
The randomization of the domains occurs in a similar fashion to the randomization at the Curie
temperature, except that magnetic dipoles overcome a decreasing external magnetic field while
energy remains constant, instead of magnetic domains being disrupted from internal
ferromagnetism as energy is added.
One of the most notable examples of the magneto caloric effect is in the chemical
element gadolinium and some of its alloys. Gadolinium's temperature is observed to increase
when it enters certain magnetic fields. When it leaves the magnetic field, the temperature returns
to normal. The effect is considerably stronger for the gadolinium alloy Gd5 (Si2Ge2).
Praseodymium alloyed with nickel (Pr Ni5) has such a strong magneto caloric effect that it has
allowed scientists to approach within one thousandth of a degree of absolute zero. Magnetic
Refrigeration is also called as Adiabatic Magnetization. [2]

2.5 OBJECTIVES
To develop more efficient and cost effective small scale H2 liquefiers as an alternative to
vapor-compression cycles using magnetic refrigeration. With the help of magnetic refrigeration
our objective is to solve the problem of hydrogen storage as it ignites on a very low temperature.
Hydrogen Research Institute (HRI) is studying it with the help of magnetic refrigeration. We
provide the cooling for the hydrogen storage by liquefying it. The hydrogen can be liquefied at a
low temperature and the low temperature is achieved with the help of magnetic refrigeration.
Thus, the magnetic refrigeration also provides a method to store hydrogen by liquefying it. The
term used for such a device is magnetic liquefier.

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CHAPTER 3

CONSTRUCTION AND WORKING

3.1 WORKING PRINCIPLE

As shown in the figure, when the magnetic material is placed in the magnetic field, the
thermometer attached to it shows a high temperature as the temperature of it increases. But on
the other side when the magnetic material is removed from the magnetic field, the thermometer
shows low temperature as its temperature decreases.

Fig No 3.1 Magnetic Material with Thermometer

The place we want to cool it, we will apply magnetic field to the material in that place
and as its temperature increases, it will absorb heat from that place and by taking the magnetic
material outside in the surroundings, we will remove the magnetic material from magnetic field
and thus it will lose heat as its temperature decreases and hence the cycle repeats over and again
to provide the cooling effect at the desired place.

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3.2 WORKING OF MAGNETIC REFRIGERATION SYSTEM

3.2.1 Magnetic Refrigeration system
Magnetic Refrigeration System consists of two beds containing spherical powder of
Gadolinium with water being used as the heat transfer fluid. The magnetic field for this system is
5 Wb/m2, providing a temperature span of 38 K. The process flow diagram for the magnetic
refrigeration system is shown in figure.

Fig No: 3.2 Flow Process A

A mixture of water and ethanol serves as the heat transfer fluid for the system. The fluid
first passes through the hot heat exchanger, which uses air to transfer heat to the atmosphere. The
fluid then passes through the copper plates attached to the no magnetized cooler-magneto caloric
beds and loses heat. A fan blows air over this cold fluid into the freezer to keep the freezer
temperature at approximately 0°F. The heat transfer fluid then gets heated up to 80°F, as it passes
through the copper plates adjoined by the magnetized warmer magneto caloric beds, where it

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continues to cycle around the loop. However, the magneto caloric beds simultaneously move up
and down, into and out of the magnetic field. The second position of the beds is shown in figure.
The cold air from the freezer is blown into the refrigerator by the freezer fan shown in figure. The
temperature of the refrigerator section is kept around 39°F.
3.2.2 Refrigerator Configuration
The typical house hold refrigerator has an internal volume of 165-200 litres, where the
freezer represents approximately 30% of this volume. Freezers are designed to maintain a
temperature of 0°F. Refrigerators maintain a temperature of 39°F. The refrigerator will be
insulated with polyurethane foam, one of the most common forms of insulation available. The
refrigerator is kept cool by forcing cold air from the freezer into the refrigerator by using a small
fan.

Fig No: 3.3 Flow Process B

The control system for maintaining the desired internal temperatures consists of two
thermostats with on/off switches. The freezer thermostat regulates the temperature by turning the
compressor off when the temperature gets below 0°F. A second thermostat regulates the fan that
cools the refrigerator to 39°F. To maintain a frost-free environment in the freezer, a defrost timer
will send power to a defrost heater on the coils for a fifteen minute time period every eight hours.
In the first six minutes, the walls of the freezer will be defrosted. The water will then drain in to a

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pan at the base of the refrigerator. The next nine minutes involve the safety factor of not reaching
a temperature in the freezer that is too high. Also, a safety thermostat keeps the liquid water from
freezing a sit drains.
The heat transfer fluid for the magnetic refrigeration system is a liquid alcohol water
mixture. The mixture used in the design consists of 60% ethanol and 40% water. This mixture
has a freezing point of –40°F, assuring that the mixture does not freeze at operating temperatures.
This heat transfer fluid is cheaper than traditional refrigerants and also eliminates the
environmental damage produced from these refrigerants. The temperature of the fluid in the
cycle is in the range of –12°F to 80°F. The heat transfer fluid, at approximately 70°F, gets cooled
to–12°F by the non-magnetized cold set of beds. This cooled fluid is then sent to the cold heat
exchanger, where it absorbs the excess heats from the freezer. This fluid leaves the freezer at 0°F.
The warm fluid then flows through the opposite magnetized set of beds, where it is heated up to
80°F. This hot stream is now cooled by air at room temperature in the hot heat exchanger to 70°F.
The cycle then repeats itself every three seconds after the beds have switched positions. Copper
tubing is used throughout the loop and in the two heat exchangers. The two sets of beds contain
the small spheres of magneto caloric material. The beds are alternated in and out of the magnetic
field using a chain and sprocket drive shaft. The drive shaft rotates the beds back and for the
while still keeping the minimum contact with the heat transfer plates.

3.3 MAGNETIC REFRIGERATION CYCLE

The magnetic refrigeration is mainly based on magneto caloric effect according to which
some materials change in temperature when they are magnetized and demagnetized. Near the
phase transition of the magnetic materials, the adiabatic application of a magnetic field reduces
the magnetic entropy by ordering the magnetic moments. This results in a temperature increase
of the magnetic material. This phenomenon is practically reversible for some magnetic materials;
thus, adiabatic removal of the field revert the magnetic entropy to its original state and cools the
material accordingly. This reversibility combined with the ability to create devices with inherent
work recovery, makes magnetic refrigeration a potentially more efficient process than gas
compression and expansion. The efficiency of magnetic refrigeration can be as much as 50%
greater than for conventional refrigerators.

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The process is performed as a refrigeration cycle, analogous to the Carnot cycle, and can
be described as a starting point where by the chosen working substance is introduced into a
magnetic field (i.e. the magnetic flux density is increased). The working material is the
refrigerant, and starts in thermal equilibrium with the refrigerated environment.

Fig No: 3.4 Magneto Caloric Effect

3.3.1 Refrigeration Cycle Process

The process is performed as a refrigeration cycle, analogous to the Carnot cycle, and can
be described as a starting point whereby the chosen working substance is introduced into a
magnetic field (i.e. the magnetic flux density is increased). The working material is the
refrigerant, and starts in thermal equilibrium with the refrigerated environment.

 Adiabatic Magnetization

 Isomagnetic Enthalpy Transfer

 Adiabatic Demagnetization

 Isomagnetic Entropy Transfer

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Fig No 3.5 Magnetic Refrigeration cycle v/s Vapor Refrigeration Cycle

3.3.1.1 Adiabatic Magnetization

The substance is placed in an insulated environment. The increasing external magnetic
field (+H) causes the magnetic dipoles of the atoms to align, thereby decreasing the material's
magnetic entropy and heat capacity. Since overall energy is not lost (yet) and therefore total
entropy is not reduced (according to thermodynamic laws), the net result is that the item heats up
(T + ΔTad).
3.3.1.2 Isomagnetic Enthalpy Transfer
This added heat can then be removed by a fluid like water or helium for example (-Q).
The magnetic field is held constant to prevent the dipoles from Magnetic Refrigeration
reabsorbing the heat. Once sufficiently cooled, the magneto caloric material and the coolant are
separated (H=0).
3.3.1.3 Adiabatic Demagnetization
The substance is returned to another adiabatic (insulated) condition so the total entropy
remains constant. However, this time the magnetic field is decreased, the thermal energy causes
the domains to overcome the field, and thus the sample cools (i.e. an adiabatic temperature

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change). Energy (and entropy) transfers from thermal entropy to magnetic entropy (disorder of
the magnetic dipoles).
3.3.1.4 Isomagnetic Entropy Transfer
The magnetic field is held constant to prevent the material from heating back up. The
material is placed in thermal contact with the environment being refrigerated. Because the
working material is cooler than the refrigerated environment (by design), heat energy migrates
into the working material (+Q). Once the refrigerant and refrigerated environment is in thermal
equilibrium, the cycle begins a new one.

3.4 COMPARISON BETWEEN MAGNETIC AND CONVENTIONAL CYCLE

The magneto caloric effect can be utilized in a thermodynamic cycle to produce
refrigeration. Such a cycle is analogous to conventional gas-compression refrigeration.

Fig No 3.6 Comparison

In Figure the four basic steps of a conventional gas Compression/ Expansion refrigeration
process are shown. These are compression of a gas, extraction of heat, expansion of the gas, and

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injection of heat. The two Process steps extraction of heat and expansion are responsible for a
cooling process in two steps. The main cooling usually occurs through the expansion of the gas.
The steps of a magnetic refrigeration process are analogous. By comparing the figures we
can see that instead of compression of a gas, a magneto caloric material is moved into a magnetic
field and that instead of expansion it is moved out of the field. As explained in the previous
section, these processes change the temperature of the material and heat may be extracted,
respectively injected just a sin the conventional process. There are some differences between the
two processes. The heat injection and rejection in a gaseous refrigerant is a rather fast process,
because turbulent motion transports heat very fast. Unfortunately, this is not the case in the solid
magneto caloric materials. Here, the transport mechanism for heat is slow molecular diffusion.
Therefore, at present filigree porous structures are considered to be the best solution to overcome
this problem. The small distances from the central regions of the material to an adjacent fluid
domain, where a heat transport fluid captures the heat and transport sit out of the material, are
ideal to make the magnetic cooling process faster. Furthermore, the not very large adiabatic
temperature differences of magneto caloric materials will require more often design of cascade or
regenerative magnetic refrigerators than in conventional refrigerators and hence require
additional heat transfer steps. Compression is replaced by adiabatic magnetization and expansion
by adiabatic demagnetization.

(A) (B)
Fig No: 3.7 Refrigeration cycles for conventional gas compression and magnetic refrigeration

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In the figure 3.7 (A) is the conventional gas compression process is driven by
continuously repeating the four different basic processes shown and figure 3.7 (B) is the
magnetic refrigeration cycle comparison. Compression is replaced by adiabatic magnetization
and expansion by adiabatic demagnetization.

3.5 COMPONENTS REQUIRED

 Magnets
 Hot Heat exchanger
 Cold Heat Exchanger
 Drive
 Magneto caloric wheel

Fig No 3.8 Rotary Magnetic Refrigerator

3.5.1 Magnets

Magnets are the main functioning element of the magnetic refrigeration. Magnets provide
the magnetic field to the material so that they can lose or gain the heat to the surrounding and
from the space to be cooled respectively.

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3.5.2 Hot Heat Exchanger

The hot heat exchanger absorbs the heat from the material used and gives off to the surrounding.
It makes the transfer of heat much effective.

3.5.3 Cold Heat Exchanger

The cold heat exchanger absorbs the heat from the space to be cooled and gives it to the
magnetic material. It helps to make the absorption of heat effective.
3.5.4 Drive
Drive provides the right rotation to the heat to rightly handle it. Due to this heat flows in
the right desired direction.
3.5.5 Magneto Caloric Wheel
It forms the structure of the whole device. It joins both the two magnets to work properly.

Fig No 3.9 Demonstration of a magnetic refrigerator

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CHAPTER 4
FEATURES AND DISCUSSIONS

4.1 REQUIREMENTS FOR PRATICAL APPLICATIONS

4.1.1 Magnetic Materials
Only a limited number of magnetic materials possess a large enough magneto caloric
effect to be used in practical refrigeration systems. The search for the "best" materials is focused
on rare earth metals, either in pure form or combined with other metals into alloys and
compounds. The magneto caloric effect is an intrinsic property of a magnetic solid. This thermal
response of a solid to the application or removal of magnetic fields is maximized when the solid
is near its magnetic ordering temperature. The magnitudes of the magnetic entropy and the
adiabatic temperature changes are strongly dependent upon the magnetic order process: the
magnitude is generally small in antiferromagnets, ferrimagnets and spin glass systems. Currently,
alloys of gadolinium producing 3 to 4 K per tesla of change in a magnetic field can be used for
magnetic refrigeration or power generation purposes. Recent research on materials that exhibit a
giant entropy change showed that Gd5 (SixGe1 − x) 4, La (FexSi1 − x) 13Hx and MnFeP1 −
xAsx alloys, for example, are some of the most promising substitutes for Gadolinium and its
alloys (GdDy, GdTy, etc...). These materials are called giant magneto caloric effect materials
(GMCE). Gadolinium and its alloys are the best material available today for magnetic
refrigeration near room temperature since they undergo second-order phase transitions which
have no magnetic or thermal hysteresis involved.
4.1.2 Regenerators
Magnetic refrigeration requires excellent heat transfer to and from the solid magnetic
material. Efficient heat transfer requires the large surface areas offered by porous materials.
When these porous solids are used in refrigerators, they are referred to as "regenerators”. Typical
regenerator geometries include:
 Tubes
 Perforated plates
 Wire screens
 Particle beds

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Fig No 4.1Regenerator Geometries

4.1.3 Super Conducting Magnets

Most practical magnetic refrigerators are based on superconducting magnets operating at
cryogenic temperatures (i.e., at -269°C or 4 K).These devices are electromagnets that conduct
electricity with essentially no resistive losses. The superconducting wire most commonly used is
made of a Niobium-Titanium alloy. Only superconducting magnets can provide sufficiently
strong magnetic fields for most refrigeration applications. A typical field strength is 8 Tesla
(approximately 150,000 times the Earth's magnetic field).An 8 Tesla field can produce a
magneto caloric temperature change of up to 15°C in some rare-earth materials.
4.1.4 Active Magnetic Regenerators (AMR)
A regenerator that undergoes cyclic heat transfer operations and the magneto caloric
effect is called an Active Magnetic Regenerator (AMR). An AMR should be designed to possess
the following attributes. These requirements are often contradictory, making AMR's difficult to
design and fabricate.
 High heat transfer rate
 Low pressure drop of the heat transfer fluid
 High magneto caloric effect
 Sufficient structural integrity
 Low thermal conduction in the direction of fluid flow

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 Low porosity
 Affordable materials
 Ease of manufacture

4.2 CO-EFFICIENT OF PERFORMANCE

Co-efficient of Performance of magnetic refrigeration is given by the equation;
COP= Qc/Win
Qc is the cooling power i.e. the heat absorbed from the cold end.
Win is the work input into magnetic refrigerator.

4.3 BENEFITS
4.3.1 Technical
4.3.1.1 High efficiency
As the magneto caloric effect is highly reversible, the thermo dynamic efficiency of the
magnetic refrigerator is high. It is somewhat 50% more than Vapor Compression cycle.
4.3.1.2 Reduced operating cost
As it eliminates the most inefficient part of today’s refrigerator i.e. comp. The cost
reduces as a result.
4.3.1.3Compactness
It is possible to achieve high energy density compact device. It is due to the reason that in
case of magnetic refrigeration the working substance is a solid material (say Gadolinium) and not
a gas as in case of vapor compression cycles.
4.3.1.4Reliability
Due to the absence of gas, it reduces concerns related to the emission into the atmosphere
and hence is reliable one.
4.3.2 Socio-Economic
4.3.2.1 Competition in global market
Research in this field will provide the opportunity so that new industries can be set up
which may be capable of competing the global or international market.

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4.3.2.2 Low capital cost

The technique will reduce the cost as the most inefficient part comp. is not there and
hence the initial low capital cost of the equipment.
4.3.2.3 Key factor to new technologies
If the training and hard ware’s are developed in this field they will be the key factor for
new emerging technologies in this world.

4.4 ADVANTAGES OVER VAPOR COMPRESSION AND VAPOR ABSORPTION

CYCLES
Magnetic refrigeration performs essentially the same task as traditional compression-
cycle gas refrigeration technology. Heat and cold are not different qualities; cold is merely the
relative absence of heat. In both technologies, cooling is the subtraction of heat from one place
(the interior of a home refrigerator is one commonplace example) and the dumping of that heat
another place (a home refrigerator releases its heat into the surrounding air). As more and more
heat is subtracted from this target, cooling occurs. Traditional refrigeration systems – whether
air-conditioning, freezers or other forms - use gases that are alternately expanded and
compressed to perform the transfer of heat. Magnetic refrigeration systems do the same job, but
with metallic compounds, not gases. Compounds of the element gadolinium are most commonly
used in magnetic refrigeration, although other compounds can also be used.
Magnetic refrigeration is seen as an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional
vapor cycle refrigeration. And as it eliminates the need for the most inefficient part of today's
refrigerators, the compressor, it should save costs. New materials described in this issue may
bring practical magneto caloric cooling a step closer. A large magnetic entropy change has been
found to occur in MnFeP0.45As0.55 at room temperature, making it an attractive candidate for
commercial applications in magnetic refrigeration. The added advantages of Magnetic
Refrigerator over Gas Compression Refrigerator are compactness, and higher reliability due to
solid working materials instead of a gas, and fewer and much slower moving parts our work in
this field is geared toward the development of magnetic alloys with MCEs, and phase transitions
temperatures suitable for hydrogen liquefaction from room temperature down to 20 K.

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4.5 DISADVANTAGES OF VAPOR COMPRESSION AND VAPOR ABSORPTION

REFRIGERATION
 Produces toxic gases and chloro-fluoro carbon, thus reducing ozone layer depletion.
 Very low temperature of order 1K cannot be achieved.
 The unit produces noise and vibration compared to magnetic refrigerators.
 Compressor is needed to produce required pressure.
 An unnecessarily large motor is required to overcome the inertia of the stationary compressor
in case of heavy load applications.
 Large torque loads are placed on the motor, compressor mounts, bearings and belts at start
up.
 In the lithium bromide absorption refrigeration system, lithium bromide is corrosive in nature
and in case of the ammonia system, ammonia is toxic, flammable.

4.6 CURRENT AND FUTURE USES

4.6.1 Future Uses
There are still some thermal and magnetic hysteresis problems to be solved for these first-
order phase transition materials that exhibit the MCE to become really useful; this is a subject of
current research. A useful review on magneto caloric materials published in 2005 is entitled
"Recent developments in magneto caloric materials" by Dr. Karl A. Gschneidner; this effect is
currently being explored to produce better refrigeration techniques, especially for use in space
craft. This technique is already used to achieve cryogenic temperatures in the laboratory setting
(below 10K). As an object displaying MCE is moved into a magnetic field, the magnetic spins
align, lowering the entropy. Moving that object out of the field allows the object to increase its
entropy by absorbing heat from the environment and disordering the spins. In this way, heat can
be taken from one area to another. Should materials be found to display this effect near room
temperature, refrigeration without the need for compression may be possible, increasing energy
efficiency.
In addition, magnetic refrigeration could also be used in domestic refrigerators. In 2006,
research groups led by Karl S and emanate the University of Cambridge made a new alloy,
composed of cobalt, manganese, silicon and germanium that can be used for magnetic
refrigeration. This has made the use of the expensive material gadolinium redundant, and made

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the creation of domestic magnetic refrigerators possible. The use of this technology for domestic
refrigerators though is very remote due to the high efficiency of current Vapor-compression
refrigeration in the range of 60% of Carnot’s efficiency. Gas molecules are responsible for heat
transfer; they absorb heat in the inner side of the refrigerator by expanding and release this heat
in the outside by condensing. The work provided to do this work is a cheap and highly efficient
compressor, driven by an electric motor that is more than 80% efficient. This technology could
eventually compete with other cryogenic heat pumps for gas liquefaction purposes.
4.6.2 Future Applications
In general, at the present stage of the development of magnetic refrigerators with
permanent magnets, hardly any freezing applications are feasible. These results, because large
temperature spans occur between the heat source and the heat sink. An option to realize magnetic
freezing applications could be the use of super conducting magnets. However, this may only be
economic in the case of rather large refrigeration units. Such are used for freezing, e.g. in cooling
plants in the food industry or in large marine freezing applications. Some of the future
applications are:
 Magnetic house hold refrigeration appliances

 Magnetic cooling and air conditioning in buildings and houses

 Central cooling system

 Refrigeration in medicine

 Cooling in food industry and storage

 Cooling in transportation

 Cooling of electronics

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CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSION

If we say future perspectives of room temperature Magnetic Refrigeration; it can be seen

from the earlier description that main progresses have been made in America. However, with the
continual phasic progresses of room temperature magnetic refrigeration, the whole world has
accelerated in the research. Nevertheless, it is notable that main work is concentrated on
investigations of magnetic materials, lack of experimental explorations of magnetic refrigerator.
From the former results achieved by researchers, it can be seen that there is still a great
performance difference between magnetic refrigerator and vapor compression refrigerator in
terms of cooling capacity and temperatures pan. The number of research papers published. The
number of near room temperature magnetic refrigerators reported.
At the end of this study we can say;

 It is a technology that has proven to be environmentally safe.

 In order to make the magnetic refrigerator commercially viable, scientists needs to know
how to achieve larger temperatures wings and also permanent magnets which can produce
strong magnetic fields of order 10 tesla.
 There are still some thermal and magnetic hysteresis problems to be solved for the
materials that exhibit the MCE to become really useful.
 Magnetic materials available for room temperature magnetic refrigeration are mainly Gd,
GdSiGe alloys, mnas-like materials, perovskite like materials.
 Materials under development for room temperature magnetic refrigeration are La (fexsi1-
X) 13 and La (Fe0.88Si0.12)13Hy.
 Excellent behavior of regeneration and heat transfer is required.
 It can be use house hold refrigerator, central cooling systems, room air conditioners and
super market refrigeration applications.
 This technology must be universalized worldwide.

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REFERENCE

[1] Hugo Valenca De Araujo, Jose Vicente Hallak, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration,
International Journal for Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (IJACR), Vol. 22, No.04, 1450020,
(2007).
[2] Vitalij K. Pecharsky, Karl A. Gschneidner Jr., Magneto Caloric Effect and Magnetic
Refrigeration, Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials (JMM), AMES IA 50011-3020,
(1999).
[3] John Dieckmann, Kurt Roth and James Brodick, Magnetic Refrigeration, ASHRAE Journal I
(2007),
[4] R S Khurmi, A Textbook of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Edition V, Tata Mc Graw
Hill

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