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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."

1 of 21 comments (clear)

  1. 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.