TY - JOUR A1 - Waske, Anja A1 - Dzekan, D. A1 - Sellschopp, K. A1 - Berger, D., A1 - Stork, A. A1 - Nielsch, K. A1 - Fähler, S. T1 - Energy harvesting near room temperature using a thermomagnetic generator with a pretzel-like magnetic flux topology N2 - To date, there are very few technologies available for the conversion of low-temperature waste heat into electricity. Thermomagnetic generators are one approach proposed more than a century ago. Such devices are based on a cyclic change of magnetization with temperature. This switches a magnetic flux and, according to Faraday’s law, induces a voltage. Here we demonstrate that guiding the magnetic flux with an appropriate topology of the magnetic circuit improves the performance of thermomagnetic generators by orders of magnitude. Through a combination of experiments and simulations, we show that a pretzel-like topology results in a sign reversal of the magnetic flux. This avoids the drawbacks of previous designs, namely, magnetic stray fields, hysteresis and complex geometries of the thermomagnetic material. Our demonstrator, which is based on magnetocaloric plates, illustrates that this solid-state energy conversion technology presents a key step towards becoming competitive with thermoelectrics for energy harvesting near room temperature. KW - Energy harvesting KW - Thermomagnetic generator PY - 2019 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-018-0306-x SN - 2058-7546 VL - 4 SP - 68 EP - 74 PB - Nature AN - OPUS4-47305 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dzekan, D. A1 - Waske, Anja A1 - Nielsch, K. A1 - Fähler, S. T1 - Efficient and affordable thermomagnetic materials for harvesting low grade waste heat N2 - Industrial processes release substantial quantities of waste heat, which can be harvested to generate electricity. At present, the conversion of low grade waste heat to electricity relies solely on thermoelectric materials, but such materials are expensive and have low thermodynamic efficiencies. Although thermomagnetic materials may offer a promising alternative, their performance remains to be evaluated, thereby hindering their real-world application. Here, the efficiency and cost effectiveness of thermomagnetic materials are evaluated for the usage in motors, oscillators, and generators for converting waste heat to electricity. The analysis reveals that up to temperature differences of several 10 K, the best thermomagnetic materials have the potential to compete with thermoelectric materials. Importantly, it is found that the price per watt of some thermomagnetic materials is much lower compared to that of present-day thermoelectrics, which can become competitive with conventional power plants. This materials library enables the selection of the best available thermomagnetic materials for harvesting waste heat and gives guidelines for their future development. KW - Waste heat conversion KW - Magnetic materials KW - Thermomagnetic generator PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-541493 DO - https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0033970 VL - 9 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - AIP Publishing CY - Melville, USA AN - OPUS4-54149 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -