Experimental study of the effect of regenerator bed length on the performance of a magnetic cooling system

Presently the protection of the natural environment is a key issue. Particular emphasis is placed on the elimination of equipment negatively impacting human surroundings. One modern cooling method that is very efficient and environmentally friendly is based on the magnetocaloric effect. Although numerous prototypes employing this phenomenon have been developed, there is still a need to increase its refrigeration capability and decrease the manufacturing price. The main part in this kind of apparatus is a regenerator bed. Its geometry and the method of filling in with magnetocaloric material impacts the performance of the equipment. The presented paper focuses on the analysis of the influence of the regenerator bed shape on the cooling performance of the system. Six different bed geometries, all with the same amount of gadolinium, were designed, manufactured, and tested on a prototype test stand operating in an AMR cycle. The influence of flow rate and volume of the heat transfer medium on the obtained maximum temperature span was analyzed. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.