Simulations and design of a refrigerating device based on a rotating magnetocaloric disc

The possibility of utilizing a Gd disc as an active magnetic regenerator (AMR) is investigated. We have designed a demonstration device based on a rotating disc with a fixed magnetic circuit covering one quarter of its area. The device implies zero thermal load with the operation fluid flowing through. Simulations are based on discretization of the heat transfer equations for the disc and the fluid domains using the finite difference method. The magnetocaloric effect (MCE) is included in the model as an instantaneous adiabatic temperature change of each element entering the magnetic field. Regenerative effect is obtained as at each radius of the disc the magnetocaloric material (MCM) operates switching its temperature around a different average, which decreases from periphery to centre. This allows the total temperature drop of the operational fluid to be several times larger than the adiabatic temperature change.