Review on Design of Magnetic Refrigeration

Kiran Digidigi

Abstract- In the last two decades, international environment protection organizations have led an act for the intensification of research efforts
on development and safe of ozone and reduce global warming. Various methods and investigations used to design new cooling technologies.
In this work, magnetic cooling process, were tested by designing and fabricating a novel prototype magnetic refrigeration prototype consisting
of Gadolinium as the refrigerant material. The constructed device consists of an active magnetic regenerative with high-purity of Gadolinium
plates. This test machine operated with two types of working fluids, namely distillate pure water and water/ethylene glycol mixture at the same
operating conditions. The experimental results presented that the system reached the maximum observing no-load temperature span of about
11K, between the hot and cold ends of the magneto-caloric bed. The recent Magnetic Refrigerator outputs were validated by comparing it with
other similar researches, and it produced good agreements.

Keywords: Active magnetic refrigeration, Magneto caloric effect, Magneto caloric material, Halbach magnet, Gadolinium

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1. Introduction
Refrigeration, both common household and
industry sized applications, is today based on a vapour
compression cycle. This technology was introduced
more than 120 years ago and has been vastly improved
since then so that the technology today is cheap and
reliable [1]. Despite its continuous development, the
nowadays widely used classical vapour compression
refrigeration technology, is still very energy inefficient
[2]. The interaction between heat and magnetism has
fascinated researchers in the last two centuries.
Experiences with electromagnetism usually involved
changes in temperature caused by Joule heating, i.e.,
the interplay between moving particles and atomic
ions. However, changes in temperature can also occurs
when a body is magnetized or demagnetized [3]. In
Magnetic refrigeration commonly used refrigerant is
Distilled pure water or ethylene glycol [5].
1.1 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 [4].
1.2 Magneto-Caloric Material
The material which exhibits Magneto-caloric effect is
called Magneto-caloric material [4].
Ex: Gadolinium, ingadoliniumand alloy (Gd5Si2Ge2)
and Praseodymium alloyed with nickel (PrNi5) [5].
As shown in the Fig 1, 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 [6].
2. Experimental Setup
The primary aim of this study is to introduce a
suitable test rig design for the Active Magnetic
Regenerative Refrigeration (AMRR) prototype to be
manufactured, especially for research purposes.
2.1 Selection of Magneto-Caloric Material [6]
For Choosing Magneto caloric Materials the
following points should be taken into consideration:
 Adiabatic temperature change
 Isothermal entropy change
 Thermal conductivity
 Magnetic hysteresis
 Ability to adjust the Curie temperature of
compounds
On the basis of above properties in this experiment
we have selected Gadolinium purity 99.9% because
Gadolinium has a relatively large magneto-caloric
effect and no detectable hysteresis in single Gd crystals.
2.2 Selection of Magnets [5]

1.3 Working Principle For magnetic refrigeration, the Magnetic Fields

applied are in the range between (0.7-2.4) Tesla. Thus,
the permanent magnet seems suitable, due to
providing a constant magnetic flux density, ideal for
use in applications that aim low power consumption.
In this experiment alloy of Neodymium, Iron
and Boron (NdFeB), commonly called Neodymium
alloy magnet is used because of its homogenous
magnetic flux and High magnetic flux with respect to
size.
Fig 1: Working principle of Magnetic refrigeration
[6]

1

2.3 Preparation of Housing for Regenerator
Fig 2: Side view of Cylinder hosing for regenerator
made up of polyvinyl chloride [5].
As shown in Fig 2 Regenerator housing made
up of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) with outer diameter of
40mm and length 80mm. It contains rectangular box of
25mm width and 22mm height. This box have 0.9mm
grove with 0.8mm spacing.
Fig 3: Top view of regenerator housing [5].
As shown in Fig 3: This PVC housing has
machined with external screw of 34mm diameter and
12mm in length at both side and it has 3mm hole on the
centre of cylindrical surface. This hole is used to fill
refrigerant fluid and it is closed by PVC bolt with
Taphelon washer.
Fig 4: Gadolinium Magneto-caloric material [7]
As shown in Fig 4:13 Gadolinium plates of size
22mm width and 40mm length with thickness 0.9mm
which is inserted in regenerator housing.
2.4 Preparation of Active Magnetic Regenerator
Fig 5: PVC regenerator housing with Magneto-caloric
material (MCM), with plastic plate [8].
As shown in Fig 5: Plastic plates are inserted to
guide fluid in between the plates and also to ensure
that fluid flow is laminar to extract maximum heat.
These plates have 25mm width and 20mm in length
with 0.9mm thickness.
Fig 6: Active Magnetic regenerator housing [8].
As shown in Fig 6: At both side a cylindrical
tube made up of Perspex material because of it has
high temperature sustainability. This tube has 40mm
outer diameter and 34mm inner diameter with 34mm
internal thread of length 12mm on one side. And other
side it contains 8mm base with 8mm hole to insert
mandrel of stainless steel to connect piston.
Fig 7: Active magnetic regenerator with hot and cold
heat exchanger on left and right side respectively [3].
2
2.5 Preparation of Permanet Halbach Cylinder
Magnet
Hpeak = -2200 L4 + 236 L3 – 20.4 L2 – 0.211 L + 1.182
Where L= length of Magneto-caloric material in m.
Hpeak = Optimum magnetic field in Tesla (T).
Above 4th Order polynomial equation is used
to find out the Magnetic field required for Active
magnetic regenerator. In this experiment the calculated
value is 1.4588 T. so it is nearly equal to 1.5T
Fig 8: Halbach cylinder magnet housing in stainless
steel outer case [5].
As shown in Fig 7: Halbach cylinder consist 16
magnets of Neodymium alloy in order to get 1.5T. It
consist of inner diameter is 42mm and outer diameter
is 60mm and length is 50mm. The marks on magnets
show the direction of magnetic field.
2.6 Assembly
Fig 9: Full setup of Magnetic Refrigeration [5].
As shown in Fig 9: On o rigid stand Permanent
Halbach magnetic cylinder is fixed and a slide carriage
is mounted. On the sliding carriage Active magnetic
regenerator (AMR) is fixed. This AMR is passes
through Halbach magnet in centre. The movement of
sliding and movement of piston of AMR done by
Pneumatic system, it is mounted below the base frame.
Thermocouples are used to measure the temperature
change in AMR.
3 Working of Magnetic Refrigeration
Fig 10: Front view of Full setup of Magnetic
refrigeration [5].
 Step 1: In step on AMR is subjected to
magnetic field by movement of sliding system.
Due to magnetic field temperature of magnetic
material is increases.
 Step 2: At completion of first stage fluid is
passed from cold heat exchanger to hot heat
exchanger through the AMR to extract heat.
This is done by movement of piston.
 Step 3: In this step Magnetic field is removed
so material temperature is decreases.
 Step 4: At completion of third stage fluid is
passed from hot heat exchanger to cold heat
exchanger through the AMR to extract heat.
This is done by movement of piston.
4 Advantages, Limitations and Applications
4.1 Advantages
 High Efficiency: - As the magneto caloric effect
is highly reversible, the thermo dynamic
efficiency of the magnetic refrigerator is high.
It is somewhat 25% more than Vapour
Compression cycle [6].
 Reduced Cost: - As it eliminates the most in
efficient part of today’s refrigerator i.e.
compressor. The cost reduces as a result [6].
 Ozone depleting refrigerants are avoided in
this system, hence it more eco-friendly [4].
 Running costs are 20% less than the
conventional chillies [4].
 Magnetic refrigeration is totally maintenance
free & mechanically simple in construction [1].
4.2 Limitations
 Electronic components should be protected
from magnetic fields. But notice that they are
static, of short range and may be shielded [6].
 Initial investment is high compared to
conventional refrigerator [4].
 Magneto-caloric material is rear earth material
4.3 Applications
 Uses in house hold appliances.
 In air-conditioning of buildings and houses.
 Aerospace industries.
 Refrigeration in medicine.
 Cooling in food industry and storage.
 Cooling in transportation.
 Cooling of electronics.
3
5. Conclusion 8. Nielsen, K. K., Bj_rk, R., Jensen, J. B., Bahl, C. R. H.,
In this study we are consider the review on Pryds, N., Smith, A., Nordentoft, A. and Hattel, J.:
design of magnetic refrigeration. For this we have used Magnetic cooling at Ris_ DTU: Proceedings of the 8th
the Gadolinium alloy as the magneto-caloric material. IIF/IIR Gustav Lorentzen Conference on Natural
Housing for active magnetic regenerator, Polyvinyl Working Fluids, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2008
chloride is used because of low thermal conductivity
and Perspex tube for high temperature sustainability. Author
And Halbach magnetic cylinder is used to apply M-tech machine design Student, BMS College of
magnetic field. Based on this review we can conclude Engineering, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
that. Email: kiransd1995@gmail.com
 Strong magnetic field required to get cooling effect
in room temperature.
 It’s highly efficient in room temperature condition.
 Overall running cost reduced to 20% of
conventional refrigerator due to the removal of
compressor.
 Overall efficiency is nearly 60%.
 Highly efficient heat exchangers required to extract
heat.
 Heating and cooling of magnetic material is bit
slow process.

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