Ayyoub M. Momen, momena@ornl.gov Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Magnetocaloric Refrigerator Freezer 2017 Building Technologies Office Peer Review

2

Project Summary Timeline: Start date: August 1, 2013 (FY 2014) Planned end date: January, 31, 2017

Key Milestones 1. Evaluation of MCM microchannels through

collaboration with GEA (6/30/2016) 2. Improve the regenerator structure (9/30/2016) 3. Final optimization, testing and drafting final

report (12/30/2016)

Budget: Total Project $ to Date: • DOE: $1588k • Cost Share: $1689k Total Project $: • DOE: $2049k • Cost Share: $2189

Key Partners:

Project Outcome: The main objectives of the magnetocaloric refrigerator project were to achieve: 100 watts of cooling 100°F temperature span

General Electric Appliances

3

Purpose and Objectives Problem Statement: Decades of R&D efforts have gone into making a high performance, magnetocaloric refrigeration machine. Developing such a machine presents many challenges including material, flow hydrodynamics, rotating components, heat transfer limitation, and system cost. This project focuses on “developing the new manufacturing processes required to make microchannels from magnetocaloric material (MCMs).”

Target Market and Audience: The principal target market is residential and commercial refrigerators (>200M units). In addition, the technology has the potential to be used in larger-scale HVAC, drying, and industrial heating/cooling applications.

Impact of Project: Cooling/heating systems utilizing the magnetocaloric effect can be significantly more efficient than today’s refrigeration systems. • Final product will be a full scale magnetocaloric refrigerator-freezer. • The success criteria includes achieving a 100°F temperature span and approximately 100

watts of cooling capacity at 25% better efficiency. – Near-term: develop a feasible design with emerging MCM materials – Intermediate-term: design a magnetocaloric refrigerator-freezer – Long-term: introduce the technology to the market

4

Approach

Approach: • Develop a manufacturing process for forming MCM microchannels • Enhance the heat transfer rate, which translates into a higher system capacity • Develop a high-efficiency magnetocaloric system design Key Issues: • Solid/liquid interstitial heat transfer limits the performance of the machine • Manufacturability of MCM to make the shapes is a big challenge Distinctive Characteristics: • Develop unique additive manufacturing followed by a sintering process to

fabricate MCM microchannels • 3D MCM microchannels through non-traditional manufacturing • Solid-state magnetocaloric machine

5

Progress and Accomplishments

Accomplishments: • MCM successfully 3D printed in the form of microchannels • Magnetocaloric microchannel successfully developed using a novel approach • Patent 1: MCM microchannel has been patented • Patent 2: Fully solid-state magnetocaloric machine has been patented • Patent 3: Process of 3D printing of MCM microchannels • Multiple publications/presentations • GEA has developed several configurations of the prototype machines

Market Impact: This project can potentially save 0.75 quads of energy

Awards/Recognition: Recognized research by former EERE Assistant Secretary

Lessons Learned: Pressure drop of MCM particulate regenerator is one of the primary loss sources of the MCM system. R&D needs to be devoted to this area.

6

How Magnetic Refrigeration Works

The magnetic refrigeration cycle is essentially a Brayton cycle with the potential for continuous regeneration that can approach Carnot efficiency.

• Cycle starts with MC material (MCM) at T0. • MCM is placed inside a higher magnetic field

resulting in MCM temperature increase to T0 + ΔT. • Heat is rejected from the MCM to ambient while

inside the higher magnetic field, reducing its temperature to T0.

• MCM is removed from the higher magnetic field, resulting in reduced temperature to T0 – ΔT.

• Heat is absorbed by MCM from a refrigerated compartment; increasing its temperature to T0 and the cycle is repeated.

7

Achieving Large Temperature Span • Use different MCM alloys with different curie temperatures and layer

atop one another.

Layered bed

ΔT a

db

ΔT a

db

Tc1

Effective operating

range, material 1

Temperature

Effective operating range, material 1

Effective operating

range, material 2

Temperature Tc1 Tc2

0°F 100°F

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=wHawaDYJ8IS3kM&tbnid=a5-qFpqsiRrTPM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.energy-learning.com/index.php/archive/99-a-numerical-analysis-of-an-active-magnetic-multilayer-regenerative-cycle&ei=6-dvUu6FF8SzyAGup4GYDQ&bvm=bv.55123115,d.aWc&psig=AFQjCNFSSeOQVrHWYpg46cyJTVGifdoVIA&ust=1383151973542921

8

Impact of Finding a Way to Fabricate Microchannels from MCM

If we could develop a manufacturing process to make microchannels from MCM, then we could get a better heat transfer rate at the acceptable range of pressure drop and achieve a higher COP machine.

In competition between pressure drop and heat transfer, microchannels will win over a packed particle bed.

J. Tian, T. Kim, T.J. Lu, H.P. Hadson, D. T. Qucheillilt, D.J. Sypeck, H.N.H. Hadky. Int. J. Heat and Mass Transfer, 2004.

State of the art

Our goal

Heat

tran

sfer

/ pu

mp

powe

r ~

Message of the study: • Heat transfer in porous media

is mainly a function of ε, area. • Pressure drop in porous

media is mainly a function of ε, area, orientation.

9

Approach 1: Resolution in printing Irregular Powder Regular Powder

Developing Manufacturing Process to 3D Print MCM Microchannels

Two MCM powders were printed with two different particle shapes

150-200 microns microchannels printed with one of these powders

Enhanced structures printed

Parameters studied: • Particle shape • Particle size • Orientation • Process and more

10

Developing Manufacturing Process for Sintering and Pressing MCM

Sintering and pressing MCM is very challenging and a necessary, intermediate manufacturing process in MCM microchannel development. Note: Sintering is the process of compacting and forming a solid mass of material by heat and/or pressure without melting it to the point of liquefaction. After 8 months of R&D effort: • MCM die was successfully pressed • Mold-cast MCM parts were successfully sintered to

high densities (up to 99% of material density)

Findings: • Sintering conditions, including the right atmosphere,

temperature, oxygen level, and type of furnace were realized.

• Final densities of 97–99% were achieved.

Very Challenging Process

Restoring MCE properties is still a challenge

11

Approach 2: MCM microchannels

Developing a Novel Manufacturing Process for Making 3-Dimensional Microchannels

ORNL is working on an innovative way to produce random elongated microchannels. This solution significantly reduces the pressure drop and provides very high interstitial heat transfer rates. It has the potential to produce random microchannels as small as 20–100 µm, which cannot be achieved by other manufacturing processes.

It is a propriety low-cost method which is different from the printing process.

12

MCM microchannels

• Up to 10% enhancement of magnetization is achieved.

• Significant improvement in the hydrodynamic characteristics of MCM microchannel is reached.

A slice of the fabricated structure

1 mm

Pressure drop across the MCM before and after microchannel formation

Developing a Novel Manufacturing Process for Making 3-Dimensional Microchannels

The graph shows the temperature span across the three-stage, 3-dimensional microchannel AMR.

GEA performed 1000 cycles in its prototype magnetocaloric refrigeration unit to achieve this temperature span.

13

GEA’s Recent Simulation will be the Guideline for Future Multi-stage Regenerator Development

Baseline as received powder

New process can do this

Competitive with VC systems

14

Solid-State Magnetocaloric Refrigerator

8x improvement on heat transfer could be achievable after including the air gap thermal resistance. This is equivalent to 8x faster machine or 8x larger capacity or 8x reduction in size.

Approach 3: ORNL/GE estimate

15

Prototyping: GEA’s Prototype Development Progress

Prototype 1 - early 2014 Prototype 2 - 2014

Prototype 3 - 2015 Prototype 4 - 2016

16

Prototype Development Progress

17

Project Integration: Three collaborating patents, with GEA weekly meetings between ORNL team members: • Bi-weekly meeting between ORNL and GEA • ORNL and GE have quarterly site visits Past successes in similar CRADAs show that such close collaboration with manufacturers is the best path to success.

Partners, Subcontractors, and Collaborators: GE Appliances for machine design ORNL for component improvement

Communications: • Two conference papers • ASHRAE presentation in 2016 • Google Hangout http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDF_COU1OJI • Several visitors from public, private, media, industry, DOE

Project Integration and Collaboration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDF_COU1OJI

18

REFERENCE SLIDES

19

Acknowledgments

ORNL Team

Building Eqpt. Res. Center

Additive Manufacturing

Material Sciences

GE Appliances Team

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj59YaZr6_LAhXJ7D4KHU9OBgEQjRwIBw&url=http://www.orau.org/ornl/undergraduates/profile-seth-newport.htm&psig=AFQjCNGD3d2ZyvgzOxMfO9RB-M22UNKTFQ&ust=1457467371090635https://home.ornl.gov/pict8/00/015/00015826.jpghttps://home.ornl.gov/pict8/00/037/00037648.jpghttp://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiqmbbzsK_LAhWGNj4KHWMAB0UQjRwIBw&url=http://techxplore.com/news/2014-03-ge-magnetocaloric-refrigeration-video.html&v6u=https://s-v6exp1-ds.metric.gstatic.com/gen_204?ip=160.91.52.211&ts=1457381411090201&auth=kwx2fg3o3e7gwz6u6kyphubmzn7d3hnl&rndm=0.2521371376951657&v6s=2&v6t=20914&psig=AFQjCNFA2UEDoWSpwBz2BlqNDUFoPZuUzg&ust=1457467811029055

20

Project Budget: DOE total $1588k Variances: None Cost to Date: $1689k Additional Funding: $286k

Budget History

FY 2016 (past)

FY 2017 (current)

FY 2018 (planned)

DOE Cost-share DOE Cost-share DOE Cost-share $539k 1-1 $360k 1-1 $286k 1-1

Project Budget

21

Project Budget Project ScheduleProject Start: 01-Aug-2013 (FY13)Projected End: 30-Sept-2016

Task

Q1 (O

ct-D

ec)

Q2 (J

an-M

ar)

Q3 (A

pr-Ju

n)

Q4 (J

ul-S

ep)

Q1 (O

ct-D

ec)

Q2 (J

an-M

ar)

Q3 (A

pr-Ju

n)

Q4 (J

ul-S

ep)

Q1 (O

ct-D

ec)

Q2 (J

an-M

ar)

Q3 (A

pr-Ju

n)

Past Work

Descrip.hypothetical manuf. to shape regenerators Development of at least 3-stage regenerator using at least one of the selected manufacturing processes.

Developing complete regenerator via the selected manufacturing process.

Indentify testing procedures for comparable bed testingTesting, fabrication MCM microchannels by collaborating with GEAImprove preformance of regenerator strructureFinal optimization, testing and drafting the final reportCurrent/Future Work

Completed WorkActive Task (in progress work)Milestone/Deliverable (Originally Planned) use for missed Milestone/Deliverable (Actual) use when met on time

FY2015 FY2016 FY2017

Sheet1

Project Schedule

Project Start: 01-Aug-2013 (FY13)Completed Work

Projected End: 30-Sept-2016Active Task (in progress work)

Milestone/Deliverable (Originally Planned) use for missed milestones

Milestone/Deliverable (Actual) use when met on time

FY2015FY2016FY2017

TaskQ1 (Oct-Dec)Q2 (Jan-Mar)Q3 (Apr-Jun)Q4 (Jul-Sep)Q1 (Oct-Dec)Q2 (Jan-Mar)Q3 (Apr-Jun)Q4 (Jul-Sep)Q1 (Oct-Dec)Q2 (Jan-Mar)Q3 (Apr-Jun)Q4 (Jul-Sep)

Past Work

Descrip.hypothetical manuf. to shape regenerators

Development of at least 3-stage regenerator using at least one of the selected manufacturing processes.

Developing complete regenerator via the selected manufacturing process.

Current/Future Work

Indentify testing procedures for comparable bed testing

Testing, fabrication MCM microchannels by collaborating with GEA

Improve preformance of regenerator strructure

Final optimization, testing and drafting the final report

Current/Future Work

Slide Number 1Project SummaryPurpose and ObjectivesApproachProgress and AccomplishmentsHow Magnetic Refrigeration WorksAchieving Large Temperature SpanImpact of Finding a Way to Fabricate Microchannels from MCMApproach 1: Resolution in printingDeveloping Manufacturing Process for Sintering and Pressing MCMApproach 2: MCM microchannelsMCM microchannelsGEA’s Recent Simulation will be the Guideline for Future Multi-stage Regenerator Development Solid-State Magnetocaloric RefrigeratorPrototyping: GEA’s Prototype Development ProgressPrototype Development ProgressProject Integration and CollaborationSlide Number 18AcknowledgmentsProject BudgetProject Budget