Optimization of Gadolinium-Based Thermomagnetic Heat Engines

Project Overview 

Gadolinium is a rare earth metal which is of significance to this group since it has a ferromagnetic- paramagnetic transition at roughly room temperature. This means that while colder than room temperature, gadolinium will attract a magnet, while it will not when warmer than room temperature. This transition can be leveraged to create thermomagnetic devices, which use both magnetic and thermal properties of materials to accomplish a task. While there are many different potential applications for gadolinium, this group is currently interested in a gadolinium-based pump device that converts waste heat into mechanical motion. The goals of this project are to better document the magnetic properties of gadolinium, develop a multi-physics simulation, and design an optimized pump device. Also, we will research iron-rhodium as an alloy that can increase the efficiency of this system.

Objectives 

  1. Characterize the thermomagnetic properties of gadolinium and iron/rhodium 
  2. Develop and validate a multi-physics magnetostatic/thermodynamic model  
  3. Develop multi-physics model to simulate magnetic and thermal processes 

Major Tasks 

The major tasks of the project are outlined below. These are nominal and are likely to change somewhat throughout the course of the year. These are meant to illustrate the general nature of the work that the position entails.

  1. Use a Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) to gather magnetic moment data at various temperatures 
  2. Calculate B-field vs. H-field surface – B(H,T)
  3. Create Finite Element Method Magnetics (FEMM) simulation of experimental setup 
  4. Validate VSM data by comparing the simulation to experiment data 
  5. Develop magnetic-to-thermal simulation control interface using MATLAB or Octave
  6. Develop initial pump design  
  7. Fabricate Alpha prototype 
  8. Validate Alpha prototype 
  9. Management and reporting 

Open Positions 

Preferred Skills and Interests 

  • magnetic materials, devices, and phenomena 
  • general coding (MATLAB, Arduino) 
  • finite element method simulation 
  • Prototyping (3D printing, machining, assembly) 
  • CAD 
  • Fluid dyamnics 
  • Heat flow 

Preferred Academic Years 

  • Looking for First-year/Sophomore/Junior level students  

Preferred Majors

  • Phys 
  • CS 
  • MSE 
  • ME 
  • EE 
  • Design 

How to Apply 

This project is administered through the IDPro course in the ENGE department of Virginia Tech. Interested students should apply through the IDPRo interest form.

For more information on IDPro, please visit the IDPro website at – https://idproenge.wp.prod.es.cloud.vt.edu/

Please reach out to Dr. Gray (dagray3@vt.edu) if you have any questions or concerns. 

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