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discovered_01_2015 - New Materials for Magnetic Cooling

FOCUS// THE HZDR RESEARCH MAGAZINE WWW.HZDR.DE 06 07 MEASUREMENTS: Mahdiyeh Ghorbani Zavareh carefully checks the set-up for her experiments in high magnetic fields at low temperatures. Photo: André Forner Whether they are in supermarkets, air-conditioning systems or in your kitchen – cooling technologies are used in many aspects of our daily lives. Yet the ubiquitous and constant operation of these devices requires large amounts of energy: according to a 2011 study by the German Engineering Association, 14 percent of Germany’s annual energy consumption is used for cooling. Even though many manufacturers have been able to produce more energy-efficient appliances in recent years, it is becoming increasingly difficult and costly to achieve further energy savings, because the vast majority of refrigerators and freezers are based on the principle of compression cooling, which has virtually remained unchanged for almost 200 years. A cooling agent is introduced into a closed circuit, absorbs heat inside the appliance and releases it via condensers at the back of the appliance. What eats up large amounts of energy in this process is the compressor that condenses the gaseous cooling agent into the liquid state. What is worse, most cooling agents are greenhouse gases or highly flammable. _TEXT . Christian Döring NEW MATERIALS FOR MAGNETIC COOLING // At HZDR’s Dresden High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Mahdiyeh Ghorbani Zavareh studies materials whose special properties can be used for innovative cooling devices. This cooling technology is based solely on a magnetic effect. Soon, stores may sell appliances that not only cool more efficiently, but are also quieter, safer and more eco-friendly.

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