Magnetic Room Temperature Cooling Using Stacks of Gadolinium Plates

Magnetic refrigeration is an alternative to conventional refrigeration. Where conventional refrigeration uses vapor compression cycles, magnetic refrigeration is based on the magnetocaloric effect, i.e. the property of magnetic materials to change temperature when exposed to a changing magnetic field. The technology is currently used for low temperature cooling (<10K). By implementing stacks of magnetic plates instead of powder, it can be optimized to yield a more energy efficient room temperature cooling than conventional refrigeration. This project investigates the configuration of the stacks in order to get the largest temperature change with as little material and energy costs as possible.