Characteristics of a Magnetic Refrigerator with New Magnetocaloric Materials

Abstract

The aim of this study is to put a cooling technology using a magnetocaloric effect to practical use for air conditioners of railway vehicles in order to save energy. New magnetcaloric materials which have larger a magnetocaloric effect compared with Gd have been developed in the region of room temperature. Nevertheless, little discussion exists about how much the new materials affect the properties of a magnetocaloric cooling system. Therefore, the characteristics of the cooling system with Gd and La(Fe_0.84Co_0.06Si_0.10)₁₃ have been studied experimentally and analytically.