Scientists use magnetic fields and deformed alloys to develop refrigeration systems

Scientists use magnetic fields and deformed alloys to develop refrigeration systems
Apart from redundant functions such as touch screens and built-in cameras, basic refrigerator technology has not changed much in decades. They still use chemical refrigerants and compressors for cooling. Now European researchers have demonstrated a promising early cooling system that uses magnetic fields and deformed memory alloys for cooling.

Magnetic cooling systems work by utilizing the magnetocaloric effect, which means that certain materials change temperature when exposed to a magnetic field. This technology is almost as long as traditional refrigerators, but it has never really been applied because the complexity of the equipment will destroy energy efficiency, which is usually the use of superconducting magnets, which requires their own cooling system.

To solve this problem, researchers from Darmstadt University of Technology and Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) in Germany used a unique combination of magnets and special alloys. The magnet contains the rare earth metal neodymium, as well as iron and boron. The alloy is a mixture of nickel, manganese and indium.

This combination is the key to making the system practical. These magnets are the strongest permanent magnets known so far and can generate magnetic fields that are 40,000 times stronger than Earth. At the same time, this particular alloy will cool when exposed to a magnetic field, and in addition, it can recover its original shape after deformation. Using this combination, the researchers of this project developed a six-step refrigeration cycle. First, the cooling element (alloy) is exposed to a magnetic field, and only a millisecond is enough to magnetize and cool it. The alloy is then removed from the magnetic field, and any material needed is cooled. As the alloy picks up, it will remain magnetized. Next, the alloy is compressed by the roller, which makes the alloy more dense, loses its magnetism and the temperature rises. When the drum is removed, the alloy returns to its original shape when it returns to its normal temperature, ready for the cycle to restart.

This project is mainly a feasibility study to explain how shape memory alloys can help reduce the number of permanent magnets required for such devices. The team said that these magnets are the most expensive part. "We have proven that shape memory alloys are very suitable for cooling cycles," said author Oliver Gutfleisch of the study. "We need far fewer neodymium magnets, but still produce a stronger magnetic field and correspondingly greater cooling effect." The team plans to build a demonstration device by 2022 to better understand how the system cools Items, and its energy-saving effects. The research has been published in the journal Nature Materials

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