High Temperature Magnetocaloric Refrigeration

This proposal is in response to the US Air Force solicitation in regard to the development of compact, low weight magnetic refrigerators that can provide hundreds of watts of cooling with efficiency greater than 50%, and can operate at high temperatures. Development of such systems would allow for a more local, and more efficient, cooling process. This multi-phase research and development program proposes to construct a magnetic refrigerator prototype able to provide hundreds of watts of cooling power in the temperature range of 120 – 180 oC. The technical tasks in Phase II include (1) Development and optimization of magnetocaloric materials with Curie points in the temperature range of 120 - 180 oC and magnetic entropy change larger than 3.5 J/kg•K, preferably larger than 4 J/kg•K; (2) Design of a Magnetic Refrigeration Demonstration Device (MRDD); (3) Construction of the MRDD; and (4) Testing of the MRDD and an optimized theoretical design of a high-temperature magnetic refrigerator prototype. BENEFIT: The primary initial market opportunity for these magnetocaloric refrigeration systems will be for aircraft and other military systems where localized cooling at high temperatures is required. These would be aircraft and helicopters platforms, land based systems and possibly naval vessels, where access to cooling systems or cold heat sinks is not available. The electric aircraft demands more local cooling of electrical and hybrid hydraulic-electric actuators. Magnetocaloric refrigeration can operate in any orientation and can provide cooling in locations where jet engine air cooling may not be available while showing very little heat signature. In addition, power systems and electronics systems could benefit from localized cooling provided by the magnetic refrigeration’s system. Commercial applications of these systems would include down-hole oil well drilling and data logging equipment and instrumentation where temperatures are in excess of 100 oC; this is a result of the very deep reserves being pursued aggressively due to the elevated demand and high oil prices which will last for the foreseeable future.