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The next fridge you buy could have its cooling power driven by magnets, thanks to a new design from one manufacturer.
Cooltech applications has just created and launched a new cooling system that is built around magnetic refrigeration, which it claims is not only better for you economically – but because it doesn’t rely on the gases we currently use to cool fridges, it’s also far more environmentally friendly.
The fridges use a system called the magnetocaloric effect, which is a phenomenon that causes materials to change temperature as they are exposed to a changing magnetic field. Normally temperature rises when placed within the field and then cools when removed from it. So by applying a cycle of repeated magnetisation and demagnetisation, Cooltech says it can create effective refrigerators that are cheaper to run and less harmful to the environment.
Not only that, but without fans and other mechanisms needed to run modern fridges, they should be significantly quieter too.
Cooltech says the system gives a temperature range of 25 degrees Celsius, and as a result could be used not only in domestic fridges, but also in professional and medical settings too.
The firm says it has been working on the technology since 2010, and this launch makes it the first commercial product of its kind.
