Claudia Masselli

Magnetic refrigeration: an eco-friendly technology for the refrigeration at room temperature

Magnetic refrigeration is an emerging, environment-friendly technology based on a magnetic solid that acts as a refrigerant by magneto-caloric effect (MCE). In the case of ferromagnetic materials MCE is a warming as the magnetic moments of the atom are aligned by the application of a magnetic field, and the corresponding cooling upon removal of the magnetic field. There are two types of magnetic phase changes that may occur at the Curie point: first order magnetic transition (FOMT) and second order magnetic transition (SOMT). The reference cycle for magnetic refrigeration is AMR (Active Magnetic Regenerative cycle) where the magnetic material matrix works both as a refrigerating medium and as a heat regenerating medium, while the fluid flowing in the porous matrix works as a heat transfer medium. Regeneration can be accomplished by blowing a heat transfer fluid in a reciprocating fashion through the regenerator made of magnetocaloric material that is alternately magnetized and demagnetized. In this paper, attention is directed towards the near room-temperature range. We compare the energetic performance of a commercial R134a refrigeration plant to that of a magnetic refrigerator working with an AMR cycle. Attention is devoted to the evaluation of the environmental impact in terms of a greenhouse effect. The comparison is performed in term of TEWI index (Total Equivalent Warming Impact) that takes into account both direct and indirect contributions to global warming. In this paper the AMR cycle works with different magnetic refrigerants: pure gadolinium, second order phase magnetic transition (Pr0.45Sr0.35MnO3) and first order phase magnetic transition alloys (Gd5Si2Ge2, LaFe11.384Mn0.356Si1.26H1.52, LaFe1105Co0.94Si110 and MnFeP0.45As0.55). The comparison, carried out by means of a mathematical model, clearly shows that GdSi2Ge2 and LaFe11.384Mn0.356Si1.26H1.52 has a TEWI index always lower than that of a vapor compression plant. Furthermore, the TEWI of the AMR cycle working with FOMT materials is always better than that of SOMT materials. Gd5Si2Ge2 is the best FOMT material.

Electrocaloric refrigeration: an innovative, emerging, eco-friendly refrigeration technique

Nowadays, the refrigeration is responsible of about 15% of the overall energy consumption all over the world. Actually most of the refrigerant fluids working in vapor compression plants (VCPs) are environmentally harmful, since they presents high GWP (Global Warming Potential), which leads to a substantial warming of both earth surface and atmosphere. Electrocaloric refrigeration (ER) is an innovative, emerging refrigeration technique based on solid state refrigerant that shows a great potential. It fits in the context of environment-friendly refrigeration systems, whom are spreading increasingly to replace VCPs. ER is founded on electrocaloric effect that is a physical phenomenon found in materials with dielectric properties, electrocaloric materials. The thermodynamical cycle that best is addressed to the electrocaloric refrigeration is Active Electrocaloric Regeneration cycle (AER) that consists of two adiabatic and two isofield stages. The core of an electrocaloric refrigerator is the regenerator whom operates both as refrigerant and regenerator in an AER cycle. In this paper, we compare the energetic performance of a commercial R134a refrigeration plant to that of an electrocaloric refrigerator working with an AER cycle. The comparison is performed in term of TEWI index (Total Equivalent Warming Impact) that includes both direct and indirect contributions to global warming.

A two-dimensional investigation about magnetocaloric regenerator design: Parallel plates or packed bed?

Magnetic Refrigeration (MR) is a novel refrigeration technique based on eco-friendly solid materials as refrigerants, whom react to the application of magnetic fields, with warming and cooling by magnetocaloric effect. The thermodynamical cycle which best suits the magnetic refrigeration is Active Magnetic Regenerator cycle (AMR). Regenerator is the core of a magnetic refrigerator, since that it plays a dual-role: it operates both as refrigerant and regenerator in an AMR cycle. An AMR cycle consists of two adiabatic stages and two isofield stage. In this paper an investigation is conducted about the magnetocaloric refrigerator design through two-dimensional multiphysics numerical models of two different magnetocaloric regenerators: (1) a packed bed and (2) a parallel plates magnetic regenerators made of gadolinium, operating at room temperature under a 1.5T magnetic field induction. Both models employ water as secondary fluid. The tests were performed with variable fluid flow rate at fixed AMR cycle frequency. The results obtained are presented in terms of temperature span, cooling power, coefficient of performance and mechanical power of the circulation pump, and they indicate under which operating conditions packed bed configuration is to be preferred to parallel plates and vice versa.