The first magnetic cooling system in the world for commercial refrigeration will be commercially launched by French firm Cooltech Applications this week. The firm said its magnetic refrigeration system (MRS) product line, offering capacities between 200W and 700W will go on sale, using water instead of a refrigerant.
Cooltech said its MRS product line is optimised for a wide range of products, including display cabinets, beverage dispensers, store plugins and wine cellars, alongside medical refrigerators - a market that is worth over $20bn a year, the firm estimates.
Leading the drive offering equipment containing the system are display case manufacturer OCF, which says it will sell magnetically refrigerated cases ‘within a couple of months’ and medical specialist Kirsch International.
Christian Muller, CEO of Cooltech said: “We are delighted to be the pioneers of a true green commercial magnetic refrigeration system. This is the first highly energy efficient commercial solution to be available on the market in the magnetic cooling sector, providing a first-to-market advantage for our customers.”
Guillaume Zanlorenzi, CEO of OCF said: “We are integrating the MRS400 in our high-end refrigerated displays and expect to demonstrate our first magnetic-based product within a couple of months. This is a unique opportunity to differentiate ourselves from our competition.”
Jochen Kopitzke, CEO of Kirsch International said: “The MRS200 unit was successfully demonstrated last year at the Medica tradeshow in our medical refrigerating equipment. We are looking forward to replacing compressor-based units in the near future and expect a very positive market reaction to this major innovation.”
Based on the magnetocaloric effect (the heating or cooling of magnetic material caused by applying a magnetic field to it), the MRS eliminates the global warming potential of compression-based refrigerators, the firm said. The magnetic unit operates at low pressure with low rotational speed, virtually eliminating vibrations, cutting noise to less than 35 dB, and reducing maintenance costs, Cooltech added.
Intriguingly, the firm also claims the system has a ‘quasi-indefinite lifespan.’
The MRS400 unit is in beta testing at three sites in various configurations and is available for integration by OEMs, but a version generating high cooling power—20 kW and beyond—is under development for industrial applications.
