Magnetic refrigerator needs no electricity

Scientists at the Technical University of Denmark have created a
refrigerator that cools using magnets instead of electricity

http://www.denmark.dk/en/servicemenu/News/ScienceAndITNews/MagneticRef
rigeratorNeedsNoElectricity.htm

A group of researchers at the Technical University of Denmark's
project laboratory in Risų have discovered a cooling method that uses
magnetic materials instead of electricity, reported daily free
newspaper Nyhedsavisen.

The invention will allow for refrigerators to replace existing
electric refrigerators in homes and businesses with a fully
environmentally friendly power source. Although the first prototype
will not be ready until 2010, the project's researchers say the
appliance's cooling cycle efficiency will be 60 percent greater than
that of conventional refrigerators.

The new method uses opposing magnetic fields to increase the
temperature of the materials employed. The heat energy is transported
through a non-volatile fluid, such as water, and then
thermodynamically reversed to a cold temperature. The scientists have
already been able to cool a 20° C room to 11°C using the new
technology.

`It probably isn't realistic to believe that magnetic cooling
technology will be immediately available for consumer use, especially
as refrigerator manufacturers have brought prices down so much in the
past few years,' said Christian Bahl, one of DTU's project
researchers.

But Bahl said another of the magnetic refrigerator's advantages is
that it is silent.

`So it will likely be first used in various niche areas, such as
places where a quiet environment is an important factor.'

Although magnetic cooling is not in itself a new research field, the
DTU scientists were the first to use the technology in an actual
physical setting to cool room temperatures.

The Copenhagen Post













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