If we’re going to use hydrogen as a fuel for cars, planes, or storing renewable energy, the most efficient form is liquid hydrogen.
However, liquefying hydrogen means cooling it down to a chilly minus 253°C (20 Kelvin), which typically takes a lot of energy with conventional cooling methods.
But scientists at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands have developed a more eco-friendly way to reach these extremely low temperatures using something called magnetocaloric cooling.
Led by Assistant Professor Graeme Blake, the research team explored how magnetocaloric cooling can make hydrogen liquefaction more energy-efficient.
Magnetocaloric cooling works by using special materials that heat up when exposed to a magnetic field.
Once this heat is transferred to a “heat sink,” removing the magnetic field leaves the material and its surroundings significantly cooler.
This cycle is repeated to lower temperatures, using less energy than traditional methods and without harmful refrigerant gases, which contribute to greenhouse emissions.
What’s groundbreaking about Blake’s work is that his team managed to reach the cold temperatures needed for liquid hydrogen without relying on rare-earth metals, which are typically used in magnetocaloric materials.
Mining these rare-earth metals requires a lot of energy and can harm the environment, so eliminating them from the process makes this method more sustainable.
This new material shows promise for future hydrogen storage and cooling systems that are both cost-effective and environmentally friendly.
Blake believes that their material, or a similar version of it, could help bring down the costs of hydrogen liquefaction and support a cleaner, greener fuel source.
By cutting out rare-earth metals and using a more energy-efficient cooling process, this research offers a way to make hydrogen fuel production less damaging to the environment.
Hydrogen, a zero-emission fuel when used in engines, could become a practical and sustainable energy solution for transportation and renewable energy storage, helping reduce our carbon footprint on Earth.
With this advancement, magnetocaloric cooling technology has taken an important step toward making hydrogen an accessible and green fuel alternative.
The next challenge is to further test and refine this cooling method to see how it can be adapted for large-scale hydrogen production, potentially making it a key player in our transition to cleaner energy sources.
Source: University of Groningen.
