Publication Date
2019
Document Type
Thesis
Committee Members
Gregory Kozlowski, Ph.D. (Advisor); Zafer Turgut, Ph.D. (Committee Member); Brent Foy, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Abstract
Active magnetic regenerators (AMRs) operate according to the magnetothermal phenomenon known as the magnetocaloric effect (MCE), and are at the forefront of magnetic cooling technology. AMR simulations have been shown to be useful tools in predicting the performance of different magnetocaloric materials (MCMs) without the need to develop a physical prototype. In a search to determine the set of operational parameters which would maximize MCM performance, a 1D simulation of an AMR device has been developed in Matlab. Gadolinium, the most well-documented MCM, is used as a benchmark material to study the effects of varying certain operational parameters such as mass flow rate, cycle frequency, amount of MCM mass, strength of applied magnetic field, and regenerator temperature span. In conjunction with the AMR simulation, a mean-field model of ferromagnetic materials is developed in Matlab in order to obtain the magnetothermal properties of gadolinium. Upon determining the effects of various operational parameters, a study of the performance of a Ni0.50Mn0.19Cu0.06Ga0.25 alloy after a stress-assisted thermal cycling (SATC) treatment is conducted. The effect of heat capacity on MCM performance is carried out by creating hypothetical adiabatic temperature change and heat capacity curves, with other material properties similar to those of the Ni-Mn-Cu-Ga alloy.
Page Count
116
Department or Program
Department of Physics
Year Degree Awarded
2019
Copyright
Copyright 2019, all rights reserved. My ETD will be available under the "Fair Use" terms of copyright law.
