Magnetic Refrigerator Needs No Electricity

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Of Denmark reports that a group of researchers at the Technical University of Denmark’s project laboratory in Risø have recently discovered a cooling method that uses magnetic materials instead of electricity.

The invention will allow for refrigerators with a fully environmentally friendly power source to replace existing electric refrigerators in homes and businesses. The first prototype may not be ready until 2010, but the they say that the appliance’s cooling cycle efficiency will be a whopping 60 percent greater than that of conventional refrigerators.

Their method uses opposing magnetic fields to increase the temperature of the materials employed. The heat energy gets transported through a non-volatile fluid, like water, and then it is thermodynamically reversed to a cold temperature. Amazingly enough, the scientists have already been able to cool a 20° C room to 11°C using this new technology. If they can do that to a room, refrigerators are a piece of cake. Ahhh, but then there is cost to consider.

‘It probably isn’t realistic to believe that magnetic cooling technology will be immediately available for consumer use, especially as refrigerator manufacturers have brought prices down so much in the past few years,’ said Christian Bahl, one of DTU’s project researchers.

Another advantage that this new method has is that it is silent. So their first niche market will likely be in areas where a quiet environment is an important factor.

Magnetic cooling is not a new thing, but these scientists were the first to use it to cool a room.

Let's see. There is refrigeration, but it would also make a greener air conditioner as well. How about cooler technology that will keep your beer chilled for a long time. I can see a lot of possibilities here.