whirlpool to explore revolutionary magnetic refrigeration concept

highly efficient, environmentally friendly with reduced noise and vibration level: this ground-breaking, new technology might change cool industry forever whirlpool europe is the principal partner of camfridge ltd. (british company originally born as a spin-off of cambridge university) for a project to deliver a domestic refrigerator based on “magnetic refrigeration” technology.

the project that recently won funding from the uk government’s agency the carbon trust, aims at validating a revolutionary technology that might change the way we have thought about refrigeration for the past 50 years. magnetic refrigeration can free future refrigerators from heavy, noisy and heatproducing compressors, offering a high-efficiency, cool and gas-free solution to the industry and to millions of consumers. reduced-scale, laboratory testing conducted so far has proven successful and is looking very promising. the project is now moving on to a real-scale level to prove that this technology can effectively be applied to commercial products in a not-so-distant future.

the project officially started in mid 2009, and is due for completion in 2012, when a prototype will be displayed during london 2012 olympic games. the scientific principle behind magnetic cooling is based on the discovery that certain materials, when exposed to a magnetic field, exhibit a temperature change. when the magnetic field is removed, the materials will cool below their original temperature. compared with gas refrigeration based on the use of compressors, this technology is more efficient and makes no use of environmentally harmful gases. bracken darrell, president, whirlpool europe, said: “innovation is the lifeblood of whirlpool, especially when it goes hand-in-hand with sustainability. whirlpool is proud of being part of this project as an industrial partner. we are also delighted with the support from the carbon trust. we are still in an exploratory phase, but this technology looks very promising, and we are looking forward to offering millions of consumers worldwide this major, unprecedented revolution in their own kitchen.” neil wilson, ceo camfridge, said “we are delighted to be working with such an innovative company like whirlpool, who are also the world’s leading white goods manufacturer. we are now better able to focus our product development on the needs of consumers’ worldwide thanks to both whirlpool’s commitment to innovation and the support of the carbon trust”.

source: camfridge ltd www.camfridge.com

Tags: freezers, fridges, whirlpool