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Magnetic Fridge

Posted by timothy on from the not-just-the-outside dept.

Ian Finlay writes: "Scientists at the Ames Laboratory say they have created the world's first magnetic refrigerator, which someday may save consumers money on energy bills and be better for the environment. The AP story is on Yahoo at the usual place."

7 of 21 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Cool. Now the question is: by zcat_NZ · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Is it practical, easily manufacturable, and affordable?

    No, it's experimental, protype-only and very expensive. Read the article :)

    A virtually silent air conditioner would be nice too. I dodn't really care for a silent fridge that much, since I don't tend to work or sleep in my kitchen very often..

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  2. Yes... by jo42 · · Score: 3, Funny

    But will you still be able to use fridge magnets on them?

  3. From field/alloy interaction. by Christopher+Thomas · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Does the energy that does the work to remove the heat from the refridgerated side of the setup come from the work being done to insert the Gadolinium alloy into the magnetic field(and to remove it) or is the energy input done simply by the circulation of coolant fluid through the heated/cooled alloy.

    If the alloy changes temperature based on its magnetic field environment, then the work that goes into the heating and cooling is from the force needed to move the alloy through the magnetic field in the rig they're using.

    1. Re:From field/alloy interaction. by Christopher+Thomas · · Score: 2

      But the question that has to be asked is why spin a disc through a permanent magnet? Why not use a series of electro-magnets to produce a moving magnetic field?

      Because a motor and one permanent manget are a lot simpler and cheaper than a stack of electromagnets.

      Having one hot location (by the magnet) and one cold location (far from the magnet) also makes the heat exchanger rig simpler. With electromagnets, any fixed position near the magnets would alternately be hot and cold (not easy to pump heat with).

      In short, it's because there's lots of extra complexity and no real benefit from using electromagnets for the fridge.

  4. Silence... by martyb · · Score: 4, Interesting

    A virtually silent air conditioner would be nice too.

    That would be GREAT, except that there's also the noise generated by the fan which circulates the cooled air into the room. Granted, it would be much quieter, but I doubt it would be silent. :(

    I don't really care for a silent fridge that much, since I don't tend to work or sleep in my kitchen very often..

    Yes, BUT I'd have really appreciated a nearly silent fridge in my college dorm room! Or, even today, to have a small fridge in a cubicle at work would be a real plus!

    Quiet PC? I'm drooling to think about someday using one of these to cool my PC! Silence IS golden.

    1. Re:Silence... by wsloand · · Score: 2

      Quiet PC? I'm drooling to think about someday using one of these to cool my PC! Silence IS golden.

      Assuming that this is in reference to the article, I really doubt that you would want a magnet cooling your computer unless there were some rather radical changes in CPU design that would makt it not involve electricity or NMR quantum computing.

    2. Re:Silence... by martyb · · Score: 4, Informative

      Assuming that this is in reference to the article, I really doubt that you would want a magnet cooling your computer unless there were some rather radical changes in CPU design that would makt it not involve electricity or NMR quantum computing.

      Good point, but nothing says the "magnetic fridge" needs to be located within the PC's case. Insulated tubing could run from the external fridge into a heat exchanger within the case and back to the magnetic fridge (MF). Maybe not so convenient for a single PC. I saw no mention in the article as to efficiency compared to conventional cooling technology, but if this should prove to be more efficient, such a unit could become a standard component within a rack (e.g. in a hosting facility).