Advancing from recent research success, Vacuumschmelze is moving toward series production to apply its magnetocaloric materials to produce microchannel regenerators. They can enable magnetocaloric cooling systems in buoyancy, capable of shifting from hot to cold and vice versa with improved efficiency.
VAC has been developing the environmentally friendly materials for magnetocaloric cooling in collaboration with the Fraunhofer IPM Institute and other partners starting back in 2017. The aim of the MagMed project has been to bring sustainable and energy-efficient cooling to series production. The Fraunhofer IPM Institute has now achieved a breakthrough in terms of increasing the performance of magnetocaloric cooling systems. The project was recently covered in Magnetics Magazine.
Magnetocaloric cooling systems do not require environmentally harmful or explosive refrigerants such as CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) or butane. They are energy efficient and quiet, making them the first choice when it comes to replacing conventional compressor technology in the future. In laboratory experiments, it has now been possible to demonstrate a power density of 12.5 W per gram of material used — a previously unattained value.
The supply of the magnetocaloric material in the form of microchannel regenerators (MCR), which VAC is now developing towards series production readiness, plays an essential role. Contrary to previous manufacturing processes, the MCRs are produced using a foil casting process. This allows cost-effective, reliable production on an industrial scale. The different alloy variants of its product Calorivac enable application over a wide temperature range.
“We are proud to contribute to the revolution in refrigeration technology with the Calorivac MCRs,” says Alexander Barcza, Head of Product Management Permanent Magnets Special Tasks. “We are excited to see the results the demonstrator refrigerator built by our project partners will deliver. After all, we would like to present a magnetocaloric refrigerator for the 100th anniversary of VAC in 2023.” For more info, see www.vacuumschmelze.com.
