A Solid-to-Solid 2D Model of a Magnetocaloric Cooler with Thermal Diodes: A Sustainable Way for Refrigerating

Luca Cirillo (), Adriana Greco and Claudia Masselli
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Luca Cirillo: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli, Italy
Adriana Greco: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli, Italy
Claudia Masselli: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli, Italy

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 13, 1-17

Abstract: Solid-state caloric cooling is a viable route toward a more sustainable way of refrigerating. The refrigerants are solid-state materials with a caloric effect detectable by measuring a temperature variation through an external-field intensity change. The caloric effect could be particularized depending on the properties of the material and the type of field. Magnetocaloric is the effect occurring in ferromagnetic materials through the variation of an external field. Thermodynamically, two are the possible cycles regulating the cooling process in the system: the Active Caloric Regenerative cooling cycle and the solid-to-solid heat transfer (SSHT). The former requires the involvement of an auxiliary fluid for the heat transfer processes; in the latter, the heat transfer can be regulated by thermal diodes with the capability of changing their thermal conductivity depending on the intensity of an external field. The investigation introduced is focused on an SSHT system employing magnetocaloric materials as refrigerants and thermal diodes as the vehiculation elements. The two-dimensionality of the model allows the optimization of the dimensions of both the magnetocaloric and the thermal diode elements to achieve elevated operative frequencies. A comparison between two magnetocaloric materials was performed, Gadolinium and LaFe 11.384 Mn 0.356 Si 1.26 H 1.52 . Encouraging results on the system, suitably employable in the field of electronic circuit cooling, have been found.

Keywords: sustainable cooler; magnetocaloric effect; solid-to-solid system; electronic circuit cooling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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