Design of an active magnetic regenerator test apparatus

The Active Magnetic Regenerator (AMR) has been shown to be a refrigeration technology with high efficiencies. Complex thermodynamic interactions in the regenerator, a shortage of suitable magnetic refrigerants, and difficulty in acquiring accurate experimental data have combined to hamper the development of AMR refrigerators. An apparatus to dynamically characterize the behavior of AMR beds is a valuable tool in furthering the development of the technology. This paper describes the design and construction of an AMR test apparatus. For initial tests, the apparatus has been used to examine the performance of Gd AMR beds operating in 2 T fields.