Haier, Astronautics Corporation of America, and BASF presented a prototype of a wine cooler refrigerated by a magnetocaloric heat pump.

Magnetocaloric materials, based on manganese and iron and sold by the BASF under the Quice® brand, heat up when put in a magnetic field and cool down when removed from the magnetic field. In the magnetocaloric heat pump, heat is transferred from the cold interior of the wine cooler to the warm surrounding air by circulating a water based coolant through the magnetocaloric materials. At the same time, the magnetocaloric materials go in and out of the magnetic field.

Theoretical studies show that refrigeration systems based on the magnetocaloric effect can be up to 35 % more energy-efficient than vapor compression systems. They operate with less noise due to the absence of a compressor. The technology makes use of water-based coolants instead of gaseous refrigerants.

Haier plans to introduce the technology into the market within the next couple of years.

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• Presented at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Las Vegas, NV, USA; January 6-9, 2015
• Astronautics Corporation of America, Milwaukee, WI, USA
• BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany
• Haier, Hongkong, China
• Movie of the prototype on YouTube

 

Also of interest

• Magnetocaloric Refrigeration: Reinventing the Fridge?,
  Ekkes Brück, (Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands)
  Creator Space February 13, 2015.
• More articles related to the 150th anniversary of BASF