A magnetic field source system for magnetic refrigeration and its interaction with magnetocaloric material

The magnetic field source system constitutes an important component of magnetic refrigeration. A specific methodology for itsʹ dimensioning is proposed in this paper. It is based on analytical calculation models and takes into account the geometry of the system, the magnetic properties of the magnetocaloric material and the magnetothermal cycle (direct or active magnetic regenerative refrigeration). The analytical calculation of the field is first developed and applied to usual permanent magnet-based field sources with and without soft magnetic materials. Then the forces generated by the interaction between the field and the magnetocaloric effect material are analytically evaluated considering the real field distribution. All calculations are validated thanks to two- or three-dimensional finite element method simulations.