Design and Performance of a Novel Magnetocaloric Heat Pump

This presentation covers an investigation into the design and preliminary results of a room temperature magnetic refrigeration prototype and describes the physical prototype along with its operational and measurement envelopes. General design goals included: A wide range of cycle parameter control, independent fluid and magnetic circuits, extensive measurement capability and compact design. The maximum no-load span recorded was 21 K and the maximum power recorded was 26 W at a span of 1 K. Three cyclical parameters were varied to help determine the optimal cycle for such a machine.