Exploration of selected room temperature magneto caloric materials using COMSOL multiphysics

Abstract

Estimation of magneto-caloric effect is crucial to determine a material’s suitability for the desired operating conditions. The magneto-caloric effect can be measured in two ways-the magnetic entropy change and the adiabatic temperature change. These parameters are the prerequisites in evaluating a magnetic refrigeration system. In this work, an application is developed and tested for 3 materials (one Gadolinium and two Lanthanum alloys) using COMSOL multiphysics to estimate the final temperature of a Magneto-Caloric Material (MCM). The duration of the magneto-caloric effect is compared amongst 4 different cases of magnetic field change. Among the selected materials Gadolinium shows the highest adiabatic temperature difference of 12K at a field change from 0 to 5 tesla.

A Review on Magneto-Caloric Materials for Room Temperature Refrigeration

“…Spontaneous magnetisation vanishes beyond the Curie temperature and the material then transforms into a paramagnetic one. Furthermore, the MCE is maximum during this phase transition [25]. The way the transition occurs is what differentiates a first-order material from a second-order material (shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4 The specific heat variation with temperature for increasing magnetic fields is also different for FOM and SOM.…”