Exergy analysis of a parallel-plate active magnetic regenerator with nanofluids

Abstract

This paper analyzes the energetic and exergy performance of an active magnetic regenerative refrigerator using water-based Al2O3 nanofluids as heat transfer fluids. A 1D numerical model has been extensively used to quantify the exergy performance of a system composed of a parallel-plate regenerator, magnetic source, pump, heat exchangers and control valves. Al2O3-water based nanofluids are tested thanks to CoolProp library, accounting for temperature-dependent properties, and appropriate correlations. The results are discussed in terms of the coefficient of performance, the exergy efficiency, and the cooling power as a function of the nanoparticle volume fraction and blowing time for a given geometrical configuration. It is shown that while the heat transfer between the fluid and solid is enhanced, it is accompanied by smaller temperature gradients within the fluid and larger pressure drops when increasing the nanoparticle concentration. It leads in all configurations to lower performance compared to the base case with pure liquid water.