Two-Dimensional multiphysics modeling of a magnetocaloric device and parametric study

The modeling of the multiphysics phenomena that occur inside the active magnetocaloric regenerators requires the coupling of magnetostatic, magnetocaloric and thermo-fluidic models. The main objective of the contribution presented is to combine the very low resolution time of the multiphysics model with a good accuracy. In this context, a magnetostatic semi-analytical modelling has been developed in order to calculate the values of the magnetic field and the magnetic flux density at each point of the magnetocaloric regenerator volume. The magnetocaloric model calculates the magnetization and the magnetocaloric power density. A thermo-fluidic model computes the new temperatures in the fluid and inside the active magnetocaloric material. Indeed, the multiphysics model needs much less computation time than FEM and ensures a compatibility with an optimization process. The dependence of fluid displacement ratio and functioning frequency is assessed in order to determine the optimal working point for an imposed set of external conditions.