Thermodynamic analysis on a magnetic refrigeration system

Magnetic refrigeration utilizes the magnetocaloric effect of a magnetic material, whose temperature changes according to the change of magnetic field strength. It is regarded as an eco-friendly refrigeration technology in that it uses magnetic materials as refrigerants instead of CFC, HCFC, and HFC refrigerants used in vapor compression refrigeration. It is also regarded as an energy-efficient refrigeration technology in that it does not use noisy and power-consuming compressors. This paper presents thermodynamic analysis on a magnetic refrigeration system using experimental results obtained from a magnetic refrigeration apparatus. The magnetic refrigeration apparatus was built using two sets of concentric Halbach cylinders consisting of permanent magnet segments. Specifically the coefficient of performance (COP) of the magnetic refrigeration system was calculated using the energy removed from the working fluid across an AMR bed and the work input to run electric motors.