Implementation of La(Fe, Co)13−xSix materials in magnetic refrigerators: Practical aspects

• Published in: Materials science & engineering. B, Solid-state materials for advanced technology Solid-state materials for advanced technology, 2012-05, Vol.177 (8), p.629-634
• Main Authors: Balli, M., Sari, O., Zamni, L., Mahmed, C., Forchelet, J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: La(Fe, Co)13−xSix, Magnetic refrigeration; Magnetocaloric; NaZn13
• ISSN: 0921-5107; 1873-4944
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mseb.2012.03.016

[Display omitted] ► A composite material based on La(Fe, Co)13−xSix compounds was directly implemented in a magnetic cooling machine and its performances were measured. ► The normalized temperature change of La(Fe, Co)13−xSix around 294K is about 2K/T which can be enough for use in a magnetic refrigerator. ► Using La(Fe, Co)13−xSix composite, the obtained temperature span between hot and cold ends is larger compared to gadolinium which is very encouraging for the application of La(Fe, Co)13−xSix in magnetic cooling. ► The performed tests using several heat transfer fluids, demonstrate the possibility to protect La(Fe, Co)13−xSix from corrosion and oxidation in a magnetic cooling system. In this paper, we report some practical aspects concerning the application of La(Fe, Co)13−xSix based materials in the magnetic cooling technology. For this purpose, two blocks of La(Fe, Co)13−xSix with different Curie temperature were considered for this study. Before implementing the new refrigerants in the magnetic cooling machine, we have measured directly their magnetocaloric properties in practical conditions around room temperature. The obtained magnetocaloric effect values were corrected taking into account the demagnetization effect. The influence of the demagnetization field on the magnetocaloric performances of La(Fe, Co)13−xSix is analyzed and discussed. A composite material based on La(Fe, Co)13−xSix compounds was tested directly in our recently developed magnetic cooling system and a comparison with the gadolinium was made. Encouraging results were obtained showing the high potential of the studied materials in magnetic cooling application. In addition, the poor corrosion resistance of the intermetallics can compromise the potential of these materials. In this paper, we also present the corrosion tests performed on different samples of La(Fe, Co)13−xSix using several heat transfer fluids.