MAGNETOCALORIC TECHNOLOGIES
WHAT IS IT AND HOW CAN IT HELP ME?
Magnetocaloric effect
The fundamental principle utilized by Magneto is the magnetocaloric effect. Magnetocaloric materials (MCMs) have the ability to effectively convert magnetic energy into thermal energy and vice versa.
Heating & Cooling
MCMs change their temperature when exposed to a changing magnetic field. Therefore, MCMs can be incorporated into thermodynamic cycles to pump heat from a reservoir temperature to an elevated temperature either with the purpose of cooling or heating.
Power conversion
In an inverted cycle, cooling or heating across the magnetic phase transition activates or deactivates the magnetic state, which can be used to convert heat into mechanical energy or electrical energy.
MCMs have been developed more than 30 years ago and their principal functionality proven in many experiments and demonstrations ranging from heat pumps to wine coolers. While their simple mode of operation has been intriguing, major barriers blocking them from wide-scale use in existing and novel applications have been their low efficiency, limited temperature ranges as well as high costs.
Magneto together with its partners such as TU Delft and BASF are breaking through these barriers with the goal of unlocking the full commercial and environmental potential of this highly innovative material.
Some of our patented materials and processes include:
- MCMs optimized for waste heat to power conversion
- Advanced shapes using 3D techniques