Numerical study on the thermohydraulic performance of a reciprocating room temperature active magnetic regenerator

Abstract

In this paper, the thermohydraulic performance of a reciprocating room temperature active magnetic regenerator (AMR), with gadolinium (Gd) particles used as a magnetocaloric material (MCM) and water used as a working fluid, was numerically investigated. A two-dimensional transient flow model was developed using COMSOL Multiphysics, in order to determine the water flow distribution in two AMRs of cross and parallel Gd particles distributions for different water inlet velocities of 0.06 m.s-1, 0.08 m.s-1 , 0.1 m.s-1 and 0.12 m.s-1. The Gd particles have a radius of 1.5 mm and a distance from one another of 0.9 mm. Based on the simulations results of the first model, a two-dimensional transient coupled flow and heat transfer model was then developed using COMSOL Multiphysics, in order to characterise the convective heat transfer in the AMR of cross Gd particles distribution for the same water inlet velocities.