Efficient modulation of the magnetocaloric refrigerator capacity

Magnetocaloric energy conversion devices (e.g., room air conditioners and household refrigerators) have the potential to significantly reduce the emissions associated with refrigerant leakage into the atmosphere but still have lower efficiencies compared to mature vapor compression systems. The efficiency of a magnetocaloric cooling device derives not only from its design characteristics (e.g., solid refrigerant, hydraulic system, and magnet system) and its operating temperature span but also from its modulating capability. Owing to the lack of experimental data regarding this topic, the advantage of modulating the cooling capacity (i.e., the part-load performance) of an active magnetic regenerator prototype is demonstrated experimentally for the first time. The capacity modulation is carried out by means of regulating both the cycle frequency of the device and the volumetric flow rate of the heat transfer fluid. At a 14 K temperature span and a 1.4 Hz frequency, the magnetocaloric refrigerator prototype using 3.8 kg of gadolinium provided a maximum cooling capacity of 452 W with an appreciable coefficient of performance of 3.2, which corresponds to a second-law efficiency of 15.5 %. At part-load operating conditions, the device can produce a cooling capacity of 245 W with an increased second-law efficiency of 29.7 %, or a coefficient of performance of 6.2, making it more competitive with traditional vapor compression systems. In future studies, the experimental data obtained may be implemented in a dynamic building energy model to quantify the energy-saving benefits of part-load operation by estimating the overall system efficiency during a typical cooling season.This work was in part financed by the RES4Build project, which received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 814865

Performance analysis of a high-efficiency multi-bed active magnetic regenerator device

We present the performance of an active magnetic regenerator prototype with a multi-bed concept and parallel flow circuit. The prototype applies a two-pole permanent magnet (maximum magnetic flux density of 1.44 T) that rotates over 13 tapered regenerator beds mounted on a laminated iron yoke ring. Each bed is filled with about 262 g of spherical particles, distributed in layers of ten alloys of La(Fe,Mn,Si)13Hy (CALORIVAC HS) with different Curie temperatures. Other important features are the solenoid valves, the monitoring of the temperatures exiting each bed at the cold side, and a torque meter used to measure the magnetic power required to drive the cycle. The opening behavior of the solenoid valves (i.e., the blow fraction) could be adjusted to correct flow imbalances in each bed. The device provided a maximum cooling power of about 815 W at a cycle frequency of 1.2 Hz, a utilization of 0.36, and a hot reservoir temperature of 295 K while maintaining a 5.6 K-temperature span with a coefficient of performance of 6.0. In this case, the second-law efficiency was 11.6%. The maximum second-law efficiency of 20.5%, which represents one of the largest for a magnetocaloric device, was obtained at a cycle frequency of 0.5 Hz, a utilization of 0.34, and a hot reservoir temperature of 295 K at a temperature span of 10.3 K. Under these conditions, the device absorbed a cooling load of 288 W with a coefficient of performance of 5.7. It was also shown that an unbalanced flow due to different hydraulic resistance through the beds can cause cold side outlet temperature variations, which reduce the system performance, demonstrating the importance of a well-functioning, balanced flow system.This work was in part financed by the RES4Build project, which received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 814865. We would like to acknowledge the ENOVHEAT project funded by the Innovation Fund Denmark (contract no 12-132673). We also wish to acknowledge Mike Wichmann for the technical support and Vacuumschmelze GmbH & Co. KG (Germany) for providing the magnetocaloric materials for this work

Performance assessment of a rotary active magnetic regenerator prototype using gadolinium

We present the experimental results for a rotary magnetocaloric prototype that uses the concept of active magnetic regeneration, presenting an alternative to conventional vapor compression cooling systems. Thirteen packed-bed regenerators subjected to a rotating two-pole permanent magnet with a maximum magnetic field of 1.44 T are implemented. It is the first performance assessment of the prototype with gadolinium spheres as the magnetocaloric refrigerant and water mixed with commercial ethylene glycol as the heat transfer fluid. The importance of various operating parameters, such as fluid flow rate, cycle frequency, cold and hot reservoir temperatures, and blow fraction on the system performance is reported. The cycle frequency and utilization factor ranged from 0.5 to 1.7 Hz and 0.25 to 0.50, respectively. Operating near room temperature and employing 3.83 kg of gadolinium, the device produced cooling powers exceeding 800 W at a coefficient of performance of 4 or higher over a temperature span of above 10 K at 1.4 Hz. It was also shown that variations in the flow resistance between the beds could significantly limit the system performance, and a method to correct those is presented. The performance metrics presented here compare well with those of currently existing magnetocaloric devices. Such a prototype could achieve efficiencies as high as conventional vapor compression systems without the use of refrigerants that have high global warming potential

Improving magnetic cooling efficiency and pulldown by varying flow profiles

Magnetic refrigeration systems are promising cooling solutions that employ the active magnetic regenerator refrigeration cycle to achieve practical temperature spans and environmental benefits. The hydraulic system that ensures a continuous flow of the heat transfer fluid through the system with a reciprocating flow in each regenerator bed is critical to the performance of the refrigeration cycle. Hence, we investigate the characteristics of the parallel flow circuit of a rotary active magnetic regenerator system, which consists of thirteen trapezoidshaped regenerators, each filled with 295 g of gadolinium spheres. Fluid flow is controlled via electrically actuated solenoid valves (both piloted and direct-acting) connected to the regenerator hot side. By varying the percentage of opening of the control valves, different blow fractions (or fluid flow waveforms) could be investigated. The objective of the study is twofold: (i) assess whether flow imbalances of the heat transfer fluid exist in the cold-to-hot blow (cold blow) and hot-to-cold blow (hot blow) directions, and (ii) determine whether there is an optimal value of the blow fraction both to maximize the cooling performance and realize a rapid temperature pulldown. Flow resistance measurements demonstrate a symmetric flow circuit design and resistances that are similar in the cold and hot blow directions. Moreover, for the studied temperature spans of 6 K and 16 K, the best blow fraction was found to be about 41.6 %. For instance, at a 16 K span, a utilization of 0.32, and at 1.4 Hz, increasing the fluid blow fraction from 25.0 to 41.6 % enhanced the cooling capacity and second-law efficiency from 70 to 330 W and from 2.6 to 17.4 %, respectively. In turn, lower blow fractions favored a more rapid temperature pulldown. The magnetocaloric system was about 30 % faster in establishing approximately 14 K temperature span when the blow fraction was reduced from 41.6 to 30.6 %. Hence, magnetic refrigeration systems can benefit greatly from solenoid valves, which allow the system to operate either in a time-saving mode or an energy-saving mode.This work was in part financed by the RES4Build project, which received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 814865. Data will be made available on request

Performance analysis of a high-efficiency multi-bed active magnetic regenerator device

We present the performance of an active magnetic regenerator prototype with a multi-bed concept and parallel flow circuit. The prototype applies a two-pole permanent magnet (maximum magnetic flux density of 1.44 T) that rotates over 13 tapered regenerator beds mounted on a laminated iron yoke ring. Each bed is filled with about 262 g of spherical particles, distributed in layers of ten alloys of La(Fe,Mn,Si)13Hy (CALORIVAC HS) with different Curie temperatures. Other important features are the solenoid valves, the monitoring of the temperatures exiting each bed at the cold side, and a torque meter used to measure the magnetic power required to drive the cycle. The opening behavior of the solenoid valves (i.e., the blow fraction) could be adjusted to correct flow imbalances in each bed. The device provided a maximum cooling power of about 815 W at a cycle frequency of 1.2 Hz, a utilization of 0.36, and a hot reservoir temperature of 295 K while maintaining a 5.6 K-temperature span with a coefficient of performance of 6.0. In this case, the second-law efficiency was 11.6%. The maximum second-law efficiency of 20.5%, which represents one of the largest for a magnetocaloric device, was obtained at a cycle frequency of 0.5 Hz, a utilization of 0.34, and a hot reservoir temperature of 295 K at a temperature span of 10.3 K. Under these conditions, the device absorbed a cooling load of 288 W with a coefficient of performance of 5.7. It was also shown that an unbalanced flow due to different hydraulic resistance through the beds can cause cold side outlet temperature variations, which reduce the system performance, demonstrating the importance of a well-functioning, balanced flow system