Magnetocaloric refrigeration concepts: current state of the art

Abstract

Refrigeration devices based on the magnetocaloric effect have been prototyped in great numbers during the past decade. The search for the optimal combination of magnetic field source, regenerator geometry, magnetocaloric material composition and flow system design has resulted in a variety of designs and concepts. In this paper key parts constituting a magnetocaloric refrigeration device are reviewed in terms of how they have been implemented in actual machines. Some of the major design choices are then evaluated and, based on numerical modeling tools, recommendations on how to optimize the design are given.