3. Manufacturing processes for magnetocaloric materials

In this third part, we develop the practical aspects of producing magnetocaloric materials of the La(Fe, Si) ₁₃ and MnFe(P, Si) type and the issues involved in shaping them for use in cooling systems.

The main challenge is to minimize the segregation of elements and ensure their redistribution in order to obtain homogeneous materials on an industrial scale (between several kilograms and several tons). Two methods are described:

• rapid cooling (hyperquenching or atomization);

• reactive sintering.

Finally, we present a shaping process developed by BASF, called "epoxy binding", which maximizes the exchange surface between the magnetocaloric material and the heat transfer fluid.