A simplified simulation procedure for modeling an Active Magnetic Regeneration Cycle in an Electric Vehicle

Abstract

An alternative to the conventional vapor-compression cycles is the Active Magnetic Refrigeration (AMR) cycle. Some materials, when magnetized or demagnetized, are observed to get heated or cooled. This is known as the Magnetocaloric Effect (MCE). Coupling other components with distinct functionalities in conjunction with the material’s MCE shows promising results when employed for air-conditioning. This is particularly true for air-conditioning applications in an Electric Vehicle (EV), where the electric motor can be used to move the pistons used in the AMR cycle conveniently. Existing physical and mathematical frameworks for modeling the AMR cycle are cumbersome and computationally expensive [10]. The current study proposes a simplified numerical model for analyzing the AMR system's velocity and temperature distributions. The problem has been formulated in a way that averts the need to solve a moving boundary problem, which is one of the chief contributors to the excessive computation time. Several crucial parameters like the operating temperature span have also been calculated to assess the potential of an AMR cycle as an air-conditioning cycle in an EV.