Performance analysis of an Active Magnetic Regenerative system using Al2O3 nanofluids

Abstract This study investigates the utilization of Al 2 O 3 nanofluids in an Active Magnetic Regenerative (AMR) system, focusing on varying nanoparticle concentrations from 0.01 to 1.0%. Numerical modelling is used to analyze the effects of nanoparticle incorporation on system efficiency and cooling performance. Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles are found to significantly increase the thermal conductivity, density, and viscosity of the base fluid while reducing specific heat capacity. Comparative analysis reveals that Al 2 O 3 nanofluids outperform pure water in terms of cooling performance, achieving a lower final temperature and a higher temperature span after 60 min of operation. Moreover, the study highlights that cooling capacity and pumping work increase with higher nanoparticle concentrations, with a notable improvement of 64.95% in cooling capacity and 39.31% in pumping work for the 1.0% Al 2 O 3 nanofluid compared to water. The Coefficient of Performance (COP) of the AMR system peaks at an optimal nanoparticle concentration of 0.2%, reaching 3.88, before declining due to increased pumping power requirements.