20-09-2008, 11:07 PM
It is not often that scientific discoveries hold the promise of saving consumer?s money while protecting the environment and reducing the use of fossil fuels. Define the perfect fuel and it would most lightly be one that burns cleanly, poses no harm to the environment and, above all, is renewable or in limitless supply.
The researchers in the U.S Department of Energy?s Ames Laboratory under a construct with the Astronautics Corporation of America have developed a refrigerator with out a standard gas-compression cooling system. Magnetic refrigeration is based on the ?Magnetocaloric effect?. This effect, discovered in 1881, is defined as the response of a solid to an applied magnetic field which is apparent as a change in its temperature. This effect is obeyed by all transition metals and lanthanide-series elements. When a magnetic field is applied, these metals, known as ferromagnets, tend to heat up. As heat is applied, the magnetic moments align. When the field is removed, the ferromagnet cools down as the magnetic moments become randomly oriented. .
