Coupling Effects in Parallel Thermomagnetic Generators Based on Resonant Self-Actuation

Joseph, Joel; Wehr, Mira; Miki, Hiroyuki; Ohtsuka, Makoto; Kohl, Manfred

doi:10.1109/transducers50396.2021.9495569

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 11 publications

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“…By focusing on the last 5 years, and considering (micro)mechanical thermal switches and their applications in cooling, heating or thermal energy harvesting using ferroic materials, the majority of research activities were performed in the field of electrocalorics [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] or pyroelectrics [20][21][22][23][24]. A much smaller number of publications can be found for the domains of magnetocalorics [17,[25][26][27] and pyromagnetics (thermomagnetics) [28][29][30][31][32][33][34] or elastocalorics [35][36][37]. A common feature of all these studies is a large difference between the results of pure numerical work (usually leading to superior performances from the devices) compared to real experiments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A conceptual design of a thermal switch capacitor in a magnetocaloric device: experimental characterization of properties and simulations of operating characteristics

2023

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The quest for better performance from magnetocaloric devices has led to the development of thermal control devices, such as thermal switches, thermal diodes, and thermal capacitors. These devices are capable of controlling the intensity and direction of the heat flowing between the magnetocaloric material and the heat source or heat sink, and therefore have the potential to simultaneously improve the power density and energy efficiency of magnetocaloric systems. We have developed a new type of thermal control device, i.e., a silicon mechanical thermal switch capacitor. In this paper we first review recently developed thermal switches based on MEMS and present the operation and structure of our new thermal switch capacitor. Then, the results of the parametric experimental study on the thermal contact resistance, as one of the most important parameters affecting the thermal performance of the device, are presented. These experimental data were later used in a numerical model for a magnetocaloric device with a thermal switch-capacitor. The results of the study show that for a single embodiment, a maximum cooling power density of 970 W/m2 (510 W/kgmcm) could be achieved for a zero-temperature span and an operating frequency of 5 Hz. However, a larger temperature span could be achieved by cascading multiple magnetocaloric elements with thermal switch capacitors. We have shown that the compact thermal switch capacitor can be used in caloric devices, even with small temperature variations, and can be used in a variety of practical applications requiring thermal regulation.

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