Magnetocaloric Refrigeration in the Context of Sustainability: A Review of Thermodynamic Bases, the State of the Art, and Future Prospects

Abstract

At present, one of the main challenges that industry faces is its impact on global warming, linked to the greenhouse effect and ozone hole problems. These two environmental issues have not yet been solved completely and, concerning the industrial cold sector, countries are making various decisions on refrigerants. Magnetic refrigeration potentially represents a less impactful refrigeration technology. In this review, the physical basis of magnetic refrigeration is analysed, in order to propose this technology for industrial use.

Keywords

• refrigeration system
• refrigerating cycle
• performance
• COP
• entropy generation
• magnetocaloric effect