Multiphysics Modeling Of A Magnetic Refrigeration System Based On Superconductors

Based on the magnetocaloric effect, magnetic refrigeration at room temperature has, for the past decade, been a promising and environmentally friendly technology predicted to have a significantly higher efficiency than the present conventional methods. However, to the authors' knowledge, so far no prototypes have been presented for large scale applications. This paper presents the modeling of a superconducting-based magnetic refrigeration system for large scale applications. On one hand, electromagnetic computations are undertaken to maximize magnetic field produced in order to get the best performance (temperature span and cooling power) and to limit the mechanical efforts (forces and torque). On the other hand, the thermal modeling aims to evaluate and to optimize the cooling performance.