PRACTICAL PROPERTIES OF LaFeCoSi MATERIALS TO BE USED IN MAGNETIC COOLING REGENERATORS

Magnetocaloric materials to be used in cooling applications require having some practical properties in addition to high magnetocaloric parameters. The use of a heat transfer fluid to transport the heat between the magnetocaloric materials and the cold and hot sinks affects the performance of the cooling systems through the heat conductivity of solid and fluid and the stability of the materials under the contact with the fluid. The effectiveness of several water corrosion inhibitors on the oxidation of La(Fe,Co,Si)(13) magnetocaloric materials has been analyzed measuring the rate of corrosion of the materials. Also the thermal conductivity of these materials has been measured for different magnetic fields in their temperature range of interest.