Abstract
Low-grade thermal energy, either in the form of waste heat or nature heat, is available abundantly around us. Since Carnot efficiency reduces with decrease in operating temperature difference, there are very limited practical options for low-grade thermal energy conversion. Thermomagnetic effect is the effect of heat on magnetic properties of a material. This phenomenon can be used to generate electricity using either direct thermal to electrical energy conversion or indirect thermal to mechanical energy conversion. This chapter provides a broad overview of various aspects of thermomagnetic energy conversion. We first explain the working principle behind the thermomagnetic energy harvesting. We then formulate mathematical equations needed to calculate the work output and energy conversion efficiency of a thermomagnetic cycle. Based on this formulation, we provide a list of working materials that can be employed in the thermomagnetic harvesters. At last, we describe various thermomagnetic harvesters proposed in the literature.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Low-Grade Thermal Energy Harvesting: Advances in Materials, Devices, and Emerging Applications |
| Subtitle of host publication | Woodhead Publishing Series in Electronic and Optical Materials |
| Editors | S. Wang |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Pages | 205-224 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9780128236901 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780128236918 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
NREL Publication Number
- NREL/CH-5500-78513
Keywords
- Energy harvesting
- Gadolinium
- Low-grade heat
- Thermal energy
- Thermomagnetic